Fisheries biology and interaction in the northern Australian small mackerel fishery
Project number:
1992-144
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure:
$486,531.00
Principal Investigator:
Darren Cameron
Organisation:
Department of Primary Industries (QLD)
1. Determine whether the Australian spanish mackerel resource, comprising four main species of the genus Scomberomorous, is exploited recreationally and commercially in three distinct areas of tropical Australia, in each of which the stock of each species is an autonomous stock
2. To determine if the species composition of the resource is the same in the 3 areas
3. To determine if the three unit stocks of search of the 3 smaller species differ as to growth rate, reproductive potential or survival rate under average environmental conditions or in consequence in composition as to sex age and size
4. To determine if the resultsobtained from Deuel surveys will be sufficient basis for allocating fishery access as between commercial and recreational fishers
5. To determine if the Deuel special survey method can yield a reliable estimate of the amount of the fishing for the small mackerels by commercial and recreational fishers in remote regions of northern Australia.
Final report
Author:
Darren Cameron and Gavin Begg
Final Report
•
2002-05-31
•
10.21 MB
1992-144-DLD.pdf
The small mackerels comprising school mackerel (Scomberomorus queenslandicus), spotted mackerel (S. munroi) and grey mackerel (S. semifasciatus) are important and valued species to recreational and commercial fishers in northern Australia. Prior to this project very little was known about the basic biology of, or fisheries for, small mackerels. Each species was found to exhibit distinct life history patterns with differing stock structures. Though there is some overlap between fisheries, there was much spatial and temporal separation of the fisheries, with gill net specialisation for each species targeted by the commercial fishery. Recreational hook and line fisheries for school mackerel and spotted mackerel were important with most of the grey mackerel harvest taken by the commercial sector.
