This project was developed for the Ningaloo Research Program (NRP) to explore the effects of managing recreational fishing, which is perhaps the most important extractive activities in the Ningaloo Marine Park. The project used simulation techniques known as Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) to explore the consequences of a range of management actions, under a series of alternative future scenarios on the management of a major target species on Ningaloo Reef, spangled emperor (Lethrinus nebulosus). The results of the scenarios are examined against the objectives set out by management and other stakeholders in the park. A simulation model, known as ELFSim, was used. ELFSim is a decision support software system designed to evaluate options for conservation and harvest management, and includes a number of key components: a population dynamics model of target species that captures the full life history (including larval dispersal, reproduction, development, and habits) of the target species, a model of fishing dynamics that captures the exploitation pattern due to fishing behaviour, a management model that simulates the implementation of management actions. ELFSim was developed for other coral reef fisheries where commercial fishing was the primary fishing activity, and in this sought to develop a simulation model of recreational fishing dynamics. This model was agent-based, meaning that individual recreational fishing boats were represented in the model, and a range of management measures were tested on the ability to manage these virtual recreational fishers. These management measures, derived from stakeholder workshops include the effect of increasing the no-take sanctuary zones, and restricting the fishing in sanctuary zones that occurs from shore. The effectiveness of these management actions in the simulation model was measured against the management objectives of the stakeholders. Management objectives were classified according to ecological (conservation) objectives, or social and economic objectives. The results showed that the current management arrangement perform adequately against the range of ecological and social objectives. However, for other management actions, the results showed the inherent trade-off that exists between the ecological objective and the social objectives. For example, restricting fishing in sanctuaries from shore did well to achieve the conservation objectives, but did not achieve the social objectives as well as other management strategies. Imposing catch restrictions, increasing compliance monitoring and implementing an education program to reduce infringement also performed well against both social and ecological objectives, but consideration of effectiveness, and cost are uncertainties that our analysis did not consider. Such factors are likely to be extremely important and weighed in any realistic implementation of these management actions. Under the alternative scenarios the management strategy that was most likely to achieve the objectives was the hypothetical "Catch Limit" . The management strategy that allowed effort to increase was best at achieving the social objective of maximizing catches, including the catch of large fish. Although the simulations indicated that the "Catch Limit" strategy as an effective strategy for future alternative scenarios, in practice a combination of strategies limiting effort, or something else quite novel and resource intensive (like pink snapper tags in Freycinet Estuary in Shark Bay, WA for implementing a recreational Catch Limit), may need to be used for indirectly limiting the overall level of catch of spangled emperor from this sector. Of course such a strategy is also species specific and does not limit potential sustainability risks for other species. It is for this reason that DoFWA uses spangled emperor as an indicator species for the suite of demersal scalefish species in the Gascoyne Bioregion.

This project was developed for the Ningaloo Research Program (NRP) to explore the effects of managing recreational fishing, which is perhaps the most important extractive activities in the Ningaloo Marine Park. The project used simulation techniques known as Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) to explore the consequences of a range of management actions, under a series of alternative future scenarios on the management of a major target species on Ningaloo Reef, spangled emperor (Lethrinus nebulosus). The results of the scenarios are examined against the objectives set out by management and other stakeholders in the park. A simulation model, known as ELFSim, was used. ELFSim is a decision support software system designed to evaluate options for conservation and harvest management, and includes a number of key components: a population dynamics model of target species that captures the full life history (including larval dispersal, reproduction, development, and habits) of the target species, a model of fishing dynamics that captures the exploitation pattern due to fishing behaviour, a management model that simulates the implementation of management actions. ELFSim was developed for other coral reef fisheries where commercial fishing was the primary fishing activity, and in this sought to develop a simulation model of recreational fishing dynamics. This model was agent-based, meaning that individual recreational fishing boats were represented in the model, and a range of management measures were tested on the ability to manage these virtual recreational fishers. These management measures, derived from stakeholder workshops include the effect of increasing the no take sanctuary zones, and restricting the fishing in sanctuary zones that occurs from shore. The effectiveness of these management actions in the simulation model was measured against the management objectives of the stakeholders. Management objectives were classified according to ecological (conservation) objectives, or social and economic objectives. The results showed that the current management arrangement perform adequately against the range of ecological and social objectives. However, for other management actions, the results showed the inherent trade-off that exists between the ecological objective and the social objectives.

