fish status report 2009

8/8/2019 Fish Status Report 2009

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F I S H E R Y S T A T U S R E P O R T S 2 0 0 9

Status of Fish Stocks and Fisheries Managed by the Australian Government


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Australian Government Department o Agriculture, Fisheries and ForestryAustralian Bureau o Agricultural and Resource Economics Bureau o Rural Sciences

Fishery Status Reports | 2 0 0 9StatuS o iSh StockS and iSherieS managed by the auStralian government

Edited by David T Wilson, Robert Curtotti and Gavin A Begg


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Commonwealth o Australia 2010

ISSN 1322-655X

ISBN 978-1-921192-60-9

This work is copyright. The Copyright Act 1968 permits air dealing or study, research, news reporting,

criticism or review. Selected passages, tables or diagrams may be reproduced or such purposes providedacknowledgment o the source is included. Major extracts or the entire document may not be reproduced by

any process without the written permission o the Executive Director, ABAREBRS.

The Australian Government acting through Australian Bureau o Agricultural and Resource Economics

Bureau o Rural Sciences has exercised due care and skill in the preparation and compilation o the

inormation and data set out in this publication. Notwithstanding, the Australian Bureau o Agricultural and

Resource Economics Bureau o Rural Sciences, its employees and advisers disclaim all liability, including

liability or negligence, or any loss, damage, injury, expense or cost incurred by any person as a result o

accessing, using or relying upon any o the inormation or data set out in this publication to the maximum

extent permitted by law.

Postal address: Australian Bureau o Agricultural andResource Economics Bureau o Rural SciencesGPO Box 1563Canberra, ACT 2601

Ph: +61 2 6272 2010Fax: +61 2 6272 2001Email: [email protected]: www.abare-brs.gov.au

Cover design by Anne Wakeeld, Canberra.

Cover photograph: Commonwealth Trawl Sector catch, by Mike Gerner, AFMA.Technical illustrations by Phil Sahlqvist, Patty Hobsbawn and Rupert Summerson, ABAREBRS, Canberra.

Typesetting by Designers Wakeeld Bevanda, Canberra.

Printed by Union Oset Printers, Canberra.

Preerred wy to cte ts publcton:

Wilson DT, Curtotti R, & Begg GA (eds) 2010, Fishery status reports 2009:status o shstocks and sheries managed by the Australian Government,Australian Bureau oAgricultural and Resource Economics Bureau o Rural Sciences, Canberra.


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Foreword v

increased in 200809, by ve per cent to$314 million, contributing 14 per cent o thegross value o Australias shery production.

Historically, only an overview has beenprovided on shery-specic environmentalissues. However, in this edition, the levelso interaction between sheries and theecosystems in which they operate havebeen explored to a greater degree, withthe aim to examine these issues morecomprehensively in uture editions.

The Commonwealth Fisheries HarvestStrategy Policy, released in September 2007,clearly illustrates the importance o soundscientic and economic advice to underpinthe development o public policy and decisionmaking in the sheries sector. The Fisherystatus reports provide a useul reerenceor shery managers and other stakeholdersin Commonwealth-managed sheries.

Pp g

Executive Director

A U S T R A L I A N B U R E A U O F A G R I C U L T U R A L

A N D R E S O U R C E E C O N O M I C S B U R E A U O FR U R A L S C I E N C E S

Foreword

The 15th edition o the Fishery statusreports provides an independent evaluationo the biological and economic status osh stocks and sheries managed or jointlymanaged by the Australian Government.The Fishery status reports provide trends instock status and highlight emerging issuesthat may aect the shing industry, sheriesmanagement and the broader community.

From a biological perspective, this editiono the reports shows a substantialdecrease inthe number o stocksclassied as uncertain.The number o stocks assessed as notovershed has almost tripled since 2004.However, the number o stocks that areovershed or subject to overshingremains acause or concern. This edition o the Fisherystatus reports includes, or the rst time, anew minor byproduct section in each sherychapter. Total catches (landings and reported

discards) are included or the most commonlycaught byproduct stocks that are not assessedin this years reports. These minor byproductstocks will be monitored each year todetermine i shits in targeting practices withinthe shery require a ormal status assessmentprocess to be undertaken or these stocks.

Alongside the biological assessment, thereports include available indicators o theeconomic perormance o each o the assessed

sheries. The indicators provide a measureo the extent to which economic eciency isbeing achieved in Commonwealth-managedsheries. Monitoring economic eciencyin a shery context is important to regionalcommunities that rely on sheries beingsustainable and protable or their livelihood,and to the wider community that expectsAustralias natural resources to be managedeectively over time. The value o productiono Commonwealth-managed sheries


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Acknowledgments vii

The ollowing data sources used incompiling maps are acknowledged:

Geoscience Australia: coastline, stateboundaries, place names, bathymetriceatures, Australian Fishing Zone andExclusive Economic Zone boundariesAFMA: Australian Governmentsheries logbook data, sheriesmanagement boundariesCommission or the Conservation

o Antarctic Marine LivingResources (CCAMLR): CCAMLRstatistical division boundariesDEWHA: marine protectedareas boundaries.Commission or the Conservationo Southern Bluen Tuna, IndianOcean Tuna Commission, Westernand Central Pacic FisheriesCommission: catch and eort data.

The Food and Agriculture Organization o theUnited Nations (FAO) Species Identicationand Data Programme (SIDP) kindly gavepermission or many line drawings includedwithin the report (www.ao.org/shery/sidp/en).

Acknowledgments

The 15th edition o the Fishery status reportswas produced with nancial support romthe Fisheries Resources Research Fundadministered by the Australian GovernmentDepartment o Agriculture, Fisheries andForestry. The reports are an outcome ocollaboration with sheries researchers,management and industry throughoutAustralia. They also draw on a number ounpublished reports rom shery assessmentmeetings and workshops organised and undedby the Australian Fisheries ManagementAuthority (AFMA). The considerableassistance o ocers o AFMA during thepreparation o these reports, including theprovision o inormation on managementarrangements and shery data is grateullyacknowledged. Access to the inormation isappreciated, as is the input o the scientists,industry members, shery managers and other

members o resource assessment groups,including chairs. Contributions rom CSIROMarine Research and the shery researchagencies o Queensland, New South Wales,Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, WesternAustralia and the Northern Territory aregreatly appreciated. Ocers o the Departmento Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts(DEWHA) provided invaluable assistancein the preparation o aspects o the reports.

The status reports covering tuna sheriesrequired the use o data and assessmentscompiled by regional sheries bodies,including the Secretariat o the PacicCommunity, the Western and Central PacicFisheries Commission, the Indian OceanTuna Commission and the Commission orthe Conservation o Southern Bluen Tuna.Sta rom each regional sheries bodiesreviewed aspects o respective chapters.


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Contents ix

Contents

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . v

Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii

1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

2 Bass Strait Central Zone Scallop Fishery. . . . 57

3 Coral Sea Fishery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

4 Norolk Island Fishery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

5 Northern Prawn Fishery . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

6 North West Slope Trawl Fishery . . . . . . . 119

7 Small Pelagic Fishery. . . . . . . . . . . . . 131

8 Southern and Eastern Scalesh and SharkFishery overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

9 Commonwealth Trawl and ScaleshHook Sectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154

10 East Coast Deepwater Trawl Sector . . . . . 226

11 Great Australian Bight Trawl Sector . . . . . 232

12 Shark Gillnet and Shark Hook sectors . . . . 250

13 Southern Squid Jig Fishery . . . . . . . . . . 270

14 Torres Strait Fisheries overview . . . . . . . 281

15 Torres Strait Finsh Fisheries(Spanish mackerel and ree line) . . . . . . . 284

16 Torres Strait Tropical Rock Lobster Fishery . 294

17 Torres Strait Prawn Fishery . . . . . . . . . . 304

18 Torres Strait Sea Cucumber and TrochusFisheries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321

19 Western Deepwater Trawl Fishery . . . . . . 337

20 South Tasman Rise Trawl Fishery . . . . . . 350

21 International shery management

arrangements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35622 Eastern Tuna and Billsh Fishery. . . . . . . 381

23 Skipjack Tuna Fisheries. . . . . . . . . . . . 411

24 Southern Bluen Tuna Fishery . . . . . . . . 422

25 Western Tuna and Billsh Fishery . . . . . . 433

26 Antarctic Waters Fishery . . . . . . . . . . . 459

27 Heard Island and McDonald Islands Fishery . 469

28 Macquarie Island Toothsh Fishery . . . . . 482

29 Joint authority sheries . . . . . . . . . . . . 491

Acronyms and abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . 503

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 524


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c h a p t e r 1 Overview 1

Act 1991 (FMA). This requires an understanding

o the biological and economic status o stocks,marine ecosystems and the sheries thatdepend on them. The Australian Governmentsdirections within the Commonwealth Fisheries

Harvest Strategy: policy and guidelines (HSP;DAFF 2007), released in September 2007,dictate that Commonwealth sheries need tobe managed in both biological and economicterms.

