Report from stakeholder interviews concerning abalone poaching in Zones E and G

Abstract

The stock assessment for abalone is significantly hampered by insufficient information on the levels of poaching in each management zone. To assist with our understanding of resource dynamics, stakeholder interviews were conducted to obtain information on the levels of poaching taking place and trends in magnitude over time. This participatory approach represented a pilot study into the use of interview data to inform modeling of the resource. As such, effort was concentrated on Zones E and G. These are two of the least productive Zones with consequently fewer divers operating. The investigation was split into two. The first part was to assess and understand the types of information available for potential inclusion in the modeling process. The second part was actual execution of the participatory stock assessment using the information collected. This report details the outcome from Part 1.