1.1. Study fishery: Tasmanian southern rock lobster (TSRL)
Southern rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) was selected as a case study as it is representative of the growing trade in airfreighted seafood and is a single species fishery that experiences a range of management strategies across the 13 jurisdictions where it occurs. The Tasmanian fishery is managed as one stock and commercial catch is taken from areas all around the state. The catch is mainly exported live and marketed to China’s growing middle class (ABARE, 2009). The TSRL fishery is an inshore coastal fishery, ranging from zero to 200mdepth, where 80% of traps are set at less than 50 m. In the 2010/11 season 236 licensed vessels reported catches of rock lobster (Hartmann et al., 2012). Commercial harvests of TSRL are controlled with a quota management system plus size limits, season and gear restrictions (Gardner et al., 2011). Fishers use baited traps with approximately equal parts Tasmanian caught Australian salmon (Arripis trutta) and jack mackerel (Trachurus declivis), and barracouta (Thyrsites atun) imported from New Zealand.