Project Report for Sustainability of Tinaroo Dam Qld Barramundi 2022

Running Head: BARRAMUNDI 1
Project Report for Sustainability of Tinaroo Dam Qld Barramundi
Name
Institution
Date

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Contents
1. General Background................................................................................................. 3
2. Economic background of sustainable barramundi stock in Tinaroo Dam Qld......................3
2.1 Barramunda at Tinaroo dam............................................................................... 3
2.2 The Life Cycle of the Barramundi.........................................................................3
2.3 The Stock of Barramundi.................................................................................... 4
2.4 Potential problem of overfishing...........................................................................5
3. Economic Model...................................................................................................... 5
3.1 Optimal Harvest Rate......................................................................................... 5
3.2 Policy Instrument.............................................................................................. 8
4. Analysis............................................................................................................... 10
4.1 Cost effectiveness of the policy............................................................................11
4.2 Assumptions underlying the model and policy instrument.......................................11
4.3 Equitable policy (distributional effect).................................................................11
4.4 Policy impact on innovation, effort to administer, monitor and enhance.....................11
4.5 Policy side effects............................................................................................. 12
4.6 Political and moral issues affecting the policy........................................................12
5. Conclusion............................................................................................................ 13
Project Report for Sustainability of Tinaroo Dam Qld Barramundi

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1. General Background
The Tinaroo Dam stands as one of the major multipurpose dams in Australia. The dam boasts as
the largest artificial water body in the North Queensland (Queensland Government, 2020).
Predominantly, the dam’s main purpose includes recreation, hydroelectricity generation, water
supply and irrigation, and fishing. Today, the dam is a host to a wide range of aqua-life, such as
the barramundi. The barramundi is arguably the most treasured sports fish in Tinaroo dam and
Australia as a whole (Stunzner, 2019). This project report discusses how sustainability can be
achieved to ensure efficiency of at Tinaroo dam and enhance optimal exploration of the
barramundi using the individual transferrable quotas.
2. Economic background of sustainable barramundi stock in Tinaroo Dam Qld
2.1 Barramunda at Tinaroo dam
Although there are many species of fish and other aquatic animals in the dam, the Barramundi is
the most common stock. Mainly, this is because the Barramundi do not have any natural
predators and therefore can grow into large numbers (Queensland, 2020). The species breeds
well in salt water, and, therefore, due to lack of access to salty water, the species does not breed
in the dam. Therefore, each year, the lake is stocked with young Barramundi’s from the
Walkamin Research Station and Tableland Fish Stocking Society.
2.2 The Life Cycle of the Barramundi
In their natural habitat, the species has a complex life cycle comprising of the fresh water, marine
and estuarine phases (Government of Australia, 2011). During the wet season, the mature adult
barramundi move from fresh water regions to estuaries. Mainly, this is due to the fact that the

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estuaries have the most favorable salinity conditions and temperatures that favor spawning (ABC
News, 2016). Spawning tends to occur during the night during the slack tide. Afterwards, the
hatched larvae move into a transitory tidal habitat which functions as nurseries. The juvenile
barramundi develop in the flood plain lagoons and mangrove during their first year before
moving to shallow coastal areas and then move back to fresh streams (Government of Australia,
2011). It is at this stage that they are transferred to the Tinaroo Dam where they stay for the
about three years as they mature into adults. It is worth noting that after one year, barramundi
usually attain a size between 30 to 40 centimeters develop into voracious predators.
2.3 The Stock of Barramundi
The stocking of barramundi in Tinaroo Lake is a valuable management tool. Overtime, the good
management of the stocking program has improved the status of declining barramundi stocks in
the region and created diversity that was not there before. Given that the species does not breed
in the lake, they have to be stocked repeatedly in order to maintain their numbers. Thus, the main
purpose of impoundment stocking is to create recreational fisheries that contribute to recreational
opportunities for the local community and tourist related income.
It is important to note that the barramundi were first stocked in Tinaroo dam in December 1985
using fingerlings from brood stock (Burrows, 2014). According to Simpson, Hutchison,
Gallagher and Chilcott (2002), approximately 1,295,000 of the fish were stocked into the
Tinaroo dam between 1995 and 2001. Between 2017 and 2018, approximately 54,550 more were
introduced into the facility from stocked impoundment permit (SIP) sales (Queensland
Government, 2020). In total, about 380,272 fish of this species have been stocked into the dam
from SIPS (Queensland Government, 2020).