| Summary | The Heard Island and McDonald Islands Fishery Management Plan, made under the Fisheries Management Act 1991, The HIMI Toothfish Fishery Management Plan provides the rules for setting catch limits, granting fishery quotas, and implementing other fisheries and environmental measures (e.g., gear restrictions, bycatch rules, etc.). The plan is implemented primarily by the AFMA, but in cooperation with the AAD and in accordance with CCAMLR Conservation Measures. |
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| Project | SESMAD |
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| Subtype | Formal Governance System |
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| Sector | Marine protected areas |
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| Begin Date | 2002 |
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| Explanation | The Heard Island and McDonald Islands Fishery Management Plan 2002 is implemented under the 1991 Fisheries Management Act amended in 2011. The Management Plan includes the trawl fishery for Mackerel Icefish (Champsocephalus gunnari) and the trawl, longline and pot fishery for Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides). An increasing amount of the toothfish catch has been taken via longline rather than trawl (which used to be the primary fishing means). |
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| End Date | current (2014) |
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| Explanation | This governance system is still in operation. |
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| Governance Scale | State-based policy |
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| Explanation | Fisheries at Heard and McDonald Islands are managed by the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA), in close cooperation with AAD (the Australian Antarctic Division) and in accordance with Conservation Measures set by CCAMLR (The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, which is an international regime). |
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| Governance System Description | Fisheries Management Plan |
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| Explanation | The Heard Island and McDonald Islands Fishery is managed according to the HIMI Toothfish Management Plan by AFMA (the Australian Fisheries Management Authority) under the Fisheries Management Act 1991. In addition, the Antarctic Marine Living Resources Conservation Act 1981, administered by the AAD (Australian Antarctic Division) implements Australia’s international obligations under Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR). The HIMI Toothfish Fishery Management Plan provides the rules for setting catch limits, granting fishery quotas, and implementing other fisheries and environmental measures (e.g., gear restrictions, bycatch rules, etc.). The plan is implemented primarily by the AFMA, but in cooperation with the AAD and in accordance with CCAMLR Conservation Measures. There is a Sub-Antarctic Resource Assessment Group (SARAG) that acts a scientific advisory body for implementing the fisheries management plan and a Sub-Antarctic Management Advisory Committee (SouthMAC) which provides for fishery management consultation between industry, managers, scientists and other interests groups. SouthMAC is AFMA's main source of advice on management of fisheries at Heard and McDonald Islands and Macquarie Island. |
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| Governance Trigger | Not Applicable |
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| Explanation | |
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| Type Of Formal Governance | Management plan |
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| Explanation | Management plan has been implemented in the context of enabling legislation |
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| Mpa Internal Natural Boundaries | Not Applicable |
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| Explanation | |
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| Mpa Migratory Life History | Not Applicable |
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| Explanation | |
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| Mpa Threats To Migratory Sp | Not Applicable |
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| Explanation | |
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| Mpa Threats | Not Applicable |
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| Explanation | |
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| Governance Knowledge Use | ["Scientific knowledge"] |
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| Explanation | Management is very science-based with input from the AFMA, AAD, SARAG, CCAMLR and others; all of these groups include fisheries scientists. Biological and ecological information is actively gathered by AFMA fisheries observers (required on all Heard and McDonald Island fishing vessels). AAD, in collaboration with the AFMA, also carries out annual fisheries-independent surveys (random stratified trawl survey). |
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| Pa Car Principles | Not Applicable |
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| Explanation | |
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| Centralization | Highly centralized (4) |
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| Explanation | Decisions are ultimately made by AFMA (the national government). |
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| Distance To Markets | More than 1000km (4) |
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| Explanation | HIMI is more than 4000km away from mainland Australia. Toothfish are either landed in Australian ports or Mauritius (off of South Africa). But the main markets are even further away - in the United States, Japan and China (see AFMA 2014). |
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| Horizontal Coordination | Formal |
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| Explanation | AFMA (Australian Fisheries Management Authority), which implements the fisheries management plan, also coordinates (horizontally) with members of the AAD (Australian Antarctic Division). They further (vertically) coordinate with CCAMLR and multiple science and advisory groups (e.g., SARAG, SouthMAC). |
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| Mpa Iucn Somewhat Strict Zones | Not Applicable |
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| Explanation | |
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| Mpa Iucn Sustainable Zones | Not Applicable |
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| Explanation | |
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| Mpa Budget | Not Applicable |
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| Explanation | |
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| Mpa Connectivity | Not Applicable |
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| Explanation | |
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| Mpa Migratory Threats And Redux | Not Applicable |
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| Explanation | |
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| Mpa Motivation | Not Applicable |
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| Explanation | |
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| Mpa Primary Goal (In Practice) | Not Applicable |
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| Explanation | |
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| Mpa Protection | Not Applicable |
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| Explanation | |
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| Metric Diversity | High: Many metrics for success (3) |
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| Explanation | AFMA aims to maintain stocks at sustainable levels, while also attempting ecosystem based management. This includes having bycatch limits and mitigation measures for avoiding seabirds. |
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| Pa Iucn Strict Zones | Not Applicable |
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| Explanation | |
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| Social Ecological Fit | Low (1) |
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| Explanation | The HIMI toothfish stock is part of a larger Kerguelen Plateau population. This population is targeted by French fishers (in the Kerguelen Island French EEZ fishery), by Australian fishers (HIMI fishery), and by high seas fishers in the CCAMLR Area. The stock has also been heavily targeted by IUU fishers in national and high seas waters. There is some coordination between managers (especially CCAMLR and AFMA) but less so with French national fishers. Also, there remain critical gaps in the life history information about the Kerguelen Plateau toothfish. |
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| Mpa Migratory Benefit | Not Applicable |
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| Explanation | |
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| Governance System Spatial Extent | 410722 |
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| Explanation | Australia's exclusive economic zone around the Heard and McDonald Islands is 410,722 km-sq. |
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