Review of Monitoring and Assessment in the SESSF

The SESSF is a very large and complex fishery that covers multiple jurisdictions, multiple gear types, interacts with over 600 species and targets 34 commercially important species. The 34 target species are managed under TACs which are periodically adjusted by AFMA in response to biomass estimates (or proxies thereof). Most monitoring and assessment costs are borne by the industry and recently expanded monitoring and assessment requirements have coincided with reduced commercial returns. This review evaluates the existing monitoring and assessment arrangements and provides recommendations for cost effective options to meet the management and legislative requirements.