Integrated Fisheries Allocation Advisory Committee

Integrated Fisheries Allocation Advisory Committee (IFAAC) is a Ministerial Advisory Committee under section 42 of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994. It is not independent of the Minister; rather it provides him with advice so that he can make decisions based on the best possible information.

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry appointed IFAAC on 1 October 2004 to investigate fisheries resource allocations issues and provide advice and recommendations to the Minister on matters related to optimal resource use, and in particular provide advice on:

• allocations between groups (sectors) within the harvest limits determined for each fishery;
• strategies to overcome allocation and access issues arising from temporal and spatial competition for fish at a local /regional level;
• allocation issues within a fisheries sector, as referred by the Minister for Fisheries;
• more specific principles (than detailed above) to provide further guidance around allocation decisions for individual fisheries; and
• other matters concerning the integrated management of fisheries, as referred by the Minister for Fisheries.

In the first instance, IFAAC is to provide advice and recommendations on allocations for the Western Rock Lobster resource, the Abalone Managed resource (with emphasis on the Perth metropolitan resource), and the West Coast Demersal Finfish resource (with emphasis on dhufish, baldchin groper and snapper).

Membership of the Integrated Fisheries Allocation Advisory Committee

The members of the IFAAC are Mr Jim McKiernan (Chair), Mr Norman Halse and Professor George Kailis.

Jim McKiernan

Mr McKiernan represented Western Australia in the Australian Parliament for nearly 18 years.  During this time he served upon and was chair of a number of Senate and other Parliamentary committees.  Mr McKiernan has considerable experience in interacting with community groups and stakeholders.  He is a sessional member of the State Administrative Tribunal, a Justice of the Peace and a member of the Board of the Disability Services Commission.  Mr McKiernan replaced Mr Murray Jorgensen as the Chair of the IFAAC from 1 March 2006.

Norman Halse

A keen fisher, conservationist and researcher, Mr Halse worked for WA's Department of Agriculture for 40 years, his career culminating as that department's Director General. His conservation interests included serving as past President of the Conservation Council of WA, as Chairman of the National Parks and Conservation Authority and a member of the Environmental Protection Authority. Mr Halse has a strong interest in recreational fishing, which is demonstrated by his service as a past Chairman, and current board member, of peak body Recfishwest.

Meetings

IFAAC held its first meeting on 1 November 2004, and meets monthly.

How to contact the Integrated Fisheries Allocation Advisory Committee

The Integrated Fisheries Allocation Advisory Committee can be contacted through the Department of Fisheries as follows: