CONTESTABILITY CASE STUDY: Australian Fisheries Management Authority –
Using Technology to Improve Processes
Image: San Remo fishing boats (Courtesy Australian Fisheries Management Authority)
The Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) is the Australian Government entity
responsible for the efficient management and sustainable use of Commonwealth fish resources
on behalf of the Australian community.
AFMA develops and implements sustainable fisheries management arrangements, regulates
fishing activities through licensing arrangements, and collects information about fishing
activities and impacts. AFMA recovers management costs from the commercial fishing industry
under fisheries legislation and the Australian Government’s cost recovery policy.
In order to effectively carry out its legislative objectives and functions, AFMA requires accurate
and comprehensive data on fishing activity. This data is primarily obtained through manual
logbook returns, which are submitted by fishers for each fishing trip, as well as through vessel
monitoring systems and by observers deployed on fishing boats.
To reduce costs and improve coverage of fishing activities, AFMA tested and later introduced a
new electronic monitoring system. E-monitoring involves the electronic recording of fishing and
related activities on boats to support data collection and compliance purposes and includes
cameras, global positioning systems and sensors. E-monitoring has been demonstrated to
significantly improve the accuracy of logbook reporting, leading to a more comprehensive and
reliable set of data for fisheries management purposes.
In many fisheries, e-monitoring is a cost effective alternative to the use of observers and
provides flexibility in its application, for instance, multiple cameras can often overcome the
limitations of observers’ capacity to monitor all activities on the vessel and that some smaller
vessels are unable to have officers on board. As e-monitoring enables experts to replay and
analyse fishers’ interactions, it can significantly enhance data.
Operators in specific fisheries are expected to use either e-monitoring or observers, or a
combination of the two, according to the most cost-effective option for them to achieve the
required level of monitoring.
E-monitoring will enhance AFMAs ability to manage Commonwealth fisheries as it provides
accurate, comprehensive and timely data to support the assessment of fish stocks as well as the
impacts of fishing on both fish stocks and the marine environment. It is also a cost-effective
alternative to using observers for industry and will complement the information AFMA already
receives from observers, vessel-monitoring systems and logbook reporting.