WAMSI Node 4.4.1 - Assessment and monitoring for bycatch composition and abundance

Through reviewing available fisheries data sets, reports, logbooks and CAES (Catch And Effort Statistics) 3836 bycatch records were identified and are available as a comma-separated value (CSV) file. Bycatch is defined as discards only, and does not include by-product which is kept by fishers and sold.

Within WAMSI Node 4.4.1 the following work was undertaken:

i) Determine the cumulative effect of fisheries on bycatch species, including Threatened, Endangered and Protected species (TEPs), discarded undersize target species, and all other discarded species in the Gascoyne and the West Coast Bioregions;

ii) Establish a risk analysis of interaction rates between the collective fisheries and bycatch to identify which species, species groups or fisheries require more detailed assessment; and

iii) Identify better ways to quantify fishery - bycatch interactions and therefore increase our ability to understand the risks to particular species or groups within a range of fisheries.