The loss of hooked fish from shark depredation has become an increasing problem in marine recreational fisheries worldwide, particularly among charter and private-boat recreational fishers. There is growing need to understand the prevalence of shark encounters, where depredation occurs and how recreational fishers respond to and mitigate depredation. This study of 1340 charter and private-boat recreational fishers in north-western Australia, included both probability-based (telephone and online) and opt-in (online) survey methods and is the first to document mitigation methods used by recreational fishers. More than half of the respondents (728) who completed the survey indicated that they had attempted to mitigate depredation. In the probability-based survey, the main mitigation methods reported by charter and private-boat fishers were to move spots, use wire trace or stop fishing. Depredation evokes strong opinions from some sections of the fishing population. Although more avid fishers self-selected for the opt-in surveys, the inclusion of information from these respondents, particularly from open-ended questions, provided detailed information on attitudes among fishers where this issue is of concern. This study highlights the wide range of views and concerns regarding depredation, all of which need to be considered when developing policies and guidelines around this issue. As with other contentious issues where changes in fishing behaviour are required, decision-makers will need to devise strategies to inform and educate the fishing public in how to mitigate against depredation.

There is an increasing need to understand the interaction of marine fauna with line fishing, both recreational and commercial, particularly in regions where shark depredation has become an increasing issue. The dynamic nature of the fishing requires underwater filming techniques that can move with the fishing activity and capture high-resolution footage enabling the identification of fauna species. In the case of shark depredation, the development of deterrent devices specifically designed for use while line fishing will require underwater footage to determine the effectiveness of those devices designed to invoke avoidance behaviours in sharks that approach hooked fish. Two new and inexpensive mounting systems were developed, enabling a range of “action” cameras to be attached to fishing lines to capture underwater footage while line fishing. Using these mounting systems with GoProTM cameras, high-resolution video was obtained during line fishing trials in which the effectiveness of shark deterrents was investigated. The video footage enabled the identification of fish and shark species and recorded any avoidance behaviours of sharks, in response to the presence of deterrents.

Abstract Background Primary care in Aotearoa New Zealand is largely delivered by general practices which are heavily subsidised by government. At least seven models of primary care have evolved: Traditional, Corporate, Health Care Home, Māori practices, Pacific practices, and practices owned by Primary Health Organisations/District Health Boards and Trust/Non-Governmental Organisations. Te Tiriti o Waitangi (1840) guarantees equal outcomes for Māori and non-Māori, but stark differences are longstanding and ongoing. Pacific peoples and those living with material deprivation also have unequal health outcomes. Methods Cross-sectional study (30 September 2018), data from national datasets and practices at patient level. We sought associations between practice characteristics and patient health outcomes, adjusted for patient characteristics. Practice characteristics included: model of care, size, funding model, rurality; number of consultations and time spent with nurses and doctors; practice and doctor continuity. Six primary outcomes measures were chosen: polypharmacy (≥ 65 years), HbA1c testing in adults with diabetes, immunisations (6 months), ambulatory sensitive hospitalisations (0–14, 45–64 years) and emergency department attendances. Results The study included 924 general practices with 4,491,964 enrolled patients. Traditional practices enrolled 73% of the population, but, on average, the proportion of Māori, Pacific and people living with material deprivation was low in any one Traditional practice. Patients with high needs disproportionately clustered into Māori, Pacific and Trust/NGO practices. There were multiple associations between models of care and patient health outcomes in fully-adjusted regressions. Patient health outcomes were most strongly associated with: age, Māori or Pacific ethnicity, deprivation (IMD), multi-morbidity (M3), clinical input, number of first specialist assessments, changing practice, and prescribing (SSRIs, tramadol, antibiotics). Being Māori or Pacific remained associated with poorer outcomes after full adjustment including measures of deprivation. Patients with high health need received more clinical input but this was insufficient to achieve equity of outcomes. Practice-level variance was highest for emergency department attendances. Conclusions Resource models of care with disproportionately high and complex patient health need (Māori, Pacific and Trust/NGO practices). Associations between patient and practice characteristics, and patient health outcomes, should be central to investment decisions.

