Management of prawn trawling fisheries is a difficult task due to the competing interests of strongly motivated stakeholders and interest groups. This occurs because prawn trawling operations are technically complex, require large capital investments and exhibit high running costs while owners have limited property rights over the resources that they harvest. Prawn stocks are public resources and are managed with a view to provide maximum benefit to the broad community. Additionally their exploitation also involves the incidental capture of significant numbers of other animals of no commercial value (bycatch) and causes impacts on seabed morphologies, which are involved in many diverse ecosystem processes. At the policy level an intention to manage trawl fisheries in a comprehensive way is backed by a mandated approach that is designed to capture all of the above issues and interests. That approach is termed Ecological Sustainable Development (ESD). The work in this thesis is designed to produce a prediction tool for prawn trawling performance that is based on modelling the physical nature of prawn trawling activities. It is proposed that the resulting tool is essential for working to manage the multi-dimensional aspects of prawn trawling fisheries. Three discrete objectives for the thesis are; to expand and improve an existing Prawn Trawling Performance Model (PTPM) so that it is more accurate and relevant to a broader range of questions, to evaluate the capacity of the PTPM to predict the performance characteristics of real prawn trawling operations in terms of both engineering and catching performance and to investigate the problem space surrounding prawn trawl fisheries to identify and develop applications for the model. A rudimentary PTPM (Sterling 2000b) is expanded through the analysis of further empirical data collected for model and full-scale trawl gear. / ght area of improvement to the PTPM were considered and in all cases significant changes were made. The accuracy of the new form of the model is here tested by comparing performance predictions with measurements of trawling performance for a variety of industrial trawl systems operated in the Queensland East Coast Trawl Fishery and also through comparing predicted trawling performance with prawn catches returned for trawlers operating in the Northern Prawn Fishery over the years 1970 to 2000. In the first case, errors in predicting swept area rate, considered an important performance parameter, were less than 5%. Fine scale issues were explored using the available sea mal data and a number of areas of concern within the model are highlighted. These relate to accurately quantifying the forces involved in the interaction of the trawl gear with the seabed and accurately accounting for the interaction between components within trawl systems. In the second case, the results suggest that between 50% and 60% of the variation in the seasonal catching performance of trawlers in the NPF is explained by predictions of swept area rate derived by the PTPM from the available data for that fishery. A comprehensive survey of applications for the PTPM is conducted in context with approaching the management of prawn trawling fisheries using the principles of ESD as defined by the National Strategy for ESD (1992). The Northern Prawn Fishery is used as a case study to explore in finer detail applications for the PTPM. Issues arising from the implementation of some of the applications are discussed.

O camarão rosa (Farfantepenaeus subtilis) explotado pela pesca industrial na plataforma continental amazônica brasileira possui um ciclo de vida curto, mas complexo, habitando áreas oceânicas, mais ao norte da área de ocorrência, na fase adulta e larval, e áreas estuarinas e lagunares na fase de pós-larva e juvenil. O período de maior intensidade de reprodução se estende de maio a setembro e logo após a reprodução as larvas eclodem e iniciam sua migração para áreas costeiras, passando por diversas fases, onde se assentam e residem principalmente entre junho e outubro. A partir de setembro até janeiro do ano seguinte é maior a intensidade de recrutamento de juvenis às áreas oceânicas, onde passam a amadurecer e, a partir de dezembro, começam a ser capturados pela pesca industrial. A maior abundância da população adulta em termos de biomassa vai de março a agosto quando também se verificam as maiores capturas. As fêmeas crescem mais que os machos e estão presentes sempre em maior proporção nas capturas (61%). Os comprimentos assintóticos foram estimados em 231 mm ( k = 1,6 \'ano POT.