Management Concern: High    

Adequacy of Information: Low

Summary extracts from Outlook Report 2009

• Fishing provides opportunities for recreation, resources for the seafood industry, and generates regional economic value.
  
• Climate related changes to the ecosystem are expected to seriously affect Reef-based industries and communities.
  
• It is likely that the biological, social and economic aspects associated with commercial and recreational fishing may be highly sensitive to climate change. New opportunities may be created as the distribution of fishes shifts southward. In addition, there is potential for adaptation measures to be employed by some sectors of industry.

What do we know?

Relevant pages from Outlook Online include:

• Vulnerability of Great Barrier Reef fisheries to climate change
  
• Implications of climate change for fisheries
  
• Assessment of social characteristics of Queensland's recreational fishers 
  
• Fishing catch from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
  
• Non-retained commercial fishing catch in 2007 
• Value of Great Barrier Reef commercial fisheries
• Assessment of social characteristics of Queensland's recreational fishers
• Participation in recreational fishing
  
• Fisheries: catch information
  
• Fisheries: location of operations
• East coast fin fish fishery independent review
  

Existing policies and management actions

• Implementation of World Trade Organisation (WTO) conditions and recommendations from the latest EPBC assessment: progress by fishery
  
• Fish spawning aggregation protection
  
• Position Statement on Regional Management Issues in the East Coast Inshore Finfish Fishery [125KB]
  
• Position Statement on Protected Species in the East Coast Inshore Finfish Fishery [330KB]
  
• Position Statement on Aquaculture within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park [200KB]
  
• Fisheries: legislative management arrangements
  
• Fisheries: other management tools
  
• Fisheries: information systems
  
• Queensland fisheries monitoring
  
• Queensland management of commercial fisheries
  
• Queensland management of recreational fisheries
  
• The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan
• Australian Government policy on climate change 
• Queensland Government climate change policies and strategies 
• Climate Change Action Plan 2007-2012

Future management requirements

• Future management requirements in this area are being guided by ongoing assessment of emerging research outcomes and issues identified by the Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2009.

Defined research questions

• How will economic revenues of Reef-dependant industries be affected by climate change?
  
• How will changes in sea temperature and pH affect the function and behaviour of reef fishes?
  
• What are the current and predicted impacts of climate change – in combination with other pressures – on Great Barrier Reef commercial and recreational fisheries?
  
• What adaptation options are possible to reduce current and future predicted climate change impacts on Great Barrier Reef industries and communities?
  
• What mitigation measures can commercial fishermen adopt to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions?
  
• What are the cumulative impacts of ocean acidification and fisheries on reef ecosystems?

Related information

• Current Research and Monitoring