The ongoing need to sustainably manage fishery resources can benefit from fishery-independent monitoring of fish stocks. Camera systems, particularly baited remote underwater video system (BRUVS), are a widely used and repeatable method for monitoring relative abundance, required for building stock assessment models. The potential for BRUVS-based monitoring is restricted, however, by the substantial costs of manual data extraction from videos. Computer vision, in particular deep learning (DL) models, are increasingly being used to automatically detect and count fish at low abundances in videos. One of the advantages of BRUVS is that bait attractants help to reliably detect species in relatively short deployments (e.g., 1 h). The high abundances of fish attracted to BRUVS, however, make computer vision more difficult, because fish often obscure other fish. We build upon existing DL methods for identifying and counting a target fisheries species across a wide range of fish abundances. Using BRUVS imagery targeting a recovering fishery species, Australasian snapper ( Chrysophrys auratus ), we tested combinations of three further mathematical steps likely to generate accurate, efficient automation: (1) varying confidence thresholds (CTs), (2) on/off use of sequential non-maximum suppression (Seq-NMS), and (3) statistical correction equations. Output from the DL model was more accurate at low abundances of snapper than at higher abundances (>15 fish per frame) where the model over-predicted counts by as much as 50%. The procedure providing the most accurate counts across all fish abundances, with counts either correct or within 1–2 of manual counts ( R 2 = 88%), used Seq-NMS, a 45% CT, and a cubic polynomial corrective equation. The optimised modelling provides an automated procedure offering an effective and efficient method for accurately identifying and counting snapper in the BRUV footage on which it was tested. Additional evaluation will be required to test and refine the procedure so that automated counts of snapper are accurate in the survey region over time, and to determine the applicability to other regions within the distributional range of this species. For monitoring stocks of fishery species more generally, the specific equations will differ but the procedure demonstrated here could help to increase the usefulness of BRUVS.

The COVID-19 global pandemic and subsequent implementation of measures to reduce contact within the community have affected fisheries worldwide, yet few studies have reported the impacts on recreational fisheries. This study investigates boat-based recreational fishing in Western Australia from March to August 2020, where COVID-19 measures relevant to recreational fishers included various travel restrictions, and social and physical distancing measures. Information from surveys of licensed recreational fishers and fisheries compliance officers, and camera footage from key boat ramps is presented. A lower proportion of Perth metropolitan fishers went fishing compared with regional fishers. Metropolitan fishers also reported fewer days fished and lower participation in demersal and shore-based line fishing than regional fishers. In contrast, compliance officers observed more fishing activity in both metropolitan and regional locations. Fishing plans were mostly affected by travel restrictions with more metropolitan fishers affected compared with regional fishers. Daily recreational vessel retrievals at key boat ramps varied between locations, with metropolitan fishers initially unable to travel to regional centres. There was no decline in vessel retrievals at metropolitan boat ramps during the most rigid restrictions and northern regional boat ramps experienced substantial increases in recreational vessel activity once travel restrictions eased. Studies of this kind highlight the value of utilising established recreational fishing monitoring programmes to provide a responsive and scientific basis for policymakers to address societal behavioural changes associated with atypical events such as COVID-19.

Fishing rights and co-management are considered important aspects of fisheries management. But with rights comes a responsibility to contribute data that improves stock assessments and harvest strategies. This responsibility should include contributing data based on fishery-independent surveys (FIS) that provide robust measures of stock abundance and greater confidence in stock assessments, reducing risks to stock sustainability and resulting in more reliable management. FIS conducted with stakeholders provides a direct link between stock abundance indices and their own experience giving them ownership and a better appreciation of stock status. We examine case studies from Western Australian fisheries in four categories: FIS conducted using research vessels; FIS conducted on recreational fisheries using citizen-science; FIS conducted using volunteer industry vessels, and FIS using chartered industry vessels. These FIS cover fisheries with different gear, management, fishing sectors, value and number of participants. The case studies demonstrate that there are a number of ways that FIS designs may be implemented, with each fishery having a unique approach with a common element that they represent standardised surveys. We consider that all fisheries require some type of FIS and this paper discusses options of how this might be achieved. However, FIS can be expensive, so surveys must be cost effective to ensure that they endure. The approach to developing FIS should include collaboration with stakeholders in a co-management agreement. The FIS could be a requirement of having fishing rights and taken into account when developing management arrangements, e.g. allocation of part of the entitlements for a FIS.

