Understanding recruitment variation (including the collapse) of Saucer Scallop stocks in Western Australia and assessing the feasibility of assisted recovery measures for improved management in a changing environment
Opportunities and impacts of range extending scalefish species: understanding population dynamics, ecosystem impacts and management needs
Species-level responses to ocean warming is a priority research area as they underpin the structure and function of marine ecosystems and the productivity of fisheries that operate within them.
There are a number of range extending species that have become increasingly abundant in Tasmanian waters, providing new fishing opportunities for recreational and, to a lesser extent, commercial fishers. Species in this group include Pink Snapper, King George Whiting and Yellowtail Kingfish. While King George Whiting are known to spawn off the north coast it is unclear as to whether the other species have or are likely to become established as self-sustaining populations in Tasmanian waters or simply persist as spill-over from populations that are centered off mainland Australia. If the former is the case, it will be especially important to consider population attributes such as growth, mortality and reproductive dynamics relevant to the Tasmanian populations when developing and refining management arrangements to maximise the opportunities these 'new' species bring.
In addition, the broader ecosystem impacts of such range extending species, including competition with resident species at similar trophic levels, are unknown but could have consequences for other recreationally and commercially important species. Understanding these relationships will have benefits for the assessment and management of the Tasmanian recreational fishery more generally.
Final report
This work set out to quantify the biology and diet of three key range-shifting species in Tasmania with both recreational and commercial fishery value. The project was heavily reliant on engagement from the recreational fishing community and multiple citizen science initiatives, as well as historical data.
The information collected was used in modelling to predict how suitable habitats for each species may shift under future climate change projections. The work also indicated the potential changes to the ecosystem (such as food web) if these species’ ranges were to move.
Validating a defensible and robust method for data collection, species composition and reporting the harvest of protected coral species from the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area
The Queensland Coral Fishery (QCF) operates within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. It operates under quota within a Total Allowable Catch (TAC). Catch is recorded in two categories. “Specialty Coral” and “Other Coral”. Specialty Coral quota constrains the collection of CITES corals to sustainable levels.
Globally regarded as one of the best managed coral fisheries, social acceptability of wild-harvest aquarium fisheries constantly challenges the existence of the QCF. This challenge is partway met by ensuring catch reporting in the QCF sets global standards for accuracy and transparency. Major reforms introduced to catch reporting in 2016 for the QCF raise these standards further. The reporting reforms will underpin assessments of ecological risk and environmental performance, the CITES non-detriment finding, and to maintain national and international market access.
The new measures now require the reporting of total actual weights for CITES corals, however it does not account for the weight of substrate attached to the actual coral when collected, which is typically removed after landing. Industry successfully advocated that trimmed substrate should not be allocated to Specialty Coral quota and that 25% of the weight should be allocated to Other Coral. This allows the true value and accurate weight of Specialty Coral quota to be realized and the total weight accounted for in the TAC. However the 25% figure is based solely on industry experience and requires independent validation. To ensure reporting is both accurate and has potential application to other fisheries, validating the quantum of trimmed substrate is critical. This project will provide this validation.
It is important that the proportion of trimmed substrate is validated through an independent scientific study for the following reasons:
• Continued social acceptance of the QCF.
• Fisheries Queensland, and the Commonwealth Department of the Environment and Energy require that the trimmed substrate proportion is based on independent scientific data.
• The proportion must be fairly applied to all QCF collectors for quota equity purposes (ie. it represents the current fishery and is not unfairly biased to any individual or region).