This project will develop a Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) framework to build understanding of the key human uses and drivers of change in the inshore Great Barrier Reef (GBR), and to inform GBR stakeholders of the likely consequences, costs and benefits of particular management decisions that aim to minimise the impacts on biodiversity, particularly from inshore multi-species fisheries. The MSE approach involves developing models that capture the key attributes of the management problem, including processes of biophysical systems, human uses of ecosystems and their socio-economic drivers, and the three major components of an adaptive management strategy – monitoring, assessment and management decision processes. A staged approach to the MSE is proposed. It will include: Scoping of the project, data and information gathering, stakeholder elicitation of objectives and understanding key processes. Assessment of management strategies using a qualitative MSE in the GBR region. This will consist of a) developing management strategies, b) assessing the relative impact of the management strategies against the objectives and c) steps required for implementation. This project is now complete.

This project was developed for the Ningaloo Research Program (NRP) to explore the effects of managing recreational fishing, which is perhaps the most important extractive activities in the Ningaloo Marine Park. The project used simulation techniques known as Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) to explore the consequences of a range of management actions, under a series of alternative future scenarios on the management of a major target species on Ningaloo Reef, spangled emperor (Lethrinus nebulosus). The results of the scenarios are examined against the objectives set out by management and other stakeholders in the park. A simulation model, known as ELFSim, was used. ELFSim is a decision support software system designed to evaluate options for conservation and harvest management, and includes a number of key components: a population dynamics model of target species that captures the full life history (including larval dispersal, reproduction, development, and habits) of the target species, a model of fishing dynamics that captures the exploitation pattern due to fishing behaviour, a management model that simulates the implementation of management actions. ELFSim was developed for other coral reef fisheries where commercial fishing was the primary fishing activity, and in this sought to develop a simulation model of recreational fishing dynamics. This model was agent-based, meaning that individual recreational fishing boats were represented in the model, and a range of management measures were tested on the ability to manage these virtual recreational fishers. These management measures, derived from stakeholder workshops include the effect of increasing the no take sanctuary zones, and restricting the fishing in sanctuary zones that occurs from shore. The effectiveness of these management actions in the simulation model was measured against the management objectives of the stakeholders. Management objectives were classified according to ecological (conservation) objectives, or social and economic objectives. The results showed that the current management arrangement perform adequately against the range of ecological and social objectives. However, for other management actions, the results showed the inherent trade-off that exists between the ecological objective and the social objectives.

The aims of this project are: (1) to identify and simulate key physical factors that have significant impacts on ecological processes on shelf and coastal areas of southwestern Western Australia (WA); and (2) to develop physical, ecological, and risk assessment models that can be used to assess impacts of multiple human use on coastal and shelf environments. The project consists of five main components: analysis of large scale climate forcing, development and application of regional and coastal circulation models, development of integrated biogeochemical/ecological models, development of coastal impact models, and risk assessment. This project will link existing field data, field observations from other SRFME projects, and output from new and existing models, with management objectives and needs defined by Western Australian stakeholders. Specific models to be developed include regional and coastal oceanographic models, biogeochemical / ecological models that links physical and ecological processes, and risk assessment models that link these models to human use of the marine environment. The project intends to build on methods and models already developed and/or used by other CMR projects such as the NWSJEMS and LWRDDC projects. These models will be adapted and extended to allow assessment of impacts of multiple use and natural forcing on nutrient cycling, production and habitat quality on shelf and coastal areas in southwestern WA. These tools will range from process-based simulation models to semi-empirical models, with a focus on making efficient use of existing data, and incorporating new data from large-scale observations such as acoustic and satellite data. The main deliverables of the project include analysis of large scale climate forcing, development and application of regional and coastal scale oceanographic, integrated biogeochemical/ecological, and coastal impact models and risk assessment methods.

