Deepsea Trawling for Orange roughy - St Helens north-east Tasmania скачать в хорошем качестве

Deepsea Trawling for Orange roughy - St Helens north-east Tasmania

I spent years as a scientific observer working on orange roughy vessels, collecting the data that helped rebuild this fishery. It is a species with a big history and plenty of myths, so here is the short version of what actually happened. Orange roughy boomed in the 1990s when huge spawning aggregations were discovered on deep seamounts. Nobody realised how slow growing the species was, and there was little biological information to guide management. Catches climbed fast and the fishery was closed in the early 2000s to protect the stock. From there, the hard work began. CSIRO researchers, observers like myself and industry collected the biological and acoustic data that had never existed before. Age, growth, maturity, stock structure and behaviour on seamounts were all documented properly. With real science behind it, a new management strategy was built around strict quota, spatial closures, conservative harvest and improved gear. Today, the Eastern Orange Roughy Fishery is independently certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council. It is one of the only places in the world where orange roughy has recovered. A few quick facts about the fishery shown here: • The footage is from St Helens Hill, a deep seamount off eastern Tasmania. • The area was closed in 2005 and only reopened in 2015 once the science confirmed recovery. • Modern trawl gear uses sensors that keep doors off the seabed to reduce habitat impact. • Fishers target the edges of the aggregation to protect nets and maintain quality. • If too many fish enter the net, a spillover window allows excess fish to escape. • Management areas are small and restricted to historical trawl footprints. I have seen this fishery at its lowest point and I have seen the work that rebuilt it. The practices, science and management used today are a world away from the stories people still repeat from the 1990s. The facts tell the real story.