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All in a day’s
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Western Victoria is home to one of the last sustainable wild-catch abalone fisheries in the world. Craig Fox, Chairman of the Western Abalone Divers Association (WADA) talks about how they are safeguarding the stock and its fishers for the future. A marine virus struck the abalone stock in Victoria’s Western region in 2006 and caused abalone numbers to plummet, effectively closing the fishery. But with advanced data collection, collaboration, and responsible practices the fishery is now rebuilding steadily. This viral outbreak was a wakeup call, which prompted government fisheries’ managers and local abalone divers to work more collaboratively and to make use of modern technology. ‘We use satellite-tracking technology—which is installed on all our vessels—to map the abalone’s location, size and condition, as well as the length of time spent harvesting in each area,’ he said. ‘The data is then sent to an independent scientist for analysis and informs research that guides quotas in future years.’ According to Craig, the western Victorian abalone fishery is different to many others such as cray or trawl operations, because you can actually see the future stock growing— and he’s encouraged by what he sees. ‘The biomass in spots is better than it’s ever been—now we are back to harvesting 70 tonnes each year in the western Victorian zone,’ he said. 17
Working Boats December 2018