-1\') e 205 mm (k = 0,94 \'ano POT.-1\'), para fêmeas e machos respectivamente. A população apresenta taxa de mortalidade natural relativamente elevada, 2,53 \'ano POT.-1\' para fêmeas e 1,83 \'ano POT.-1\' para machos, sendo observadas acentuadas flutuações de recrutamento e abundância, com evidências de que são fortemente governadas pelas condições ambientais. O estoque vem sendo explotado em níveis moderados nos anos recentes (E = 0,45), embora tenha sofrido elevadas taxas de explotação na década de 80, o que levou a uma redução do tamanho da população. O rendimento máximo sustentável, considerado uma média de longo prazo, foi estimado em 4.032 toneladas de cauda por ano, para um esforço de pesca de 19.370 dias de mar. Nos últimos anos, se observa uma tendência de recuperação da biomassa populacional, mas com as oscilações anuais características da espécie. A vazão do rio Amazonas é o fator ambiental que governa com mais intensidade as condições do ambiente costeiro na região e verificou-se que suas flutuações estão correlacionadas a alterações na abundância da população da espécie. Postula-se que o aporte e sobrevivência das larvas e pós-larvas no ambiente costeiro seja influenciada pela intensidade da vazão do rio. O período em que se assentam nos berçários na zona costeira coincide com a estação de vazante do rio, sendo a sobrevivência favorecida por vazões abaixo da média e vice-versa. Portanto, medidas de ordenamento voltadas para o uso sustentável do recurso devem estar associadas ao conhecimento das condições ambientais nesta fase, bem como a estudos sobre a abundância de pós-larvas e juvenis na faixa costeira. / The brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus subtilis) exploited by the industrial fishery on the continental shelf of the Brazilian Amazon has a short but complex life cyele, inhabiting oceanic areas, at the north of the area of occurrence, during the adult and larval stages, and estuarine areas and lagoons in post-larval and juvenile. The period of highest intensity of reproduction extends from May to September and soon after the hatch, the larvae start their migration to coastal areas, passing through several stages, where they settle and remain resident between June and October. From September to January of the following year the intensity of recruitment to ocean areas is higher, and once there they start to mature and are caught by the industrial fishery from December on. The highest abundance of the adult population in terms of biomass is observed from March to August when the largest catches also occur. Females grow larger than males and are always present in greater proportion in catches (61%). The asymptotic lengths were estimated at 231 mm (k = 1.6 \'year POT.-1\') and 205 mm (k = 0.94 \'year POT.-1\') for females and males respectively. The population has a natural mortality rate relatively high, 2.53 \'year POT.-1\' for females and 1.83 \'years POT.-1\' for males, and pronounced fluctuations in recruitment and abundance are observed, with evidence of being strongly governed by environmental conditions. The stock has been exploited at moderate levels in recent years (E = 0.45), although it has suffered high rates of exploitation in the 80\'s, which led to a reduction in population size. The maximum sustainable yield, considered a long-term average, was estimated at 4,032 ton of tail per year for a fishing effort of 19,370 days at sea. In recent years, it is observed a tendency of recovering of the population biomass, but annual fluctuations are characteristics of the species. The flow of the Amazon River is the main environmental facto r that governs the conditions of the coastal environment in the region and it was found that it is correlated with the fluctuatícn of the brown shrimp population abundance. It is postulated that the uptake and survival of larvae and post larvae in the coastal environment is lnfluenced by the intensity of river flow, The period during which they settle at the nurseries in the coastal zone coincides with the dry season and their survival is favored when the flow of the river is below the average, and vice versa. Therefore, management measures aimed at sustainable use of the resource must be associated with the knowledge of environmental conditions during this phase, as well as studies on the abundance of post-larvae and juveniles in the coastal zone.

