Report of the Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee to the Hon. Minister for Fisheries.

The Committee recognises that the exploitation rate on the rock lobster stocks is very high and that this factor is a major importance in formulating the advice on management measures. However, the Committee also recognises the high level of capital investment in the industry and that any recommendation which leads to a significant change in the management rules is likely to have a far reaching effect on many of the participants. Accordingly, the Committee endeavours to reduce to a minimum the year to year changes in the management rules. When changes are required the Committee places considerable weight on matters of equity between participants so that the adverse effects or benefits are spread evenly, as far as possible, over the whole fishery. There are four major areas of importance identified by the Committee as the key elements in its management considerations: a) the undersize fraction of the population; b) the whites which provide a significant proportion of the total catch; c) the breeding stock, and d) the overall fishing effort which generates the high exploitation rate