The Fishery status reports providegovernments, industry and the community withan independent overview o trends in thebiological status o sh stocks and theeconomic status o sheries or which the

c h a p t e r 1

1 Overviewd Ws, r c S v

F i g u r e 1 .1 Relative catch levels o all Commonwealth-managed sheries in 2009

1 . 1 Backg ro u n d

Sp

The Australian Governments approach tosheries management aims to ensure that theexploitation o sheries resources and thecarrying on o any related activities areconducted in a manner consistent with theprinciples o ecologically sustainabledevelopment (ESD) and the exercise o theprecautionary principle, in particular the needto have regard to the impact o shingactivities on non-target species and the longterm sustainability o the marine environment,as required under the Fisheries Management


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2 Fishery status reports 2 0 0 9

Australian Government has managementresponsibility. The reports assess the biologicalstatus o the target and key byproduct speciesin each Commonwealth shery and review theeconomic indicators or each shery. Theycontinue the series o reports produced by theormer Bureau o Rural Sciences (BRS) since1992, when the Fisheries Management Act1991 came into eect, and the Fisheryeconomic status reports produced by theormer Australian Bureau o Agricultural andResource Economics (ABARE) in 2007 and2008.

In terms o the biological aspects osheries, ESD requires a ocus on not just the

target species but also the impact o shingactivities on non-target species and the longterm sustainability o the marine environment.The Fishery status reports will continue tohave an increasing emphasis on the non-targetand marine environment aspects oCommonwealth sheries.

The sheries covered in the reports are allthose managed solely by the AustralianFisheries Management Authority (AFMA),

those managed through joint authorities withState and Territory governments, and thosemanaged through bilateral internationalagreements. Some are also subject to broaderregional or global international managementarrangements. The Australian Government isparty to a number o international conventionsor agreements or the management o shstocks, including some that range beyond theAustralian Fishing Zone. These stocks are

exploited across various Exclusive EconomicZones, as well as on the high seas (Fig. 1.1).AFMA manages more than 20 sheries onbehal o the Australian Government, all owhich are assessed each year. Together, thesesheriesall wild catchare estimated toaccount or approximately 14%($313.8 million) o the gross value oproduction (GVP) o Australian sheries in the200809 nancial year. The remainder o

Australian sheries production in 200809comprised both wild catch and aquacultureproduction rom state sheries.

Ss

Fishery status reports2009 summariseslatest biological and economic inormationor 101 stocks, species or groups o species(all reerred to as stocks). Stocks are

usually assessed in the Fishery statusreports i they meet one or more o theollowing criteriaor are removed i theyail to meet at least one o these criteria:

target or key commercial species (asdened in the HSP;DAFF 2007, p54)stock managed under a totalallowable catch (TAC)stock previously classied asovershed that has not yet recovered

to a not overshed statebyproduct stock o ecological and/or economic importancedeterminedon the basis o whether they meet oneor more o the ollowing criteria:

or several consecutive years orshing seasons, the total catch(landings and discards) o a byproductstock is approximately equal toor greater than that o any otherstock currently targeted and/or

assessed in that shery or sectorthe value o the total catch landedo a byproduct stock is consideredto be an important economiccomponent o that shery or sectora byproduct species or stock is listed asbeing at high risk rom shing activityin the ecological risk assessmentprocess or that shery or sector

a species previously considered as asingle stock that has been reclassiedas multiple stocks to align with speciesbiology and management, as appropriatestock o undierentiated speciesmanaged as a sector within a shery.

Stock additions to the current (15th)edition o the Fishery status reports andthe reasons or the additions are:

Ocean jacket, eastern ( Nelusetta ayraudi)substantial recent and historical catchesgreater than many currently targeted and/or assessed species; important byproductspecies within the Commonwealth TrawlSector (CTS) and Scalesh Hook Sector


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western king prawn ( Penaeuslatisulcatus)combined with red-spotking prawn in logbooks and marketsred-spot king prawn ( Melicertuslongistylus)minor take,combined with western king prawn

in logbooks and markets.As a result o these modications, 101 stocksare classied in the 15th edition o theFishery status reports, compared with98 stocks in the previous edition.

F

Minor byproduct stocks, regarded as a lowermanagement priority, and all bycatch speciesremain unclassied in the Fishery status

reports 2009. Current research and datacollection are expected to enable increasedreporting on these stocks in uture reports,and increase the potential to assess thestatus o byproduct stocks. This edition othe Fishery status reports includes, or therst time, a new minor byproduct section ineach shery chapter. Where applicable, totalcatches (landings and reported discards) romlogbook records are included or the most

commonly caught byproduct stocks that arenot assessed in this years reportsthesestocks are reerred to as minor byproduct.

It is our intention to monitor theseminor byproduct stocks each year to

(ScHS) o the Southern and EasternScalesh and Shark Fishery (SESSF)Ocean jacket, western ( Nelusettaayraudi)large recent and historicalcatches; important byproduct specieswithin the Great Australian Bight Trawl

Sector (GABTS) o the SESSFLongtail tuna ( Thunnus tonggol)listed in the Western Tuna and BillshFishery (WTBF) management plan as aprimary species; targeted by minor linemethods; recent catches comparableto other tuna species targeted and/or assessed within the WTBF.

No stocks were removed rom the currentedition o the Fishery status reports.

Stocks with a modied denition in thecurrent edition o the Fishery status reportsand the reasons or the changes are:

Coral Sea Fishery: Lobster and TrochusSector split into two separate stocks:

lobster ( Panulirus ornatus)taxonomically distinct stockwithin the sectortrochus ( Trochus niloticus, possiblyTechtus pyramis)taxonomically

distinct stock within the sectorNorthern Prawn Fishery: western kingprawn and red-spot king prawn (ormerlytwo separate stocks) amalgamated into asingle stockking prawns (two species):

Sydney sh market PHOTO: FIONA SALMON, DAFF


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some cases, the shing season aligns with thenancial year 200809 rather than the 2009calendar year. Where this occurs, catch andeort inormation is also aligned with thenancial year, and this is clearly indicatedin each chapter. Relative catch levels o all

Commonwealth-managed sheries or the2009 calendar year are provided in Figure 1.1.Economic inormation is provided or the200809 nancial year, where available,or or the nancial year or which the mostrecent inormation is available. Combinedinormation rom all o these sources isused to assess the status o each stock.

S s 2005

ms d

From 1992 to 2005 theFishery status reportsshowed a trend o continued overshing,increasing numbers o overshed stocks andcontinued high levels o uncertainty aboutthe biological status o many stocks. In late2005 the Australian Government respondedto this situation by announcing Securing ourFishing Future, a $220 million package to

cease overshing and allow overshed stocksto rebuild, and to improve protability inthe shing industry. The package included astructural adjustment component to reducethe number o shers competing or sheriesresources and to maximise the opportunitiesor protable shing businesses. The structuraladjustment component o the package, whichwas largely completed during the secondhal o 2006, included substantial removalso shing capacity rom the SESSF, theNorthern Prawn Fishery (NPF) and theEastern Tuna and Billsh Fishery (ETBF).

Linked to the package was the 2005Ministerial Direction to AFMA pursuant toSection 91 o the Fisheries Administration

Act 1991. The direction stated that decisiveaction is needed immediately to haltovershing and to create the conditionsthat will give overshed stocks a chance torecover to an acceptable level in the near

uture. The direction specied a number omeasures to be implemented to improve themanagement o Commonwealth-managed sh

determine i any shits in targeting practiceswithin the shery require a ormal statusassessment process or these stocks.

