Mobile phone apps are becoming increasingly useful in their ability to aid everyday activities. This is particularly prevalent in recreational fishing activities, as fishers frequently use apps for checking weather and tide information or identifying species.
Southern rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) is an iconic species in Tasmania’s ecosystem, supporting a highly popular and iconic recreational fishery and benefitting its communities and economy. The collection of recreational catch data is vital to the appropriate management of the rock lobster fishery, particularly given biomass is recovering from historically low levels in some parts of the state that are also particularly popular for recreational fishers.
Recreational rock lobster catch reporting was made mandatory in 2023 to collect real-time, location-specific data on rock lobster catches in Tasmania, to help better understand recreational fishing activity and better manage the fishery. This presentation will outline the process of implementing mandatory catch reporting for recreational fishers in Tasmania, including the development of an app, community engagement and compliance activities, summarise results from the first season of mandatory reporting, and detail what can be improved upon moving forwards to continue the sustainable management of this important shared fishery.