Fisheries biology of Western Australian Salmon: improving our understanding of population dynamics in South Australia to enable quantitative stock assessments and improved fisheries management

There is opportunity for the Western Australian Salmon Fishery in South Australia to expand into emerging national and international seafood markets, but it is important that appropriate management is in place to ensure that any expansion of the fishery does not compromise its overall sustainability. Contemporary information on the fine-scale population structure and fisheries biology in South Australian waters is needed to improve stock status assessment and inform appropriate resource sharing among sectors. The current project will assist this process by improving understanding of the population dynamics of Western Australian Salmon in South Australian waters. It will describe the fine-scale population structure and fisheries biology of the Western Australian Salmon in South Australia, including inshore and offshore components of the stock. This will enable quantitative stock assessments and improved fisheries management. In addition, the project will assess the feasibility of using innovative remote sensing techniques (aerial surveys) to determine relative abundance of WA Salmon.