In addition to new stocks, those currentlyassessed will need to be revisited in termso population structurespecically, toexamine the matching o biologically relevantprocesses and management units. In assessingand managing Commonwealth sheries, shstocks are the undamental biological unit.The term sh stock is used throughout theFishery status reports to mean a unctionallydiscrete population that is largely distinctrom other populations o the same speciesand can be regarded as a separate entity ormanagement or assessment purposes. In

contrast, the denition o the operationalmanagement unit (which is usually assessed) isoten unclear. As a result, mismatches betweenthe biology and the management action canoccur. There is a need or a matching betweengenetic population structure o a speciesand the management unit. For a number oCommonwealth-managed stocks, includingblue warehou (Seriolella brama), jackassmorwong (Nemadactylus macropterus), ocean

perch (Helicolenus barathi,H. percoides) andpink ling (Genypterus blacodes), there is adivergence between population structure andthe management unit applied via quotas and othercontrols. In cases where such a divergenceplaces stocks at unacceptable levels o riskrom overexploitation (such as the easternpopulation o jackass morwong), there is aneed or a revision o these management units.

rp pThe 15th edition o the Fishery status reportswas prepared during the rst hal o 2010 andis based on inormation available at the timeo writing. Most stock assessment inormationis derived rom 2009 or earlier (most recent)assessments, whereas some managementinormation (such as TACs) pertains to theshing season or a particular stock. Catchinormation or the majority o stocks extends

to the end o 2009; where shing seasonsextend into the rst quarter o 2010 (e.g. theSESSF) this inormation is also added. In


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management is required to constrain catch andeort to levels that allow maximum economicyield rom a sustainable stock biomass.The management arrangements shouldalso allow shers to choose a combinationo inputs that maximise their prots whileadhering to sustainable shing practices.

In response to the increasing number ostocks with an uncertain status, the AustralianGovernment in 2008 committed to addressingthis issue and unded an expanded sheriesresearch program within ABAREBRS toprovide or urther research to acilitate theclassication o Commonwealth-managedspecies currently classied as uncertain.Reducing uncertainty in the status oCommonwealth-managed sh stocks isconsidered critical or providing security to theshing industry, as well as condence to thebroader Australian community that sh stocksare being sustainably and eciently managed.

ABAREBRS, in collaboration withCSIRO, are undertaking the Reducing

stocks. In the years immediately ollowingthe Ministerial Direction, substantialimprovements in the overshing status oCommonwealth sheries were observed.

The structural adjustment and MinisterialDirection have led, and will continue to lead,to substantial changes in many key economicindicators or Commonwealth sheries. Thedecrease in eort and number o vessels shingmay lead to a higher average catch and protper vessel. Over time, the reduced pressure onsh stocks is expected to result in growth inbiomass. For some species, the amount thatcan be sustainably harvested may increase witheach season as biomass increases. To ensurethe long-term protability o Commonwealthsheries, it will be important to continue theocus on management measures that allowprots to be maximised rom a sustainablestock biomass. Given the common propertynature o sheries resources, market orcesalone cannot bring about economic eciencyin Commonwealth sheries. Instead,

Dutch auction, Sydney sh market PHOTO: FIONA SALMON, DAFF


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a species lie history characteristics(such as longevity, ecundity andrecruitment variability) into account.Economic returns can be maximisedand, in general, overcapitalisation can beavoided when sh stocks are maintained,

on average, at a target adult biomass levelthat produces the maximum economicyield (MEY), reerred to as BMEY.I stock size alls below B MEY, theassociated increase in shing costsis greater than the increase in shingrevenue, and shing is less ecient.

The HSP requires harvest strategies to bedeveloped that pursue MEY rom eachshery and ensure that stocks remain above

levels at which risk becomes unacceptablyhigh. Specically, harvest strategiesneed to have the ollowing aims:

Seek to maintain sh stocks, on average, ata target biomass (BTARG) equal to BMEY.In cases where BMEY is unknown,a proxy o 1.2BMSY (or a level 20%higher than a given proxy or BMSY) isto be used or a single-species shery;or a multispecies shery, judgmentneeds to be exercised. An alternative

proxy or BMEY may be used i it can bedemonstrated that it is more appropriate.Ensure that sh stocks remain above abiomass level below which the risk tothe stock is regarded as too highthatis, the limit biomass level (BLIM) or aproxy equal to or greater than 0.5BMSY.Ensure that the stock stays above B LIM atleast 90% o the time. For highly variable,abundant species that may naturally breachBLIM (i.e. in the absence o shing), the

harvest strategy or the species must beconsistent with the intent o the policy.

A diagrammatic example o a harvest strategythat is consistent with the HSP is shown inFig. 1.2. In this example, harvest controlrules are used to determine a recommendedbiological catch (RBC). The RBCs refectthe best scientic advice on what the totalmortality to maintain or rebuild to BTARGshould be or each species or stock. The

expected mortality rom discards and landingsin other jurisdictions is subtracted romthese RBCs beore advice is provided on

Uncertainty in Stock Status project(discussed below). It is designed to meetthe Australian Governments commitment,with strategic research designed to have along-term impact on reducing uncertaintyin Commonwealth-managed sheries.

t Commonwealth Fisheries

Harvest Strategy Policy

The Australian Governments HSP(DAFF 2007) has as its core objective:

the sustainable and protable

utilisation o Australias

Commonwealth sheries in perpetuity

through the implementation o

harvest strategies that maintain keycommercial stocks at ecologically

sustainable levels and within this

context, maximise the economic

returns to the Australian community.

A key commercial species is dened inthe HSP as a species that is, or has been,specically targeted and is, or has been,a signicant component o a shery.

The HSP provides a ramework thatallows a more strategic, science-basedapproach to setting TAC levels in allCommonwealth sheries on a shery-by-shery basis. The implementation guidelinesprovide practical advice on how to interpretand apply the HSP to Commonwealthsheries and details o the science behindthe sheries management decisions.

The HSP makes the ollowingobservations on what constitutes

good sheries management:Fisheries are more ecient, protable,stable and sustainable when stocks arelarger than the stock size (biomassB)that produces the maximum sustainableyield (MSY), reerred to as BMSY.Future productivity is at greater riskwhen stocks are reduced to a level atwhich the recruitment o young shrelative to the portion o the stocksubject to shing declines precipitously

(reerred to as recruitment ailure).Fisheries should be managed on a whole-stock basis, and in a way that takes


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TACs. Recent catch levels relative to RBCsprovide an indication o whether overshingis occurring or a particular stock.

The policy contains urther detail and isaccompanied by guidelines to support harveststrategy development or Commonwealth-managed sheries (including input- and output-managed sheries, single and multispeciessheries, and large and small sheries, andin data-rich and data-poor situations). Theguidelines also provide contextual inormationto assist interpretation o the policy andsupport development and implementationo harvest strategies. The policy hasimportant implications or assessing both thebiological and economic status o stocks.

Harvest strategies developed under thepolicy should set out the management actionsnecessary to produce the MEY and ensure thatsh stocks remain above the biomass levelsthat pose an unacceptably high risk to the stock.AFMA is responsible or implementing the HSP.

The policy requires that harvest strategiesbe developed or Commonwealth sheries,with the exception o those that are managedunder the joint authority o the Australian

Government and another Australian

jurisdiction or under an internationalmanagement body or arrangement. However,the policy notes that the AustralianGovernment will advocate the principles o thepolicy within all jointly managed sheries.

For most Commonwealth-managed

sheries, 2008 and 2009 were trial years ornewly developed harvest strategies, whichwill be reviewed in detail in subsequenteditions o the Fishery status reports. Thetrial period is intended to provide time toidentiy and address issues that restricteective implementation o the policy.

BLIM BMSY BTARG

FLIM

FTARG

Biomass (B)

fishingmortality(F)

overfished

overfishing

potential overfishing

not overfished

F i g u r e 1 . 2 Example harvest strategy (or harvestcontrol rule) that is consistent with the CommonwealthFisheries Harvest Strategy Policy

BLIM = limit biomass reerence point; BMSY = biomass that givesthe maximum sustainable yield; BTARG = target biomass, generallyBMEY, the biomass required to produce maximum economic yield;FLIM = limit shing mortality rate; FTARG = target shing mortality rate

NOTE : In this example, the RBC is calculated by applying theFTARG to the current biomass (assumed to be available rom a stockassessment). The control rule species that as the biomass reducesbelow BMSY, FTARG is reduced to zero at BLIM. The dark green area isat or above the target, and the light green area is where manage-ment action is required to rebuild the stock to B

TARG.

