Southern Bluefin Tuna Verified Count Determination 2011 (Cth)

FISHERIES MANAGEMENT ACT 1991

SOUTHERN BLUEFIN TUNA FISHERY MANAGEMENT PLAN 1995

VERIFIED COUNT DETERMINATION 2011

The Australian Fisheries Management Authority makes the following determination under subsection 22(2) of the Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery Management Plan 1995.

Dated this 1 February 2011

The Common Seal of the Australian

Fisheries Management Authority was

affixed in accordance with a decision

of the Commission

_______________________

Citation

1. This determination may be cited as the Southern Bluefin Tuna Verified Count Determination 2011.

Commencement

1. This determination commences on the day after it is registered on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments.

Revocation

1. The Southern Bluefin Tuna Verified Count Determination 2010-11 is revoked.

Interpretation

1. A term used in this determination that is defined for the purposes of the Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery Management Plan 1995 has the same meaning in this determination as it has in that Plan.

1. “stereo video” means a system that uses two digital video cameras to measure objects or features that are presented to a camera at two different angles.

1. ”Approved Stereo Video” software is a software package known as EventMeasure Stereo being a software package designed for annotating and measuring the lengths of fishes recorded in underwater stereo imagery.

[Notes:           

i.    Terms defined in the Fisheries Management Act 1991 have the same meanings in this determination.

ii.   Terms defined in the Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery Management Plan 1995 include "Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery”.]

Determination of Verified count methods

1. Southern Bluefin Tuna must not be transferred from a tow cage to a farm without a verified count of the fish, conducted by AFMA or an agent of AFMA using one of the procedures set out below as directed by AFMA or an Agent of AFMA.

1. AFMA, or an Agent of AFMA, will advise the fisher which method is to be used for a tow cage when it is presented for verified count.

1. A count is a verified count only if it meets the requirements of clause 10 or clause 11.

Verified count procedures Method 1 – Stereo Video Trial 2011 verified count

1. A verified count of fish transferred with stereo video is to be conducted in the following manner:

a.A recording using Approved Stereo Video is to be made of the transfer of fish from the tow cage to the farm;

b.The stereo video is to depict a side view covering the opening between the tow cage and the farm in order that all Southern Bluefin Tuna then transferred will appear on the stereo video recording;

c.A further recording with a single video camera is also to be made of the transfer of the fish from the tow cage to the farm;

d.The mono video is to depict a side view covering the opening between the tow cage and the farm in order that all Southern Bluefin Tuna then transferred will appear on the video recording;

e.Once the transfer is complete, a farm representative and AFMA or an Agent of AFMA are to view the recording and tally the number of Southern Bluefin Tuna transferred;

f.At least ten percent of the Southern Bluefin Tuna transferred will have their length estimated using approved stereo video software and that estimate will be recorded;

g.A length to weight conversion factor of

Weight=0.000015577*length^3.0214

is applied to the individual estimated length of each fish referred to in (e) to produce an estimated weight for each fish measured with stereo video.

h.The estimated weight of each fish determined in (g) will be summed and divided by the total number of fish measured by stereo video to produce an average estimated weight.

i.The weight of fish in the verified count is the average estimated weight in (h) multiplied by the total number of fish transferred.

Verified count procedures Method 2 – standard verified count

1. A verified count of fish transferred without stereo video is to be conducted in the following manner:

a.At least 40 fish of 10 kilograms or greater are to be taken from the tow cage and the average weight of those fish determined to 2 decimal places;

b.A video recording is to be made of the transfer of the fish from the tow cage to the farm;

c.The video is to depict a side view covering the opening between the tow cage and the farm in order that all southern bluefin then transferred will appear on the video recording;

d.Once the transfer is complete, a farm representative and AFMA or an Agent of AFMA are to view the recording and tally the number of fish transferred;

e.The weight of fish in the verified count is the weight obtained by multiplying the average weight determined under paragraph (a) by the number of fish determined under paragraph (d).