One of the major research priorities of QFIRAC, REEFMAC, QFS, GBRMPA, and other fisheries' stakeholders of the GBR concerns the need to develop innovative approaches for determining the sustainability of the fisheries for the exploited reef fish species, particularly the major target species of the GBR Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery, common coral trout and red throat emperor. This need has become even more pronounced with the recent release of the management plan for the fishery, which is largely dependent upon an Individual Transferable catch Quota (ITQ) system and the impending GBRMPA Representative Areas Program (RAP). A model involving complex effort dynamics associated with an extensive system of "no-take" areas and a significant recreational harvest (e.g., unlike the SE Trawl Fishery) that provides a framework for setting appropriate Total Allowable Catches (TACs) and evaluating their impacts has yet to be developed.

This proposal, therefore, arose in response to major concerns for the sustainability of the GBR Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery. It addresses directly QFIRAC's key R&D priorities in sustainability assessments by developing innovative assessment methodologies, sustainability indicators for target species in commercial fisheries, and using a Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) approach. The "standard" approach to providing management advice for fisheries managed using ITQs involves, for each target species, fitting a population dynamics model to data collected for large geographic areas and calculating catch limits according to pre-specific decision rules (such as F0.1). However, this approach is likely to fail to achieve the management objectives for the GBR Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery because it ignores spatial heterogeneity in population structure and the multi-species and multi-sector nature of the fishery. Also, the data typically required to apply these methods is not available for the GBR Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery. In addition, little is known about the bioeconomic impacts and sophisticated effort dynamics associated with an ITQ managed multi-species, multi-sector fishery such as the GBR Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery.

Consequently, we propose to extend the MSE framework developed as part of the CRC Reef Effects of Line Fishing (ELF) Project and other related FRDC funded projects (1997-124, 1998-131, 2001-020). Results from this project will inform stakeholders and decision makers about the bioeconomic trade-offs associated with a variety of alternative rules for setting TACs. This is exactly the type of information required as the basis for the selection of monitoring strategies and decision rules. This project, therefore, will provide a management tool by which appropriate TACs can be evaluated given alternate harvest strategies related to effort displacement caused by the RAP and the significant recreational harvest.

The Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery (CRFF) is a multi-species line fishery. Until recently there have been substantial gaps in our knowledge of the biology of even the major target species of the line fishery and considerable uncertainty about the impacts of current levels of fishing on the harvested stocks.

The CRC Reef Effects of Line Fishing (ELF) Project has provided an improved understanding of: i) the biology of the major target (coral trout and the red throat emperor) and by-product species (stripey bass, moari wrasse, barramundi cod, lesser serranid spp, etc) and, ii) the characteristics and fishing practices of the different sectors of the fishery. One of the main tools for delivery of the outcomes of the ELF Project is ELFSIM, a set of simulation models that will be used to evaluate alternative management strategies against specific objectives for common coral trout.

Given the multi-species nature of the CRFFF, there is a need to address the implications for the effectiveness of alternative management strategies of fishers harvesting different species, with divergent distributions and biology, either by targeting or as a significant by-product when targeting other species. This is especially relevant on GBR where many species have different spatial distributions and area closures are a prominent management strategy that directly affects the distribution of fishing effort. An example of a potential management strategy that includes criteria for which coral trout and red throat emperor differ substantially is the proposed spawning closures currently being considered by REEFMAC. The proposed closures target the peak spawning period for common coral trout (October-November). This period does not, however, include the majority of the spawning season for red throat emperor (July-September). The potential effects of the closures, if implemented, on the harvest of either species, the spatial distribution of effort and impact on the fish stocks are unknown. The models proposed in this task will provide a formal context in which to examine the range of potential responses.

Previously our capacity to address the multi-species nature of the fishery was limited by a paucity of information (for target species and fishing practices) and lack of a formal framework (management strategy evaluation (MSE)) to do so. This project is a strategic requirement to explicitly incorporate the multi-species nature of the CRFF in the evaluation of alternative management strategies for line fishing on the GBR. While this project focusses on the CRFF, the tools developed will provide the basis for extension to include other species of the line fishery or application to other fisheries. This project directly addresses QFIRAC objectives 1.8, 3.2, 3.4, 3.5 & 5.4 and ReefMAC’s and GBRMPA's concern for management of the diversity of impacts of the line fishery on species other than coral trout.