The Rock Lobster Fishery is Victoria's most valuable fishery. Southern Rock Lobster are a prized catch among recreational divers and have a commercial landed catch value of $25 million per annum. Whilst the commercial catch is quota managed, it was recognised that there was a lack of information on rock lobster numbers harvested by the recreational sector. This information is needed to work towards accounting for total mortality of rock lobster to effectively manage the fishery and ensure ongoing access to all sectors.

On 1 July 2017 the Victorian Fisheries Authority implemented a 3-year tagging trial program where all recreationally caught rock lobster are required to be tagged and reported via an online app. The number of tags used each year represents the number of rock lobsters that are removed by the recreational sector from the stock in that year. 

This discussion will focus on the collaboration between science and management, and the success and learnings from the first 16 months of the 3-year trial program to quantify the recreational take of rock lobster in Victoria.