Access and management arrangements Moderate Ensure management arrangements are do not support commercial harvest effective at achieving management objectives resulting in reduced fisher income and whilst minimising costs. employment in the sector Legislation and regulation does not Moderate Consider the feasibility of developing a adequately support efficient, effective harvest strategy for the Victorian shortfin and and responsive management resulting in longfin eel fisheries. suboptimal fishery outcomes. Ensure eel fisheries are part of a fisheries legislation review in 2019. Impacts of the environment on the Moderate Development of a Victorian Eel Fishery fishery (EA) - Reduced water quantity Exceptional Circumstances Strategy (including drought and modification of flow regimes) Impacts of the environment on the Moderate Ensure fishery’s information and interests are fishery - Reduced water quantity by considered in the decision making processes, human activities (construction of including those of other agencies barriers, water abstraction, change of land management activities etc.) Impacts of the environment on the Moderate Development of a Victorian Eel Fishery fishery - Reduced water quality Exceptional Circumstances Strategy (eg. blackwater, toxic algal blooms, impacts of droughts, floods and fires) Impacts of the environment on the Moderate Development of a Victorian Eel Fishery fishery - Reduced quality by human Exceptional Circumstances Strategy activities (chemical spills, pollution, siltation, illegal estuary mouth openings etc.) Impacts of the environment on the Moderate Advocate for improved biosecurity standards fishery - effect of exotic species for imported eel products introductions (habitat change, competition, predation disease etc.) Ensure all stocking of eels into Victorian Effect of fishery on environments - Moderate waters follows the Protocols for the deliberate or accidental translocation of translocation of fish in Victorian inland public non-endemic species during re-stock. and waters Victorian Protocol for the Translocation of Eels Objectives of the Victorian Eel Fishery Management Plan The objectives contained in Section 3 of the Fisheries Act 1995 (listed in Section 2.3 of the Plan) require Victoria’s fisheries to be managed in an efficient, effective and ecologically sustainable manner. The following fishery-specific, objectives and subsequent strategies for the Victorian Eel Fishery are ‘guiding’ consistent with legislated objectives. Table 2 outlines the actions and performance measures for each strategy. Objective 1: Long term sustainability of eel resources; Allow for sufficient adult eel escapement and recruitment thus stock sustainability;
Access and management arrangements do not support commercial harvest resulting in reduced fisher income and employment in the sector Moderate Ensure management arrangements are effective at achieving management objectives whilst minimising costs. Legislation and regulation does not adequately support efficient, effective and responsive management resulting in suboptimal fishery outcomes. Moderate Consider the feasibility of developing a harvest strategy for the Victorian shortfin and longfin eel fisheries. Ensure eel fisheries are part of a fisheries legislation review in 2019. Impacts of the environment on the fishery (EA) - Reduced water quantity (including drought and modification of flow regimes) Moderate Development of a Victorian Eel Fishery Exceptional Circumstances Strategy Impacts of the environment on the fishery - Reduced water quantity by human activities (construction of barriers, water abstraction, change of land management activities etc.) Moderate Ensure fishery’s information and interests are considered in the decision making processes, including those of other agencies Impacts of the environment on the fishery - Reduced water quality (eg. blackwater, toxic algal blooms, impacts of droughts, floods and fires) Moderate Development of a Victorian Eel Fishery Exceptional Circumstances Strategy Impacts of the environment on the fishery - Reduced quality by human activities (chemical spills, pollution, siltation, illegal estuary mouth openings etc.) Moderate Development of a Victorian Eel Fishery Exceptional Circumstances Strategy Impacts of the environment on the fishery - effect of exotic species introductions (habitat change, competition, predation disease etc.) Moderate Advocate for improved biosecurity standards for imported eel products Effect of fishery on environments - deliberate or accidental translocation of non-endemic species during re-stock. Moderate Ensure all stocking of eels into Victorian waters follows the Protocols for the translocation of fish in Victorian inland public waters and Victorian Protocol for the Translocation of Eels Objectives of the Victorian Eel Fishery Management Plan The objectives contained in Section 3 of the Fisheries Act 1995 (listed in Section 2.3 of the Plan) require Victoria’s fisheries to be managed in an efficient, effective and ecologically sustainable manner. The following fishery-specific, ‘guiding’ objectives and subsequent strategies for the Victorian Eel Fishery are consistent with legislated objectives. Table 2 outlines the actions and performance measures for each strategy. Objective 1: Long term sustainability of eel resources; Allow for sufficient adult eel escapement and recruitment thus stock sustainability;
DRAFT_Eel-Fishery-Management-Plan.docx