SOURCE: Adapted rom DAFF (2007).

r ps s

The biological status o a stock depends onits current size (biomass) and the rate oremovals rom it (known as the exploitationrate or shing mortality). Reerence points,as described in the HSP, commonly denetarget and limit levels or the stocks biomass(BTARG and BLIM, respectively) and target andlimit rates or shing mortality (FTARG andFLIM, respectively; see Table 1.1). In caseswhere reerence points and/or estimates o

current B (biomass) or F (shing mortality)have not been determined, other indicatorsare used to determine stock status.

Fish bins, Sydney sh marketPHOTO: FIONA SALMON, DAFF


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taBle 1 .1 Reerence points or shing mortality and biomass, with associated status implication and actions

Fsng mortltyrte (F)

F < FTARG(fsng mortlty s belowte trget)

FTARG < F < FLIM(fsng mortlty s

between te lmt nd tetrget)

F > FLIM(fsng mortlty s bove telmt)

Biomass(B)

B >= BTARG(biomass is abovethe target)

Not overshed

Overshing is not occurring

Not overshed


Not overshed

Overshing is occurring: notepossible planned sh-down

BTARG > B > BLIM(biomass isbetween the limitand the target)

Not overshed: rebuild toBTARG


Not overshed: rebuild toBTARG

Overshing may not beoccurring: provided shingmortality will allowrebuilding towards target

Not overshed: rebuild to BTARG

Overshing is occurring: reduceshing mortality; no targetedshing permitted

B < BLIM(biomass is belowthe limit)

Overshed: adopt and ollowa rebuilding strategy torebuild biomass above BLIMwithin a set time

Overshing is not occurring:no targeted shing permitted

Overshed: adopt and ollowa rebuilding strategy torebuild biomass above BLIMwithin a set time

Overshing may not beoccurring: provided shingmortality will allowrebuilding towards target; notargeted shing permitted

Overshed: adopt a rebuildingstrategy to rebuild biomass aboveBLIM within a set time

Overshing is occurring: reduceshing mortality; no targetedshing permitted

High risk to stock

b s ssssfs

Stocks are classied independently in theovershed and overshing categories.The distinction between overshedstocks and overshing has practicalimplications. Management measures mightcurtail overshing, but an overshedclassication continues to apply until thestock recovers to a level above BLIM, whichor some stocks can take many years.

Five classications o biologicalstock status are used in this report:

Not overfsed reers to the biomass oa sh stock. The biomass is adequate tosustain the stock in the long term andthe stock has a biomass above BLIM.Overfsed reers to the biomass o a shstock. The biomass may be inadequate tosustain the stock in the long termthe

stock has a biomass below BLIM . TheHSP requires that sh stocks remainabove a biomass level at which the risk

to the stock is regarded as too high (BLIMor a proxy) at least 90% o the time. Twocommon proxies or that limit are B20(20% o the unshed biomass) and 0.5BMSY(hal the biomass required or MSY).Not subject to overfsng reers tothe amount o shing. The stock isnot subject to a level o shing thatwould move the stock to an overshedstatethe amount o shing does notexceed the limit reerence point (FLIM).Subject to overfsng reers to the amounto shing. The stock is subject to a levelo shing that would move the stock toan overshed state, or prevent it romreturning to a not overshed state; moretechnically, the amount o shing exceedsFLIM. The HSP indicates that any directed(targeted) shing o an overshed stock isnot permitted. The stock is experiencingtoo much shing and the removal raterom the stock is unsustainable. Also:

Fishing mortality (F) exceeds the limitreerence point (FLIM). When stock


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levels are at, or above, BMSY, FMSYwill be the deault level or FLIM.Fishing mortality in excess o FLIMwill not be dened as overshing i aormal sh down or similar strategyis in place or a stock and the stock

remains above the target level (BTARG).When the stock is less than BMSYbut greater than BLIM, FLIMwilldecrease in proportion to the levelo biomass relative to BMSY.At these stock levels, shing mortalityin excess o the target reerence point(FTARG), but less than FLIM,may alsobe dened as overshing dependingon the harvest strategy in place and/or recent trends in biomass levels.Any shing mortality will be denedas overshing i the stock level isbelow BLIM, unless shing mortality(not targeted) is below the level thatwill allow the stock to recover withina period o ten years plus one meangeneration time, or three times the meangeneration time, whichever is less.Any targeted (directed) shing o anovershed stock (stock level is below

BLIM) will amount to overshing.Uncertn reers to the overshedor overshing status o a sh stockor which there is inadequateinormation to determine status.

Inormation on catch rates and trends is usedas indicators o a sherys perormance,but the classication o the status o a stockrequires consideration o a wider range oactors, as detailed in the individual shery

chapters o this document. The statusclassications described above are simpliedsummary indicators based on these actors.

r

s ss

The Reducing Uncertainty in Stock Status(RUSS) project is part o an expanded FisheriesResearch Program that is acilitating theclassication o Commonwealth-managed shstocks that are currently classied as uncertain.The RUSS project, has three main components:

inormation managementcompilingdata and inormation to supportassessments, and developing systems tomaintain research data into the utureassessments and ramework ordetermining stock statusdeveloping

and applying a suite o stock statusindicators and models that are thenused within a weight-o-evidence stockstatus decision-making rameworkharvest strategy testing, evaluation anddevelopmentexamining the sheryharvest strategies that are the basisor controlling harvest levels to assesstheir capacity to prevent overshingand stocks becoming overshed.

RUSS has ocused primarily on smallerand lower-value Commonwealth sheries,where there may be less data or limitedresources to undertake assessments.

W--

For some stocks, the Fishery status reports2009 have used the weight-o-evidence stockstatus decision-making ramework developedby the RUSS project. The approach allows a

broader range o data and inormation to beincluded when determining status. Specically,the ramework aims to provide or structuredscientic review and interpretation oindicators o biomass and shing mortalityand to arrive at a status determinationthrough the cumulative weight-o-evidence.It is intended to provide a transparentand repeatable processespecially orstocks that are data or inormation poor.

Types o evidence or each stockare structured as ollows:

Species and shery attributes:1.single species or basket o speciesbiological characteristics (such asproductivity and natural mortality)stock structuretargeting (target, byproductor bycatch species)sheries and sectors taking catch.

Empirical indicatorsnon model-based2.metrics that respond to stock status(their useulness or status determination


20/544


determination should be a straightorwardtask or a stock shed under a harveststrategy that is ully compliant with theHSP. In practice, this is not always thecase, particularly or smaller sheriesand harvest strategies that use simpler or

untested approaches. For this reason, oneo the key lines o research in the RUSSproject is testing and evaluation o harveststrategies. Some important aspects are:

target and limit reerence pointsspecied and consistent with the HSPcontrol rules speciedsimulation testing to demonstrate thestrategys eectiveness in achievingtargets and avoiding limits

implementation occurring.For most Commonwealth sh stocks,particularly in the smaller sheries, only asubset o the above inormation is availableand/or useul. Expert judgment has a role,with a strong emphasis on documentingthe key evidence and the rationale or thedecision. The decision-making process isundertaken separately or biomass (overshedstatus) and shing mortality (overshing

status) using the ollowing structure:key inormation usedinterpretation o cumulative evidence,implication or statusinconsistent inormation (i any)conclusion on statuskey inormation gaps to resolve status.

e ss

The importance o economics in sheriesmanagement is well documented in theliterature and has been discussed at lengthin previous ABARE reports (or example,Hohnen et al. 2008). The importance oeconomics in sheries management is alsorecognised at a legislative level. Under theFisheries Management Act 1991, AFMAis required to maximise the net economicreturns (NER) to the Australian communityrom the management o Australian sheries.

NER can be thought o as economicprot, or the dierence between all shingrevenues earned on sh harvested in a

is improved when they are used inassociation with reerence levels)

catcheortcatch rate (may be standardised usingstatistical models and shing power)spatial distribution o the shery (e.g.constant, expanding or serial shiting)length and timing o the shery(e.g. constant or shortening)size-based or age-basedindicators, including mean sizeor age, mean length at age.

Risk assessmentsrom the ecological risk3.assessment process undertaken by AFMA:

Level 2 Productivity Susceptibility

Analysis (relative risk score)Level 3 Sustainability Assessment oFishing Eects (SAFE) (estimateso cumulative shing mortalityrelative to reerence points).

Fishery-independent surveysincluding4.estimates o absolute or relative biomassthat can be used to iner the impact oshing or can be related to reerence pointsequivalent to those dened in the HSP.

