Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee reported to the Minister for Fisheries.

The total catch of about 12.1 million kilograms for the 1987/88 season, based on processor returns, was an increase of 44% on the 1986/87 season. This very high catch, the third highest on record, resulted from an above average perulus settlement in 1983/84 and a flow-on of fast growing animals stemming from the expected high recruitment in 1988/990 caught as reds in 1987/88. The Committee has identified five major elements related to the state of the rock lobster fishery upon which management advice is considered. a) The undersize fraction of the population. b) The whites which provide a significant proportion of the total catch. c) The breeding stock. d) The overall fishing effort which generates the high exploitation rate; and e) Catch