O camarão rosa (Farfantepenaeus subtilis) explotado pela pesca industrial na plataforma continental amazônica brasileira possui um ciclo de vida curto, mas complexo, habitando áreas oceânicas, mais ao norte da área de ocorrência, na fase adulta e larval, e áreas estuarinas e lagunares na fase de pós-larva e juvenil. O período de maior intensidade de reprodução se estende de maio a setembro e logo após a reprodução as larvas eclodem e iniciam sua migração para áreas costeiras, passando por diversas fases, onde se assentam e residem principalmente entre junho e outubro. A partir de setembro até janeiro do ano seguinte é maior a intensidade de recrutamento de juvenis às áreas oceânicas, onde passam a amadurecer e, a partir de dezembro, começam a ser capturados pela pesca industrial. A maior abundância da população adulta em termos de biomassa vai de março a agosto quando também se verificam as maiores capturas. As fêmeas crescem mais que os machos e estão presentes sempre em maior proporção nas capturas (61%). Os comprimentos assintóticos foram estimados em 231 mm ( k = 1,6 \'ano POT.-1\') e 205 mm (k = 0,94 \'ano POT.-1\'), para fêmeas e machos respectivamente. A população apresenta taxa de mortalidade natural relativamente elevada, 2,53 \'ano POT.-1\' para fêmeas e 1,83 \'ano POT.-1\' para machos, sendo observadas acentuadas flutuações de recrutamento e abundância, com evidências de que são fortemente governadas pelas condições ambientais. O estoque vem sendo explotado em níveis moderados nos anos recentes (E = 0,45), embora tenha sofrido elevadas taxas de explotação na década de 80, o que levou a uma redução do tamanho da população. O rendimento máximo sustentável, considerado uma média de longo prazo, foi estimado em 4.032 toneladas de cauda por ano, para um esforço de pesca de 19.370 dias de mar. Nos últimos anos, se observa uma tendência de recuperação da biomassa populacional, mas com as oscilações anuais características da espécie. A vazão do rio Amazonas é o fator ambiental que governa com mais intensidade as condições do ambiente costeiro na região e verificou-se que suas flutuações estão correlacionadas a alterações na abundância da população da espécie. Postula-se que o aporte e sobrevivência das larvas e pós-larvas no ambiente costeiro seja influenciada pela intensidade da vazão do rio. O período em que se assentam nos berçários na zona costeira coincide com a estação de vazante do rio, sendo a sobrevivência favorecida por vazões abaixo da média e vice-versa. Portanto, medidas de ordenamento voltadas para o uso sustentável do recurso devem estar associadas ao conhecimento das condições ambientais nesta fase, bem como a estudos sobre a abundância de pós-larvas e juvenis na faixa costeira. / The brown shrimp (Farfantepenaeus subtilis) exploited by the industrial fishery on the continental shelf of the Brazilian Amazon has a short but complex life cyele, inhabiting oceanic areas, at the north of the area of occurrence, during the adult and larval stages, and estuarine areas and lagoons in post-larval and juvenile. The period of highest intensity of reproduction extends from May to September and soon after the hatch, the larvae start their migration to coastal areas, passing through several stages, where they settle and remain resident between June and October. From September to January of the following year the intensity of recruitment to ocean areas is higher, and once there they start to mature and are caught by the industrial fishery from December on. The highest abundance of the adult population in terms of biomass is observed from March to August when the largest catches also occur. Females grow larger than males and are always present in greater proportion in catches (61%). The asymptotic lengths were estimated at 231 mm (k = 1.6 \'year POT.-1\') and 205 mm (k = 0.94 \'year POT.-1\') for females and males respectively. The population has a natural mortality rate relatively high, 2.53 \'year POT.-1\' for females and 1.83 \'years POT.-1\' for males, and pronounced fluctuations in recruitment and abundance are observed, with evidence of being strongly governed by environmental conditions. The stock has been exploited at moderate levels in recent years (E = 0.45), although it has suffered high rates of exploitation in the 80\'s, which led to a reduction in population size. The maximum sustainable yield, considered a long-term average, was estimated at 4,032 ton of tail per year for a fishing effort of 19,370 days at sea. In recent years, it is observed a tendency of recovering of the population biomass, but annual fluctuations are characteristics of the species. The flow of the Amazon River is the main environmental facto r that governs the conditions of the coastal environment in the region and it was found that it is correlated with the fluctuatícn of the brown shrimp population abundance. It is postulated that the uptake and survival of larvae and post larvae in the coastal environment is lnfluenced by the intensity of river flow, The period during which they settle at the nurseries in the coastal zone coincides with the dry season and their survival is favored when the flow of the river is below the average, and vice versa. Therefore, management measures aimed at sustainable use of the resource must be associated with the knowledge of environmental conditions during this phase, as well as studies on the abundance of post-larvae and juveniles in the coastal zone.