Quantitative stock assessment models5. dierent rom indicators in that theyintegrate data rom more than one source.Complex models generally benet roma synthesis o more inormation sourceswith ewer assumptions, but are highlydemanding o data and the skills o theanalyst. Less complex models rely onewer inormation sources and make moreassumptions, but are less demandingo data and so are applicable across a

wider range o circumstances. Withinormative input data, stock status canbe reliably estimated by both simpleand complex models. Models include:

integrated, size/age-based modeldelay-dierence modelnon-equilibrium surplusproduction modelcatch curve analysisshery-dependent depletion analysis.

Harvest strategiesmost Commonwealth-6.managed sheries now have harveststrategies in place. In principle, status


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shery and all the economic costs incurredto harvest those sh in a given period.These include uel, crew costs, repairs, theopportunity cost o amily and owner labour,shery management costs, depreciationand the opportunity cost o capital.

The point where NER is maximised isreerred to as maximum economic yield(MEY). Relative to MSY (the traditionalmanagement target) NER is higher at MEYdespite eort and catch levels being lower.This is largely the result o the relationshipbetween shing costs and stock levels. Thatis, a given harvest is less costly to catch whensh stocks are more abundant as sh arerelatively easier to catch. Additional benets o

MEY are that conservation concerns are morelikely to be met under higher stock levels.Also, a more protable and abundant sheryis more resilient to fuctuations in biological,environmental and economic actors thatmay negatively impact on the shery.

An economically ecient shery(one operating at MEY) will havethe ollowing characteristics:

Total catch and eort are restricted to the

point where NER over time is maximised,allowing or the uture costs o shingand the impact o current catch on uturestocks and catches. This prevents shersrom expanding their eort until alleconomic prots are dissipated. Thisis known as shery-level eciency.Revenues are maximised and catchingcosts are minimised or a given quantityo catch. This is known as vessel-leveleciency. While shers can be relied on

to choose the combination o inputs thatminimises costs and maximises revenueor their particular operation (giventhe constraints imposed by sheriesmanagement) the management measuresused in a shery can have a signicantimpact on the costs and revenues o shing.Fisheries management services areprovided eectively and at least costor the given level o management (notnecessarily at lowest cost overall)

this is management eciency.The common property characteristic osheries implies that market ailures will

lead to catch and eort levels that are notassociated with MEY, but instead result inovershing. Such an open access scenarioresults in NER, on average, being close tozero as shers compete to catch sh andstocks are driven down. This market ailurerequires government intervention in the ormo restricting catch and eort, preerablyto a point that is consistent with MEY.

A shery manager (government)has two broad categories o controlavailable to achieve this:

input controlsthese aim to prevent catchand eort rom gravitating to the open-access equilibrium by placing restrictionson shing gear, limiting the number o

vessels operating in a shery, setting thenumber o days the shery is open orcontrolling other types o shery inputs.output controlsthese aim to limit catchand eort, but do so by restricting thesize o the harvest. Setting a TAC at anappropriate level can provide biologicalprotection or the sheryonce thepredetermined catch level has been reached,the shery is closed. A TAC system is mosteective when the total catch is split among

operators through a system o individualtranserable quotas (ITQs). In output-controlled sheries, a mix o input andoutput controls is usually implemented.

In general, output controls, in the orm oITQs, are preerred to input controls. Inputcontrols oten prevent shers rom using theleast costly combination o inputs or a givencatch. Input controls will oten be associatedwith eort creep whereby shers substitute

unregulated inputs or regulated inputs. Thismeans that management must requentlyadjust input controls to limit the amount oeective eort applied in a shery so as toensure that catch levels are consistent withtargets. This reduces the long term benetsassociated with the development o new shingtechniques and technology. The dicultiesassociated with input controls are outlinedin Gooday (2004). However, input controls

may be appropriate in small sheries wherethe costs o implementing output controlsare too high relative to the benets.


22/544


One o the key benets o ITQs is that theylimit catch directly through the TAC and notindirectly through inputs. The transerabilitycharacteristic o ITQs also means that quotacan move to those operators that are moreecient and protable, allowing autonomous

structural adjustment. Furthermore, theyallow operators to use input combinations thatminimise costs, and thereore maximise prots.

ITQs work best in high-value, single-species sheries with relatively stable stockabundance. The eciency o ITQ managementis enhanced i there is good inormation aboutsh stocks, shing costs, revenues, landingsand discards. Eective enorcement is alsoimportant (Rose 2002). The practicality o

ITQs may be limited when stock abundanceis highly variable and unpredictable (TACsetting is made dicult), when incentivesor high-grading exist (i.e. shers have anincentive to discard low value sh or highervalued sh) and i implementation costs areexcessive (see Squires et al. 1995; Rose 2002).

It should be noted that the benets oany management control only accrue whencontrol targets are appropriately set. A systemo output controls that does not restrict catchwill allow a shery to gravitate to an open-access equilibrium where stocks are lowand NER is, on average, close to zero.

In the past, Commonwealth sherymanagement arrangements oten appliedcatch and eort settings in such a manner. Asa result, the historical economic perormanceo many Commonwealth sheries has beenpoor. For example, the SESSF previouslyexhibited characteristics o an open-access

shery with estimates o NER regularly closeto zero or negative. However, in recent years,TACs have been reduced or many species,and economic perormance is improving,implying a move away rom an open-accesssituation where NER is close to zero.

A key actor that has infuenced this changewas the Securing our Fishing Future structuraladjustment package and the 2005 MinisterialDirection to AFMA. The Direction specically

required AFMA take actions to halt overshingand bring about the recovery o overshedstocks. The reduction o TACs in the SESSF

and the introduction o harvest strategies inall Commonwealth sheries were examples othese actions. The Direction also required thatall sheries move to ITQ management whereit was deemed easible. These recent eventshave had some infuence on the assessmento the economic status o Commonwealthsheries in this years Fishery status reports.

assss fs

ss

The Fishery status reports provide anassessment o the economic status oeach Commonwealth shery. Economicperormance should generally be assessed

according to where a shery is perormingrelative to its economic optimum or MEY.At MEY, shing eort, catch and stockslevels are at a point where the dierencebetween discounted revenues and costs aremaximised. For most sheries, it is dicultto provide such an assessment o economicperormance without a bio-economic model.However, a range o economic indicatorsare available to help determine in which

direction NER may be moving and, in somespecic cases, whether a shery has movedin the direction o MEY. Some o the keyindicators used throughout the report include:

estimates o NERsh pricesshing catch and eortoutput to input ratiosestimates o latent (or unused) shingrights (quota, licences, etc.)

value o shing rights

the biological status o key speciesother vessel level economicperormance indicators.

The reader is reerred to Newton et al.(2007) and Vieira et al. (2010) or urtherexplanation o how these indicators can beused to assess shery economic perormance.

For some sheries, particularly low valuesheries, the available inormation may be

limited to the point that even a simpleeconomic assessment is dicult. However, itshould be noted that the potential benets o


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lling inormation gaps in a low-value sheryare also low and are likely to be outweighedby the costs o doing so.

Over time, with the development o newtechniques and indicators, ABAREBRS willbe in a better position to ll such inormationgaps. Thereore, it will become increasingly

possible to assess the perormance o allCommonwealth sheries and their managementagainst economic eciency criteria. Theeconomic status components o the reportswill build on this and provide ongoingmonitoring and evaluation o the economic

perormance o Commonwealth sheries.

1 . 2 B i o lo g i cal st at u s

F i g u r e 1 . 3 Biological status o sh stocks in 2009

NOTE: Each sh icon represents a single stock assessed in the Fishery status reports 2009, by shery or sector. The let hal o each iconrepresents the overshing status, while the right hal represents the overshed status o the stock. Colour codes in the key relate to thebiological status classications discussed in this chapter (see also Table 1.2).


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r s Fishery status

reports(2004 2009)

Since the rst edition o the Fishery statusreports was published in 1992, the systemused to classiy stock status has been

modied several times, most recently in 2004when the undershed and ully shedcategories were replaced by a combinedcategory o not overshed. The changewas made partly because o the potentialconusion about the meaning o ully shed.It was also dicult to classiy a stock asundershed, because there was oten alack o data or stocks likely to all into thatcategory. Another change was to make a

distinction between a stock that is overshedand one that is subject to overshing.Figure 1.3 shows the biological status

o each o the 101 stocks assessed in theFishery status reports 2009, by shery orsector. A time series o biological stock status,since the 2004 change in the classicationsystem, is provided in Figure 1.4.

Table 1.2 shows each biological stock statusas a proportion o the total stocks assessedrom 2004 to 2009. Table 1.3 lists stocks with achanged status classication between 2008 and2009. The trends are described in detail below.

20

25

3133

44

59

14

1715

1113

12

4041

5152

41

30

20

25

3133

44

59

14

1715

1113 12

40 41

51 52

41

30

20

25

3133

44

59

14

1715

1113 12

40 41

51 52

41

30

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

a

Not overfishedOverfishedUncertain if overfished

Numberofstocks

12

15

41

45

57

73

9

12

5 68

10

53

56

51

45

33

18

12

15

41

45

57

73

912

5 68

10

5356

51

45

33

18

1215

41

45

57

73

912

5 68

10

5356

51

45

33

18

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

b

Not subject to overfishingSubject to overfishingUncertain if subject to overfishing

Numberofstocks

F i g u r e 1 . 4 Biological stock status classicationtotals (number o stocks) since the classication change in2004 or a) overshed status and b) overshing status

t aB l e 1 . 2 Biological stock status classications as a percentage o the total number o stocks assessed since theclassication change in 2004

Percentge o stocks ssessed

Bologcl sttus2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Overshed status

Not overshed 27.0 30.1 31.9 34.4 44.9 58.4

Overshed 18.9 20.5 15.5 11.4 13.3 11.9

Uncertain i overshed 54.1 49.4 52.6 54.2 41.8 29.7

Total number o stocks assessed 74 83 97 96 98 101

Overshing status

Not subject to overshing 16.2 18.1 42.3 46.9 58.1 72.3

Subject to overshing 12.2 14.4 5.1 6.2 8.2 9.9

Uncertain i overshing 71.6 67.5 52.6 46.9 33.7 17.8

Total number o stocks assessed 74 83 97 96 98 101


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t aB l e 1 . 3 Stocks with a changed biological status classication in 2009

2008sttus

2009sttus

Fsery Stock common nme Overfshing

Ov

erfshed

Ov

erfshing

Ov

erfshed

Coral Sea Fishery: Sea Cucumber Sector Other sea cucumber species (11 spp.)

Coral Sea Fishery: Lobster and Trochus Sector Tropical rock lobster

Coral Sea Fishery: Lobster and Trochus Sector Trochus

Coral Sea Fishery: Trawl and Trap Sector Demersal and midwater sh and crustaceans

Northern Prawn Fishery Blue endeavour prawn

Northern Prawn Fishery Western king prawn

Northern Prawn Fishery Red-spot king prawn

North West Slope Trawl Fishery Deepwater prawns (6 spp.)

North West Slope Trawl Fishery Scampi (3 spp.)

Small Pelagic Fishery Jack mackereleast (2 spp.)

Small Pelagic Fishery Jack mackerelwest (2 spp.)

SESSF (CTS and ScHS) Blue warehou

SESSF (CTS and ScHS) Gemsh, eastern

SESSF (CTS and ScHS) Jackass morwong

SESSF (CTS and ScHS) John dory

SESSF (CTS and ScHS) Ocean jacket, eastern

SESSF (CTS and ScHS) Pink ling

SESSF (CTS) Redsh (eastern)

SESSF (CTS and SchS) Ribaldo

SESSF (East Coast Deepwater Trawl Sector) Alonsino

SESSF (Great Australian Bight Trawl Sector) Ocean jacket, western

SESSF (Shark Hook and Shark Gillnet Sector) Elephant sh

SESSF (Shark Hook and Shark Gillnet Sector) School shark

Torres Strait Finsh Fisherya Coral trout (multiple spp.)

Torres Strait Prawn Fisherya Blue endeavour prawn

Torres Strait Prawn Fisherya Red-spot king prawn

Torres Strait Sea Cucumber Fisherya Black teatsh

Torres Strait Sea Cucumber Fisherya Prickly redsh

Torres Strait Sea Cucumber Fisherya Sandsh

Table 1.3 continues over the page


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2008sttus

2009sttus


Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Torres Strait Sea Cucumber Fisherya Sur redsh

Torres Strait Sea Cucumber Fisherya White teatsh

Torres Strait Sea Cucumber Fisherya Othersea cucumber species

Torres Strait Trochus Fisherya Trochus

Eastern Tuna and Billsh Fishery b Tuna, bigeye

Eastern Tuna and Billsh Fishery b Tuna, yellown

Western Tuna and Billsh Fisheryb

Tuna, bigeye

Western Tuna and Billsh Fisheryb Tuna, longtail

Antarctic Waters Fisheryb Toothsh (2 spp.)

not overiShed / not Subjec t to overiShing overiShed / overiShing uncertain not aSSeSSed

CTS = Commonwealth Trawl Sector; ScHS = Scalesh Hook Sector; SESSF = Southern and Eastern Scalesh and Shark Fishery

a Domestic assessments o stocks, but jointly managed with Papua New Guinea

b Domestic assessments are unreliable because interactions with broader regional stocks are uncertain. Ocean-wide assessments o stocksthrough regional sheries management organisations were used as the basis or stock status determination.

t aB l e 1 . 3 Stocks with a changed biological status classication in 2009 CONTINUED

Not overfsed nd/or not subject to

overfsng. The number o stocks assessedas not overshed has almost tripled since2004, with the largest yearly increaseoccurring rom 2008 (44 stocks) to 2009(59 stocks) (Fig. 1.4a; Tables 1.2, 1.3).Theimprovement in 2009 is largely due toassessments carried out through the RUSSproject, an increase in the inormation

available or sh stocks, and an increase in thenumber and rigour o stock assessments thatwere carried out by the various shery resourceassessment groups and regional sheriesmanagement organisations.

The number o stocks assessed as notsubject to overshing has also increasedsubstantially, rom 12 in 2004 to 73 in2009 (Fig. 1.4b; Tables 1.2, 1.3).Therecent improvement is a direct unction o

inormation gathered and assessed throughthe RUSS project, as well as the 2005Ministerial Direction that required AFMAto take decisive action to immediately haltovershing. In the years ollowing theMinisterial Direction, AFMA has implementedadditional management measures intendedto halt overshing and bring about recoveryo overshed stocks (e.g. TAC reductions,

additional area and depth closures).Overfsed nd/or subject to overfsng.O the 15 stocks that are classied asovershed and/or subject to overshing in2009 (Table 1.4), 12 are overshed and 10are subject to overshing.Seveno thesestocks are both overshed and subject toovershing, up rom three stocks in 2008. In2009, vestocks have been newly classiedas either overshed and/or subject to


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overshing (Table 1.4): blue warehou, schoolshark, sandsh (Torres Strait), bigeye tuna(Pacic) and toothsh (Antarctic waters).

O the 15 stocks listed in Table 1.4, bluewarehou, eastern gemsh, gulper sharks,

jackass morwong, orange roughy (eastern,

southern and western zones), and school sharkare managed by AFMA. The other sevenstocksare either jointly managed with Papua New

Guinea (Torres Strait stocks) or New Zealand(orange roughy rom the South Tasman RiseTrawl Fishery), or are highly migratory tunasand billshes. These migratory species areharvested by other feets operating on thehigh seas or within their Exclusive Economic

Zone (EEZ) and are largely managedthrough regional sheries managementorganisations, with Australias input.

t aB l e 1 . 4 Stocks classied as either overshed and/or subject to overshing in 2009 and their status in 2008

2008sttus

2009sttus


O

verfshed

O

verfshing

O

verfshed

SESSF (CTS and Scalesh Hook Sector) Blue warehou

SESSF (CTS) Gemsh, eastern

SESSF (CTS) Gulper sharks (3 spp.)

SESSF (CTS) Jackass morwong

SESSF (CTS) Orange roughy, eastern zone

SESSF (CTS) Orange roughy, southern zone

SESSF (CTS) Orange roughy, western zone

SESSF (Shark Hook and Shark Gillnet Sector) School shark

Torres Strait Sea Cucumber Fisherya Sandsh

South Tasman Rise Trawl Fisheryb Orange roughy

Eastern Tuna and Billsh Fisheryb Tuna, bigeye

Southern Bluen Tuna Fisheryb Southern bluen tuna

Western Tuna and Billsh Fisheryb Swordsh

Western Tuna and Billsh Fisheryb Tuna, yellown

Antarctic Waters Fisheryb Toothsh (2 spp.)


