3 results

Development of a user-friendly Management Strategy Evaluation framework for Queensland’s rocky reef fishery

Project number: 2019-020
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $138,225.00
Principal Investigator: Matthew J. Campbell
Organisation: Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
Project start/end date: 5 Jan 2020 - 10 Dec 2020
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The Queensland Rocky Reef Fin Fish Fishery is predominantly a multi-species commercial, charter and recreational line fishery. Many of the species captured in the fishery are comprised of stocks that span the Queensland and New South Wales state border. In Queensland, the two main fished species, snapper and pearl perch, are overfished (see links in Methods section).

Fisheries Queensland, through the Sustainable Fisheries Strategy, has recently formed the Rocky Reef Working Group (WG) to provide advice on a range of matters, including management options that would rebuild these and other rocky reef fishery stocks towards long-term sustainability targets. The management options available to constrain recreational catch harvests to sustainable limits are particularly challenging. The WG have met twice to discuss and outline candidate management strategies for pearl perch and snapper (see working group communiques @www.daf.qld.gov.au). These include urgent short-term and long-term management options for the commercial, charter and recreational sectors accessing pearl perch and snapper stocks. Changes to bag and size limits, TACC (for commercial fishers), and spatial and/or temporal closures are potential management changes. However, it is difficult to assess the effect of these measures without a dedicated modelling tool, the primary output from the proposed research. The project will draw on and add to information from past research and stock assessment projects. The MSE modelling framework will be modern, quick, user-friendly and adaptable for more fish species as needed later (e.g. teraglin and grass emperor, or other fisheries). This work will support understanding on how to improve the sustainability of pearl perch and snapper in Queensland.

This research project will address the specific research priority "Management strategy evaluation for the sustainability of Queensland rocky reef finfish" as outlined in the FRDC's November 2108 Competitive Round Call for Expressions of Interest. This research is critical for the management of the rocky reef fishery and, as such, Fisheries Queensland resource managers are supportive of this work.

Objectives

1. Develop a management strategy evaluation for Queensland's rock reef fishery

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-7345-0471-5
Authors: Matthew Campbell Michael F. O'Neill Ken Taggart Ali Khorsandian Nils Krueck Branko Dijkstra Peter Brady Syed Hussian
Final Report • 2022-07-28 • 3.09 MB
2019-020-DLD.pdf

Summary

Researchers from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries have developed a Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) tool to test the effects of potential management changes on the spawning biomass of Snapper and Pearl Perch in Queensland.

Assessing the spawning characteristics and reproductive biology of Pearl Perch (Glaucosoma scapulare) in Queensland

Project number: 2018-074
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $376,154.78
Principal Investigator: Matthew J. Campbell
Organisation: Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
Project start/end date: 31 Mar 2019 - 30 Dec 2021
Contact:
FRDC

Need

This project addresses the national research priority "Ensuring that Australian fishing and aquaculture products are sustainable and acknowledged to be so", identified by FRDC as part of their RD&E Plan for the period 2015-2020. Further, this project addresses a research priority listed in FRDC's April 2018 Competitive round call for Expressions of Interest "To gain a better understanding of the spawning aggregations and dynamics of pearl perch". This project also addresses a Fisheries Queensland’s priority identified in their 2017 Monitoring and Research Plan "Research into lifecycle characteristics of pearl perch".

Outputs from a recent stock assessment suggested that the pearl perch stock, which extends southwards into New South Wales waters, is transitional depleted and stock recovery is necessary. This requires an improvement in egg production achievable through the protection of spawning animals. Knowledge of the pearl perch’s spawning dynamics would enable fishery managers to make evidence-based decisions regarding the harvest strategies that increase egg production and, therefore, build the stock biomass. For example, should patterns of pearl perch spawning aggregations be located, like those of the confamilial West Australian dhufish (belonging to the same taxonomic fish family), spatial closures could be employed to protect these aggregations. Similarly, temporal closures are currently used to avoid excessive fishing mortality on coral trout spawning aggregations and similar protection for pearl perch may be appropriate if spawning is timed to coincide with certain biological or seasonal cues. A thorough understanding of these spawning dynamics of the pearl perch is necessary to inform management of the species.

There is a need, therefore, to: (1) collect relevant biological information pertaining to the spawning dynamics of pearl perch, (2) supplement current information with fishery-independent data to better define temporal and spatial spawning patterns over the entire extent of the species’ distribution, and (3) identify areas likely to support spawning aggregations, if any, and to assess the movement to and from these spawning aggregations.

Objectives

1. Assess the temporal and spatial trends in the reproductive biology of pearl perch
2. Determine the movement of spawning pearl perch using both conventional and acoustic tagging methods
3. Identify areas, if any, that support spawning aggregations and determine the relative importance of these aggregations to the sustainability of the pearl perch stock

Final report

Author: Matthew Campbell
Final Report • 2023-11-27 • 5.62 MB
2018-074-DLD.pdf

Summary

Assessing the spawning characteristics and reproductive biology of Pearl Perch (Glaucosoma scapulare) in Queensland 

Addressing knowledge gaps for the sustainable management of rocky reef fisheries in Queensland

Project number: 2008-015
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $371,283.00
Principal Investigator: Wayne Sumpton
Organisation: Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
Project start/end date: 28 Feb 2009 - 29 Jun 2012
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Recreational rocky reef fishing effort is concentrated in the densely populated southern part of Queensland and there have been increasing concerns of localised depletion of rocky reef species at a time when there are also increased competitive pressures on commercial line fishers in this area.

DPI&F will shortly be reviewing management arrangements for the rocky reef fishery and this proposed research will directly feed into this management process by addressing high priority QFIRAC, ReefMAC and ReefSAG research needs. These priorities include determining the critical habitats of all life history stages of rocky reef species, improving our understanding the fisheries biology and population dynamics of rocky reef species (particularly pearl perch and teraglin).

A recent assessment and MSE (Allen et al 2006) and subsequent review by Dr Carl Walters suggested recruitment over-fishing of snapper and recommended several research and monitoring initiatives to ensure sustainability of species taken in the rocky reef fishery. Some of the monitoring requirements (eg age structured sampling of snapper) are already being addressed as core business of the DPI&F long term monitoring program but other research priorities including estimating discard mortality and identifying ways of reducing this mortality are yet to be addressed.

In addition, despite recent declines in trawl effort in Moreton Bay and elsewhere, the impact of the incidental trawl capture of snapper (and other rocky reef species) has been shown to be substantial (Sumpton et al 2005). There is a need to work closely with industry and other stakeholders to examine the importance of different habitats and to minimise the impact of fishing practises on juvenile rocky reef species.

Management utilisation of the results of this research will be ensured by the involvement of Brigid Kerrigan (current QDPI&F reef-line fishery manager) as a co-investigator, and a steering committee involving representatives of all key stakeholders.

Objectives

1. Determine key biological parameters required to sustainably and profitably manage the fisheries for key rocky reef fish species (particularly pearl perch and teraglin).
2. Quantify the release survival of common rocky reef species and investigate novel ways of enhancing release survival.
3. Determine the important habitats for rocky reef species and identify possible threats to those habitats.
4. Develop harvest strategy approaches that enable the sustainable management of rocky reef fisheries.

Final report

ISBN: 978 0 7345 0436 4
Author: Wayne Sumpton