ObjectivesTo describe the proportions of people dying from abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) who might have benefited from a formal screening programme for AAA.DesignRetrospective cross-sectional review of deaths.Setting and study populationsAll AAA deaths registered in New Zealand from 2010 to 2014 in the absence of a national AAA screening programme.Main outcome measuresKnown history of AAA prior to the acute event leading to AAA death, prognosis limiting comorbidities, history of prior abdominal imaging and a validated multimorbidity measure (M3-index scores).Results1094 AAA deaths were registered in the 5 years between 2010 and 2014 in New Zealand. Prior to the acute AAA event resulting in death, 31.3% of the cohort had a known AAA diagnosis, and 10.9% had a previous AAA procedure. On average, the AAA diagnosis was known 3.7 years prior to death. At least 77% of the people dying from AAA also had one or more other prognosis limiting diagnosis. The hazard of 1-year mortality associated with the non-AAA related comorbidities for the AAA cohort aged 65 or above were 1.5–2.6 times higher than to the age matched general population based on M3-index scores. In 2014, overall AAA deaths accounted for only 0.7% of total deaths, and 1.0% of deaths among men aged 65 or above in New Zealand. At most, 20% of people dying from AAA in New Zealand between 2010 and 2014 might have had the potential to derive full benefit from a screening programme. About 51% of cases would have derived no or very limited benefit from a screening programme.ConclusionFalling AAA mortality, and high prevalence of competing comorbidities and/or prior AAA diagnosis and procedure raises the question about the likely value of a national AAA screening programme in a country such as New Zealand.

Shark depredation is an issue of concern in some Western Australian recreational and commercial fisheries where it can have economic, social and ecological consequences. Knowledge of the shark species involved is fundamental to developing effective management strategies to mitigate the impacts of depredation. Identification of the species responsible is difficult as direct observation of depredation events is uncommon and evaluating bite marks on fish has a high degree of uncertainty. The use of trace DNA techniques has provided an alternative method for species identification. We demonstrate proof of concept for a targeted DNA barcoding approach to identify shark species using trace DNA found at bite marks on recovered remains of hooked fish. Following laboratory validation, forensic analysis of swabs collected from samples of bitten demersal fish, led to the definitive identification of shark species involved in 100% of the incidences of depredation (n = 16).

The reproductive biology of Centroberyx gerrardi (Gunther) was investigated across similar to 2,000 km of its southern Australian distribution, encompassing different jurisdictions and varying environmental features. Greater gonad mass and prevalence of spawning fish, along with lower ratios of lengths at maturity:maximum lengths and ages at maturity:maximum ages, were identified at the western-most (Capes) and eastern-most (Great Australian Bight; GAB) regions. Across the study region, spawning peaks in summer/autumn, when water temperatures are warmest. Regional differences in potential "reproductive output," while not consistent with the eastward decline in mean monthly water temperature, may instead be related to summer upwelling in the Capes and GAB, driving greater oceanic productivity prior to peak spawning, supporting larval survival. In autumn, the prevailing southward and eastward flowing, downwelling Leeuwin Current (LC) strengthens, providing a dispersal mechanism along the west and south Australian coasts, but limiting upwelling effects. Predicted changes in environmental conditions and their potential impacts on C. gerrardi are discussed, in particular how these factors may affect recruitment to stocks and fisheries, requiring a better understanding of source-sink relationships for this species. As environmental changes occur, management strategies to sustain fish resources must adapt to spatially variable and changing reproductive output and be collaborative across jurisdictions.