CTS = Commonwealth Trawl Sector; SESSF = Southern and Eastern Scalesh and Shark Fishery

a Domestic assessments o stocks, but jointly managed with Papua New Guinea or New Zealand

b Domestic assessments are unreliable because interactions with broader regional stocks are uncertain. Ocean-wide assessments o stocksthrough regional sheries management organisations were used as the basis or stock status determination.


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Uncertn bologcl stock sttus. Thenumber o stocks classied as uncertain(overshed and/or overshing status) hasincreased since the inception o the Fisherystatus reports.However, in 2008 and againin 2009, this trend was strongly reversed:

in 2009, 15 stocks were reclassied roman uncertain i overshed status in 2008, toeither overshed or not overshed (Table 1.3).Similarly, 22 stocks were reclassied in 2009rom a status o uncertain i overshingwas occurring in 2008, to either subject toovershing or not subject to overshing(Tables 1.2, 1.3). Much o the historicalincrease was a consequence o the additiono new stocks not previously considered,

or which insucient inormation wasavailable. However, in other cases, revisedassessments have indicated that less wasknown about their actual status than waspreviously thought, or the assessmentshave become dated, thus moving a stock toan uncertain status (e.g. eastern gemsh,redsh and sur redsh; Table 1.3).

Although there has been a substantialdecrease in the number o stocks with anuncertain status in 2009, the high proportiono stocks that remain classied with anuncertain status (29.7% or overshedstatus and 17.8% or overshing status;Table 1.2) is a continuing cause or concern,highlighting the importance or AFMA oapplying a cautious approach in sheriesmanagement. Uncertainty is oten linked tolow-value sheries where there is a lack ounding or data collection and research. Ogreater concern however, is when a stock is

known to be in an overshed state, but it isuncertain i overshing is occurring. Easterngemsh is currently in this situation.

The reduction in the number o stocksclassied as uncertain is, in part, attributableto the RUSS project and the continuedimplementation o the HSP (see page 6).The RUSS project has led to a more rigorousexamination o the uncertain classicationand how uncertainty can be resolved or

some species in the absence o quantitativeassessments. Impacts o the project were

rst observed in the 2008 reports and willcontinue to accrue over subsequent years.

hs s Fishery status

reports(1992 2009)

To show long-term trends, a summary othe number o stocks in each status categoryusing a previous classication system(pre-2004) is provided in Table 1.5. InTable 1.5, the overshed and overshingcategories are combined, and the notovershed category represents stocks thatwere previously considered as eitherundershed or ully shed.

Historically, each stock was given a

single status classication based on the worstcase scenario, rather than the two-prongedapproach now taken. For example, i a stockwas considered subject to overshing,it was classied as overshed, and nodetermination o the stocks overshed statuswas undertaken. In contrast to the currentclassication system, stocks were onlyclassied in the not overshed category iovershing was also not occurring. Thus,the numbers in Table 1.5 represent a singleclassication per stock and are not entirelycomparable with the numbers in Table 1.2.

The key elements to note rom Table 1.5 are:the marked increase in the number ostocks assessed since 1992the increase in the number o stocksclassied as uncertain since the inceptiono the Fishery status reports up until 2007the reversal o this trend in 2008 andagain in 2009, with22 stocks being

removed rom an uncertain status overthe two-year periodthe increasing trend in the number o stocksclassied as overshed and/or subject toovershing up to 2005, with a decrease insubsequent years, to 15 stocks in 2009the substantial increase in the numbero stocks classied as not overshedsince 2005.


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t aB l e 1 . 5 Biological stock status classications by year (1992 to 2009) based on the historical two-class systemused in the rst Fishery status reports

Number o stocks

Bologcl stock sttus 1992

1993

1994

1996

1997

1998

1999

200001

200203

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Not overshed (ullyshed and undershed) 17 29 28 28 20 18 17 19 20 17 19 27 28 39 56

Overshed and/orovershing

5 5 3 3 4 6 7 11 16 17 24 19 16 18 15

Uncertain 9 9 13 17 31 35 38 34 34 40 40 51 52 41 30

Totl stocks ssessed 31 43 44 48 55 59 62 64 70 74 83 97 96 98 101

S

s ss

The summary table o biological stock status(Table 1.6) presents inormation rom theindividual shery chapters and provides thestatus classication assigned in each editiono the Fishery status reports since 1992. It

also gives the main indicators o stock statusand reerence points against which statuswas assessed in 2009. This is generally acomparison o stock biomass, catch, eort

and/or catch rates, with quotas, permitsor licences, trigger catch rates andbiological targets as applicable. Thesheries encompassed in the table do notinclude those or which state or territorygovernment agencies (joint authorities)have primary management responsibility.Primary management responsibility or

the sheries o the Torres Strait, whichare also managed under a joint authority(Protected Zone Joint Authority), lieswith the Australian Government.

Unloading at Eden PHOTO: NEIL BENSLEY,ABAREBRS

Port o Eden PHOTO: NEIL BENSLEY, ABAREBRS


30/544


t aB l e 1 . 6 Biological stock status summary

Sttus story

Chapter

Fsery Common nme Scentfc nme 1992

1993

1994

1996

1997

1998

1999

200102

200203

2 Bass Strait CentralZone Scallop Fishery

Commercial scallop Pecten fumatus

3 Coral Sea Fishery:Sea Cucumber Sector

Black teatsh Holothuria whitmaei


Prickly redsh Thelenota ananus


Sandsh Holothuria scabra


Surf redsh Actinopyga mauritiana


White teatsh Holothuria fuscogilva


Other sea cucumberspecies (11 spp.)

various

3 Coral Sea Fishery:Aquarium Sector

Multiple species various

3 Coral Sea Fishery:Lobster andTrochus Sector

Tropical rock lobster Panulirus ornatus,possibly a second species

3 Coral Sea Fishery:Lobster andTrochus Sector

Trochus Trochus niloticus, possiblya second species

3 Coral Sea Fishery:Line and Trap Sector

Mixed reef sh various

3 Coral Sea Fishery:Trawl and Trap Sector

Demersal and mid-watersh and crustaceans

various



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2004Sttus

2005Sttus

2006Sttus

2007Sttus

2008Sttus

2009Sttus

Stock sttus ndctors

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfsed sttus Overfsng sttusReerence ponts(trget, lmt)

biomass, surveys shing mortality (catch) spatial harveststrategy approachusing viable areas

none specied none specied no shery specicreference points. HSPdefaults applied


none specied shing mortality (catch) no shery specicreference points. HSPdefaults applied





shing mortality(catch)

shing mortality (catch) no shery specicreference points. HSPdefaults applied

shing mortality(catch) shing mortality (catch) no shery specicreference points. HSPdefaults applied





32/544



t aB l e 1 . 6 Biological stock status summary CONTINUED

Sttus story

Chapter


1993

1994

1996

1997

1998

1999

200102

200203

5 Northern Prawn Fishery Red-legged banana prawn Fenneropenaeus indicus

5 Northern Prawn Fishery White banana prawn Fenneropenaeusmerguiensis

5 Northern Prawn Fishery Brown tiger prawn Penaeus esculentus

5 Northern Prawn Fishery Grooved tiger prawn Penaeus semisulcatus

5 Northern Prawn Fishery Blue endeavour prawn Metapenaeus endeavouri

5 Northern Prawn Fishery Red endeavour prawn Metapenaeus ensis

5 Northern Prawn Fishery Western king prawn Penaeus latisulcatus

5 Northern Prawn Fishery Red-spot king prawn Melicertus longistylus

6 North West SlopeTrawl Fishery

Deepwater prawns (6 spp.) multiple species

6 North West SlopeTrawl Fishery

Scampi (3 spp.) Metanephropsaustraliensis, M.

boschmai, M. velutinus

7 Small Pelagics Fishery Australian sardine Sardinops sagax

7 Small Pelagics Fishery Blue mackereleast Scomber australasicus

7 Small Pelagics Fishery Blue mackerelwest Scomber australasicus


33/544


2004Sttus

2005Sttus

2006Sttus

2007Sttus

2008Sttus

2009Sttus

Stock sttus ndctors

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed


surveys, CPUE shing mortality (catch) no shery specicreference points. HSPdefaults applied


spawning biomass shing effort target MEY, limit0.5 BMSY

spawning biomass shing effort target MEY, limit0.5 BMSY

surveys, CPUE shing mortality (catch) target MEY

surveys shing mortality (catch) target MEY


biomass shing mortality (catch) no shery specicreference points. HSPdefaults applied







34/544




Sttus story

Chapter


1993

1994

1996

1997

1998

1999

200102

200203

7 Small Pelagics Fishery Jack mackereleast(2 spp.)

Trachurus declivis,

T. symmetricus

7 Small Pelagics Fishery Jack mackerelwest (2 spp.)

Trachurus declivis,

T. symmetricus

7 Small Pelagics Fishery Redbaiteast Emmelichthys nitidis

7 Small Pelagics Fishery Redbaitwest Emmelichthys nitidis

9 SESSF (Commonwealthtrawl and scalesh-hook)

Blue-eye trevalla Hyperoglyphe antarctica

9 SESSF (Commonwealthtrawl)

Blue grenadier Macruronusnovaezelandiae

9 SESSF (Commonwealthtrawl and scalesh-hook)

Blue warehou Seriolella brama


Deepwater sharks,eastern (18 spp.)

multiple species


Deepwater sharks,western (18 spp.)

multiple species


Eastern school whiting Sillago indersi

9 SESSF (Commonwealth

trawl)

Flathead (5 spp.) Neoplatycephalus

richardsoni (plus4 other spp.)


