Rhys Arangio

Nuffield Australia 2012 scholarship winner

Rhys Arangio, from Willagee in Western Australia, receives the 2012 Nuffield Scholarship awarded by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation and Woolworths. Rhys is planning to study ways to reduce marine mammal depredation in fishing operations.

Rhys explains "depredation is when an animal such as a whale or seal 'steals' fish from a fishing operation, meaning extra food for those mammals, but also an increased risk of injury or death of the mammal, and reduced catch rates for the fisherman."

He is part of the management team for Austral Fisheries Pty Ltd, a commercial
fishing company with interests in Australia's Northern Prawn Fishery, as well as Australia's sub‐Antarctic zones of Heard & McDonald Islands (HIMI) and Macquarie Island.

Rhys says a Nuffield Scholarship would enable him to study some of the available mitigation methods currently in use around the world, including sub‐marine harvest systems for longliners, the use of acoustic deterrents or different gear types such as pots to avoid interaction between these animals and the fishing operation.

He hopes to visit Norway, Alaska and France to meet with equipment manufacturers, government, industry and fishers.

96 Arkwell St,
WILLAGEE, WA 6156
0402 883 195
rarangio@australfisheries.com.au