Shark encounters while fishing in Western Australian waters have been perceived to be increasing by some fishers in recent years. A lack of quantitative information remains a significant obstacle to determining the nature and magnitude of these encounters. A probability-based survey was implemented to assess the occurrence of and attitudes toward shark encounters by commercial fishers, charter tour operators and private boat-based recreational fishers during 2015/16. Of the 906 fishers interviewed, 52% indicated they had experienced at least one shark encounter while fishing during the previous year. The loss or damage of fish was involved in over half of these encounters while charter fishing and nearly a third while recreational fishing. The level of concern towards shark depredation was highest among charter tour operators state-wide and all sectors in the Gascoyne bioregion. Multiple logistic regression analyses indicated fishing method and bioregion were the most important predictors of encounters. Depredation through fish loss below or at the surface was highest for pelagic or demersal line fishing in the North Coast and Gascoyne bioregions. Overwhelmingly, the majority of fishers in all sectors were satisfied with their fishing experience despite the occurrence of shark encounters. Future research on shark depredation would benefit from focusing on fishing methods and bioregions where depredation events were highest, with consideration of associated behavioural and environmental characteristics likely to influence depredation rates. The approach outlined here could easily be applied to other human-wildlife interaction studies where representative views of stakeholders are required for policy development and effective management.

Assessing the stock status of mixed and/or multi-species fishery resources is challenging. This is especially true in highly diverse systems, where landed catches are small, but comprise many species. In these circumstances, whole-of-ecosystem management requires consideration of the impact of harvesting on a plethora of species. However, this is logistically infeasible and cost prohibitive. To overcome this issue, selected ‘indicator’ species are used to assess the risk to sustainability of all ‘like’ species susceptible to capture within a fishery resource. Indicator species are determined via information on their (1) inherent vulnerability, i.e. biological attributes; (2) risk to sustainability, i.e. stock status; and (3) management importance, i.e. commercial prominence, social and/or cultural amenity value of the resource. These attributes are used to determine an overall score for each species which is used to identify ‘indicator’ species. The risk status (i.e. current risk) of the indicator species then determines the risk-level for the biological sustainability of the entire fishery resource and thus the level of priority for management, monitoring, assessment and compliance. A range of fishery management regimes are amenable to the indicator species approach, including both effort limited fisheries (e.g. individually transferable effort systems) and output controlled fisheries (e.g. species-specific catch quotas). The indicator species approach has been used and refined for fisheries resources in Western Australia over two decades. This process is now widely understood and accepted by stakeholders, as it focuses fishery dependent- and/or independent-monitoring, biological sampling, stock assessment and compliance priorities, thereby optimising the use of available jurisdictional resources.

Bight redfish, Centroberyx gerrardi, is a demersal teleost endemic to continental shelf and upper slope waters of southern Australia. Throughout most of its range, C. gerrardi is targeted by a number of separately managed commercial and recreational fisheries across several jurisdictions. However, it is currently unknown whether stock assessments and management for this shared resource are being conducted at appropriate spatial scales, thereby requiring knowledge of population structure and connectivity. To investigate population structure and connectivity, we developed 16 new polymorphic microsatellite markers using 454 shotgun sequencing. Two to 15 alleles per locus were detected. There was no evidence of linkage disequilibrium between pairs of loci and all loci except one were in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium. Cross-amplification trials in the congeneric C. australis and C. lineatus revealed that 11 and 16 loci are potentially useful, respectively. However, deviations from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium and linkage disequilibrium between pairs of loci were detected at several of the 16 markers for C. australis, and therefore the number of markers useful for population genetic analyses with C. lineatus is likely considerably lower than 11.

AIM:To examine whether there was variation in markers for the quality of gout care using national linked data for the entire Aotearoa New Zealand population.METHOD:Data drawn for the New Zealand Atlas of Healthcare Variation was used to examine regularity of allopurinol dispensing, laboratory testing for serum urate, and acute hospitalisation for gout. Standardised rates by age, gender, ethnicity and District Health Board (DHB) of domicile were calculated.RESULTS:For New Zealanders aged 20-79 years with gout, 57% were dispensed allopurinol in 2010/11. Of these, 69% were receiving allopurinol regularly, and only 34% of people dispensed allopurinol had serum urate testing in a 6-month period. The annual hospitalisation rate was 1% of people with gout. Maori and Pacific people with gout were less likely to be on regular allopurinol treatment, despite having more than twice the chance of being hospitalised with acute gout.CONCLUSION:We have demonstrated that routinely collected health data can be used to monitor the quality of care for people with gout at a high level. Primary care initiatives that focus on ensuring a continuous supply of urate-lowering therapy to achieve therapeutic serum urate targets are required to improve the impact of gout in Aotearoa New Zealand.

OBJECTIVES:To determine the diabetes screening levels and known glycaemic status of all individuals by age, gender and ethnicity within a defined geographic location in a timely and consistent way to potentially facilitate systematic disease prevention and management.DESIGN:Retrospective observational study.SETTING:Auckland region of New Zealand.PARTICIPANTS:1 475 347 people who had utilised publicly funded health service in New Zealand and domicile in the Auckland region of New Zealand in 2010. The health service utilisation population was individually linked to a comprehensive regional laboratory repository dating back to 2004.OUTCOME MEASURES:The two outcomes measures were glycaemia-related blood testing coverage (glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), fasting and random glucose and glucose tolerance tests), and the proportions and number of people with known dysglycaemia in 2010 using modified American Diabetes Association (ADA) and WHO criteria.RESULTS:Within the health service utilisation population, 792 560 people had had at least one glucose or HbA1c blood test in the previous 5.5 years. Overall, 81% of males (n=198 086) and 87% of females (n=128 982) in the recommended age groups for diabetes screening had a blood test to assess their glycaemic status. The estimated age-standardised prevalence of dysglycaemia was highest in people of Pacific Island ethnicity at 11.4% (95% CI 11.2% to 11.5%) for males and 11.6% (11.4% to 11.8%) for females, followed closely by people of Indian ethnicity at 10.8% (10.6% to 11.1%) and 9.3% (9.1% to 9.6%), respectively. Among the indigenous Maori population, the prevalence was 8.2% (7.9% to 8.4%) and 7% (6.8% to 7.2%), while for 'Others' (mainly Europeans) it was 3% (3% to 3.1%) and 2.2% (2.1% to 2.2%), respectively.CONCLUSIONS:We have demonstrated that the data linkage between a laboratory repository and national administrative datasets has the potential to provide a systematic and consistent individual level clinical information that is relevant to medical auditing for a large geographically defined population.

AIMS:To examine the variation in the dispensing of antipsychotic and benzodiazepine medicines in the elderly (aged 65+) across New Zealand.METHODS:Data drawn from the New Zealand Pharmaceutical Collection for the New Zealand Atlas of Healthcare Variation was used to establish a regression model to examine dispensing rates by age, gender, district health board (DHB) of domicile and aged residential care usage rates over a 4 year period 2008/09 to 2011/12.RESULTS:On average 24 per 1000 people aged 65+ in New Zealand were dispensed an antipsychotic in any given quarter. Benzodiazepine dispensing rates were even higher, at 109 per 1000 aged 65+. Both rates climbed steeply with age, were higher in females, and had a 1.6 to 1.8 fold variation across DHBs. Rates did not vary significantly with rest home and private hospital residential care usage, but antipsychotic rates appeared related to the use of psychogeriatric and dementia beds.CONCLUSION:Given the evident harms associated with the use of antipsychotic and benzodiazepine medicines in the elderly, and the relatively poor efficacy of antipsychotics in dementia care, prescribing of these medicines should be reassessed. DHBs should examine the causes of the high rates in their area and design interventions to reduce the rates.

Since the mid-1990s Shark Bay's inner gulf snapper fishery has become one of the most intensively-studied and better-understood marine recreational fisheries in Australia. It provides an important case-study of the impact that recreational fishing can have on highly targeted stocks, showing that recreational fishers, by virtue of their greater numbers and their uptake of technologies developed for the commercial sector, can have an equal if not greater total catch than professional fishers in the same or similar fisheries. The Shark Bay case-study also demonstrates the complexity of the challenges associated with sustainably managing marine recreational fisheries. The effectiveness of traditional recreational management measures is increasingly being questioned. As more and more jurisdictions move towards implementing ecosystem-based management approaches, strategies to ensure sustainable harvests will be required for all sectors-commercial, recreational and artisanal alike. This chapter highlights the role that effective biological research and robust management intervention can play in assisting the recovery of a stock fished to the brink of collapse. Whilst the recovery of the inner gulf snapper stocks is continuing, it constitutes one of the few documented examples worldwide of the successful recovery of a marine recreational fishery through the promotion of sustainable, scientifically-based recreational harvest levels. The focus on ecological outcomes and other factors that contributed to the successful restoration of inner Shark Bay's recreational snapper fishery are being recognised as essential elements in the reform of recreational fisheries management elsewhere.