The Ningaloo Marine Park (State Waters) Plan 1989 was designated A class in 1990. A review of the Management Plan began in 2000; this resulted in a revised Management Plan being approved by the Minister in January 2005. Changes in the current Management Plan include extending the Marine Park southwards to incorporate the full extent of the reef, increasing the number and extent of Sanctuary Zones, introducing Special Purpose Benthic Protection and shore-based line fishing zones. The purpose of this project is to assess the effectiveness of 1989 Management Plan and also provide what will become the first data point in a long-term data set. These data will become an integral part of several sections of the NRP, evaluating the effectiveness of zoning for biodiversity conservation, assessing the implications of zoning for fish populations and for fishing outside sanctuary zones. The surveys will provide data not only for newly established zones, but also for those zones already established within the park under previous zoning provisions. Where possible the survey will build on existing data sets, though these are limited in scope and spatial extent. Objectives For fish taxa targeted by anglers (e.g. labridae, lethrinidae, lutjanidae, serranidae, carangidae): - Measure the distribution, abundance and size-structure of key fish populations at Ningaloo - Provide data that will allow a quantitative comparison of these parameters to be made across Ningaloo Marine Park zones (pre-2005 sanctuary zones, new sanctuary zones, benthic protection zones, recreational zones and general use zones). - Provide data that will form the basis for being able to: - Measure the rate and magnitude of any changes in fish population size or structure related to changes in marine park zoning - Determine how responses of fish populations may vary with respect to factors such as size of reserve, type of reserve, distance from boundary and fish life-history - Parameterize and test spatially-explicit models of fish populations.

The management strategy evaluation (MSE) framework has been developed for scientific support of regional multiple-use management of marine and coastal resources. The MSE approach was used in the North West Shelf Joint Environmental Management Study to demonstrate the variation in possible outcomes from prospective and existing management strategies and development scenarios. In this report we provide an evaluation of the results of computer simulations designed to demonstrate the utility of the MSE framework. Relevant background and further elaboration can be found in three companion reports Gray et al. (2006), Fulton et al. (2006b) and Hatfield et al. (2006). The key message from the simulations is that patterns in indicator variables under the integrated management strategy are clearly distinguishable from those under both the status quo and enhanced management strategies. Notwithstanding a few notable exceptions, this outcome is consistent across a range of uncertainties, including those treated explicitly in the alternative model specifications and development scenarios, and those treated as random variables in separate computer simulations. The outcome is consistent because the integrated strategy balances impacts across a range of sectoral activities that impact not only the sector itself, but also other sectors, or the human population and ecosystem as a whole. In contrast, the sectorally-based management strategies (i.e. the status quo and enhanced strategies) invoke broadly similar (to each other) patterns in the indicator variables, although the enhanced strategy has differential impacts on some conservation and social variables. The integrated management strategy outcomes improves upon those from the sectorbased strategies because it actively manages the region from a multiple-use perspective and simultaneously monitors, and responds to, indicator variables that represent social, environmental conservation, economic and safety considerations. With the exception of cases where uncertainty dominates the simulation results (notably prawn biomass and regional habitat coverage), the integrated management strategy (compared to the other, sector-based, management strategies) leads to: significant increases in the stocks and catch rates of high-value fish species; increased recreational fishing catch; improved abundance of species of high conservation value (particularly turtles, though the magnitude of this can be dependent on model type and assumptions); improved biodiversity; a reduction in commercial fishing effort; a reduction in commercial fishery gross margins; a decline in contaminant impact; and a decrease in the risk of ship collisions and catastrophic spills. The two sector-based management strategies perform differently from each other according to only four indicator variables. The enhanced strategy leads to increased commercial catch and CPUE of high-value target species and greater recreational catch, as compared to the status quo management strategy. Enhanced management also leads to lower habitat fragmentation at local scales than status quo management. 2 These results provide a limited number of examples to demonstrate how alternative management strategies can alter natural resource use in a multiple-use setting. What they also demonstrate, however, is that the MSE framework is now developed sufficiently to provide robust evaluations of alternate management strategies, model specifications and development scenarios. Scientists and managers now have available powerful simulation tools that can assist in evaluating potential strategies, scenarios and model specification to help achieve better ecosystem level and sectoral outcomes and to guide scientific research and data collection, to best serve regional natural resource management. The calibration of the model software using real-world data allows easy identification of shortcomings in both the model

