Investigating the drivers influencing fishers' decisions on when and where to fish is a crucial component in the sustainable management of a fishery. The Tasmanian abalone fishery, the state's second most valuable in economic terms, has experienced a persistent decline in catch over the past decade, matched with extensive management interventions. Stock declines, management action, economic drivers, and weather all appear to have contributed to shifts in fleet behaviour with increasing intensity of fishing in some locations as a potential response.
Our study uses 12 years of fine-scale geospatial data to analyse the spatial distribution of fishing effort within the Tasmanian abalone fishery. We aim to identify patterns in effort distribution coinciding with declines and recoveries in specific areas, and more specifically whether individual fisher behaviour aligns with the overall fleet or if certain individuals or groups dominate the fleet's behavioural patterns.
Leveraging this unique data source and developing innovative methods for understanding fisher behaviour, our study seeks to discern nuanced patterns within the data. Identifying these patterns is crucial for uncovering the drivers influencing fisher behaviour and evaluating the impact of changing drivers on both fisher behaviour and the overall health of the fishery.