Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture
Articles
The Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA) provides important and valued opportunities for recreation. With most coastal residents using the beaches and beyond for recreation, the area provides essential social and cultural benefits to the adjacent region. Catchment-wide, recreational activities in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) beyond beach visits contribute $126m directly to the Australian economy (Deloitte Access Economics, 2013).
One of the key user groups the SELTMP monitors is the commercial fishing industry operating the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) region. With 750 active fishing licences operating in the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA), the commercial fishing industry provides essential seafood to local and other markets, and a value of production of $122.9 million in 2011/12 (Deloitte Access Economics, 2013). Beyond the food and financial value, there is also significant social value in fishing for the commercial fishers themselves.