The Tasmanian Rock Lobster Fishery
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Tasmanian rock lobster fishery is distributed around the entire coastline of Tasmania from sub-tidal reefs to deeper reefs on the continental slope.
The rock lobster fishing industry is the backbone of Tasmania's fishing fleet with the majority of vessels working out of Tasmania's coastal rural towns.
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(Left): A number of rock lobster fishermen are based on Tasmania's rugged west coast.
Ian (Mick) Murphy and deckhand Hunty (displaying two excellent examples of Southern Rock Lobster) work from Couta Rocks.
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The processing sector is dependent on live holding facilities, as approximately 74% of the catch is marketed live.
The commercial fishing fleet comprises approximately 240 vessels, which are licensed to use between 15 and 50 pots (See right).
The rock lobster fishery has a significant history dating back to the late 1800's when the Crayfish Act 1885 was introduced, establishing size limits and restrictions on the taking of spawning female rock lobster.
On March 1st 1998, management of the Tasmanian fishery changed from input controls based primarily on licence limitations and closed seasons, to an output controlled fishery based on individual transferable quotas (ITQ's).
There is a current total allowable catch (TAC) of 1,523 tonnes which is allocated equally between the 10,507 ITQ units (from March 1st. 2002).
In adopting the ITQ system, several of the input controls have been maintained, including the limitation of the maximum number of pots allowed in the fishery and seasonal closures which had been implemented to protect moulting lobsters.
For an industry structure profile covering:
- Production
- Processing
- Markets
- Infrastructure
- Economic Data
- Government Inputs and Involvement
- Employment
- Research
- Objectives
- License requirements
- Zone Areas...
For links to management plans:
- Click here
For a link to the Tasmanian Rock Lobster Fishermen's Association:
- Click here
For other interesting links:
- Click here
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