L’objectif général de la thèse est de modéliser les principaux processus biologiques et économiques régissant des pêcheries multi-espèces et multi-flottilles afin de proposer des stratégies viables pour la gestion durable de ces pêcheries mixtes, dans un contexte stochastique et multiobjectif. Plus spécifiquement, cette thèse utilise des analyses de co-viabilité stochastique pour étudier les arbitrages entre des objectifs contradictoires de gestion (conservation, et viabilité économique et sociale) des pêcheries mixtes. Deux pêcheries mixtes sont analysées dans cette thèse : la pêcherie française mixte démersale du golfe de Gascogne et la pêcherie crevettière australienne du Nord (NPF). Ces deux pêcheries sont multi-espèces, et utilisent des stratégies multiples de pêche, induisant des impacts directs et indirects sur les écosystèmes. Cette thèse propose une application de la co-viabilité stochastique à ces deux cas, en prenant en compte leur histoire, leur contexte socio-politique et les différences dans les stratégies et objectifs de gestion. Les résultats suggèrent que le status quo peut être considéré comme une stratégie biologiquement durable mais socio économiquement à risque dans les deux pêcheries (ainsi qu’à risque écologique dans le cas de la pêcherie australienne). Les simulations réalisées pour le golfe de Gascogne permettent de comparer les arbitrages associés à différentes réductions de capacités par flottille et de montrer qu’il existe des solutions de gestion permettant la co-viabilité du système (viabilité biologique des différentes espèces considérées et viabilité socio-économique des flottilles) contrairement à des stratégies de gestion mono-spécifiques ou basées sur la maximisation de la rente. Dans la pêcherie crevettière australienne, l’analyse montre que les stratégies de diversification permettent de limiter le risque économique contrairement aux stratégies plus spécialisées. / Empirical evidence and the theoretical literature both point to stock sustainability and the protection of marine biodiversity as important fisheries management issues. Decision-support tools are increasingly required to operationalize the ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management. These tools need to integrate (i) ecological and socio-economic drivers of changes in fisheries and ecosystems; (ii) complex dynamics; (iii) deal with various sources of uncertainty; and (iv) incorporate multiple, rather than single objectives. The stochastic co-viability approach addresses the trade-offs associated with balancing ecological, economic and social objectives throughout time, and takes into account the complexity and uncertainty of the dynamic interactions which characterize exploited ecosystems and biodiversity. This thesis proposes an application of this co-viability approach to the sustainable management of mixed fisheries, using two contrasting case studies: the French Bay of Biscay (BoB) demersal mixed fishery and the Australian Northern Prawn Fishery (NPF). Both fisheries entail direct and indirect impacts on mixed species communities while also generating large economic returns. Their sustainability is therefore a major societal concern. A dynamic bio-economic modelling approach is used to capture the key biological and economic processes governing these fisheries, combining age- (BoB) or size- (NPF) structured models of multiple species with recruitment uncertainty, and multiple fleets (BoB) or fishing strategies (NPF). Economic uncertainties relating to input and output prices are also considered. The bioeconomic models are used to investigate how the fisheries can operate within a set of constraints relating to the preservation of Spawning Stock Biomasses (BoB) or Spawning Stock Size Indices (NPF) of a set of key target species, maintenance of the economic profitability of various fleets (BoB) or the fishery as a whole (NPF), and limitation of fishing impacts on the broader biodiversity (NPF), under a range of alternative scenarios and management strategies. Results suggest that under a status quo strategy both fisheries can be considered as biologically sustainable, while socio-economically (and ecologically in the NPF case) at risk. Despite very different management contexts and objectives, viable management strategies suggest a reduction in the number of vessels in both cases. The BoB simulations allow comparison of the trade-offs associated with different allocations of this decrease across fleets. Notably, co-viability management strategies entail a more equitable allocation of effort reductions compared to strategies aiming at maximizing economic yield. In the NPF, species catch diversification strategies are shown to perform well in controlling the levels of economic risk, by contrast with more specialized fishing strategies. Furthermore analyses emphasize the importance to the fishing industry of balancing global economic performance with inter-annual economic variability. Promising future developments based on this research involve the incorporation of a broader set of objectives including social dimensions, as well as the integration of ecological interactions, to better address the needs of ecosystem-based approaches to the sustainable harvesting of marine biodiversity.