This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2024 project "Assessing the condition of natural values within priority temperate Australian Marine Parks to evaluate management effectiveness". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. Parks Australia has developed an adaptive management approach to the Australian Marine Parks (AMPs), which cover 48% of Australia's Exclusive Economic Zone. Key to the success of this framework is robust biological and ecological data to assess the performance of management approaches. The project will collect data to measure the trend in natural values to allow for evaluation of management performance at various levels on the continental shelf regions of four AMPs: Hunter (Temperate East Network), Beagle (South-east Network), South-west Corner and Geographe (South-west Network). These AMPs were selected based on previous partnerships between Parks Australia and NESP projects. This project aligns with Parks Australia’s science plans, supporting adaptive management and addressing emerging threats. Marine sampling and monitoring Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) will be used to systematically collect data that will provide trusted scientific evidence for decision-makers, aiding in effectively safeguarding the ecological integrity of these marine ecosystems. Outputs • Fish scoring data from BRUV, BOSS and ROV platforms [dataset] • Benthic imagery with annotations from AUV platform [dataset] • Lobster catch data [dataset] • Spatially-referenced highlight videos/imagery for communication purposes [dataset] • Final project report [written]

Long-term social and economic monitoring helps reef managers understand the current status of marine park users, industries and communities. It also helps build a picture of how industries and communities are likely to respond and cope with changes associated with environmental degradation, climate change, regulatory frameworks, and changes in culture. It can also assist in evaluating the effectiveness of management interventions.This project will establish and collect a unique data set that documents long-term social and economic trends in communities and users of the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). In 2011-12 a number of existing datasets were collated and relevant information extracted. Additionally data gaps were identified, which then formed the primary survey questions. In 2012-13 and 2013-14 primary data will be collected via surveys conducted on mini iPads from Bundaberg to Cooktown. Outcomes of this project include: * Providing GBR management and industries with better access to social and economic information necessary for planning purposes. * Strong liaison with GBR stakeholders on the social and economic status of the region. * An annual snapshot of the social and economic indicators for the entire GBR region.

This record provides an overview of the scope and research output of NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub Project D1 - "Ecosystem understanding to support sustainable use, management and monitoring of marine assets in the North and North-west regions". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. Effective management of marine assets requires an understanding of ecosystems and the processes that influence patterns of biodiversity. Focusing on the North and North-west regions, this project will leverage previous research to improve ecosystem understanding through a synthesis of existing information and by making testable predictions about the character and extent of conservation values, including for key ecological features (KEFs) and Commonwealth Marine Reserves. End-users and stakeholders will benefit from improved regional descriptions of marine ecosystems and uncertainty statements. In turn, this will inform prioritisation of future investments in monitoring marine ecosystems and State of the Environment reporting. Planned Outputs • A report on the synthesis (based on collations completed in 2015) of datasets and models for the North and NW identifying areas of greatest information coverage, gaps and themed to CMRs and KEFs in those regions. This report will also describe key spatial patterns in biodiversity (benthic and pelagic) and associations between benthic environments, fish and megafauna and large scale processes (e.g. oceanography). • Predictions and related products (maps) of the spatial distribution of biodiversity across the Oceanic Shoals CMR that encompasses benthic habitat, pelagic and demersal fish and megafauna communities. This will provide an example/test case at the National Prioritisation Workshop of how confidently predictive modelling can be used to describe assets and values in data poor areas to inform management and monitoring. • An updated conceptual model of ecosystem processes (benthic and pelagic) within the Oceanic Shoals CMR based on extension of modelling into pelagics. • A review of existing knowledge of the Ancient Coastline KEF. • A qualitative model of Glomar Shoal KEF (to be confirmed in consultation with DOE). • Communication products that capture activities and general interest stories of scientific results disseminated through NW Atlas social media links. • Upload of new relevant spatial data layers in NW Atlas for management and planning, and engagement with end users to maximize uptake of the NW Atlas products.