Gemsh, eastern Rexea solandri


Gemsh, western Rexea solandri


Gulper sharks (3 spp.) Centrophorus harrissoni,C. moluccensis,

C. zeehaani


35/544


2004Sttus

2005Sttus

2006Sttus

2007Sttus

2008Sttus

2009Sttus

Stock sttus ndctors

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed


catch shing mortality (catch) no shery specicreference points. HSPdefaults applied




CPUE shing mortality (catch) target 48% B0, limit 20%B0 (Tier 4 proxies)

biomass shing mortality (catch) target 48% B0& FMEY,limit 20% B0 (Tier 1)

CPUE & biomass shing mortality (catch) target 48% B0, limit20% B0 (Tier 4 proxies)- Consistent with Tier 1



biomass shing mortality (catch) target 48% B0, limit20% B0 (Tier 1)

biomass shing mortality (catch) target 41% B0, limit

20% B0 (Tier 1)

biomass shing mortality(catch), discarding

target 48% B0, limit20% B0 (Tier 1)

CPUE target 48% B0, limit 20%B0 (Tier 4 proxies)

surveys, biomass shing mortality (catch) no shery specicreference points. HSPdefaults applied



36/544




Sttus story

Chapter


1993

1994

1996

1997

1998

1999

200102

200203


Jackass morwong Nemadactylus macropterus


John dory Zeus faber


Mirror dory Zenopsis nebulosus


Ocean jacket, eastern Nelusetta ayraudi


Ocean perch (2 spp.) Helicolenus spp.


Orange roughy(Cascade Plateau)

Hoplostethus atlanticus


Orange roughy,eastern zone



Orange roughy,southern zone



Orange roughy,western zone



Oreo dory: smooth(Cascade Plateau)

Pseudocyttus maculatus


Oreo dory: smooth Pseudocyttus maculatus


Oreo dory: other Neocyttus rhomboidalis,Allocyttus niger, A.

verrucosus, Oreosoma

atlanticum

9 SESSF (Commonwealthtrawl and scalesh hook)

Pink ling Genypterus blacodes


Redsh (eastern) Centroberyx afnis


Ribaldo Mora moro


37/544


2004Sttus

2005Sttus

2006Sttus

2007Sttus

2008Sttus

2009Sttus

Stock sttus ndctors

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed


biomass catch in relation to RBC target 48% B0, limit20% B0 (Tier 1)

CPUE recent av. shingmortality (catch)

target 48% B0, limit20% B0 (Tier 3 &Tier 4 proxies)



catch shing mortality (catch) no formal referencepoints


biomass shing mortality (catch) limit 60% B0 (Tier 2)






CPUE shing mortality (catch) target 48% B0, limit 20%B

0(Tier 4 proxies)







38/544




Sttus story

Chapter


1993

1994

1996

1997

1998

1999

200102

200203


Royal red prawn Haliporoides sibogae


Silver trevally Pseudocaranx dentex

9 SESSF (Commonwealth

trawl)

Silver warehou Seriolella punctata

10 SESSF (East Coastdeepwater)

Alfonsino Beryx splendens

11 SESSF (Great AustralianBight trawl)

Bight redsh Centroberyx gerrardi


Deepwater athead Neoplatycephalus conatus


Ocean jacket, western Nelusetta ayraudi

11 SESSF (Great Australian

Bight trawl)

Orange roughy Hoplostethus atlanticus

12 SESSF (Sharkgillnet and hook)

Elephant sh Callorhinchus milii


Gummy shark Mustelus antarcticus


Sawshark Pristiophorus spp.


School shark Galeorhinus galeus

13 Southern SquidJig Fishery

Goulds squid Nototodarus gouldi

15 Torres StraitFinsh Fishery

Coral trout (multiple spp.) Plectropomus spp.

15 Torres StraitFinsh Fishery

Spanish mackerel Scomberomoruscommerson


39/544


2004Sttus

2005Sttus

2006Sttus

2007Sttus

2008Sttus

2009Sttus

Stock sttus ndctors

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed





20% B0 (Tier 1)

recent av. shingmortality (catch)

target 48% B0, limit 20%B0 (Tier 3 proxies)



shing mortality (catch) no formal referencepoints


20% B0 (Tier 1)


biomass (pupproduction)

shing mortality (catch) target 48% B0, limit20% B0 (Tier 1)


biomass (pupproduction)

shing mortality(catch); targeting

target 48% B0, limit20% B0 (Tier 1)

total biomass shing mortality(catch), effort

no shery specicreference points. HSPdefaults applied

spawning biomass shing mortality(catch), effort






40/544




Sttus story

Chapter


1993

1994

1996

1997

1998

1999

200102

200203

16 Torres StraitLobster Fishery

Tropical rock lobster Panulirus ornatus

17 Torres StraitPrawn Fishery

Brown tiger prawn Penaeus esculentus

17 Torres Strait

Prawn Fishery

Blue endeavour prawn Metapenaeus endeavouri

17 Torres StraitPrawn Fishery

Red-spot king prawn Melicertus longistylus

18 Torres Strait SeaCucumber Fishery

Black teatsh Holothuria whitmaei


Prickly redsh Thelenota ananus

18 Torres Strait Sea

Cucumber Fishery

Sandsh Holothuria scabra


Surf redsh Actinopyga mauritiana(likely a mix ofActinopyga spp.)


White teatsh Holothuria fuscogilva


Other species up to 15 other seacucumber species

18 Torres StraitTrochus Fishery

Trochus Trochus niloticus

19 Western DeepwaterTrawl Fishery

Bugs Ibacus spp.




41/544


2004Sttus

2005Sttus

2006Sttus

2007Sttus

2008Sttus

2009Sttus

Stock sttus ndctors

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed



target FMSY, BMSY;limit FLIM, BLIM

total biomass shing mortality(catch), effort

EMSY and BMSY

total biomass shing mortality

(catch), effort

EMSY and BMSY

catch rates shing mortality(catch), effort


density/biomass,surveys






density/biomass,

surveys

shing mortality

(catch)

no shery specic

reference points. HSPdefaults applied













none shing mortality(catch), effort






42/544




Sttus story

Chapter


1993

1994

1996

1997

1998

1999

200102

200203


Ruby snapper Etelis carbunculus

20 South Tasman RiseTrawl Fishery


22 Eastern Tuna andBillsh Fishery

Striped marlin Tetrapturus audax


Swordsh Xiphias gladius


Tuna, albacore Thunnus alalunga


Tuna, bigeye Thunnus obesus


Tuna, yellown Thunnus albacares

23 Skipjack Fishery:Pacic Ocean

Tuna, skipjack Katsuwonus pelamis

23 Skipjack Fishery:Indian Ocean

Tuna, skipjack Katsuwonus pelamis

24 Southern BluenTuna Fishery

Southern bluen tuna Thunnus maccoyii

25 Western Tuna andBillsh Fishery

Striped marlin Tetrapturus audax


Swordsh Xiphias gladius


Tuna, albacore Thunnus alalunga


43/544


2004Sttus

2005Sttus

2006Sttus

2007Sttus

2008Sttus

2009Sttus

Stock sttus ndctors

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed

Overfshing

Overfshed




surveys shing mortality(catch), effort


biomass, CPUE shing mortality(catch)


spawning biomass shing mortality(catch)


spawning biomass shing mortality(catch)


fish status report 2009

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