Conflict between the recreational and commercial sectors has long been a fisheries management problem. This conflict has been escalating in recent years as both sectors attempt to maximise catches. Consequently, there is increasing pressure being applied to fisheries managers to make appropriate allocation decisions regarding fishing opportunities for the various commercial and recreational user-groups. Accurate estimates of the magnitude of the recreational catch and fishing effort are required before any equitable allocation of resources among the commercial and recreational sectors can be made. Further, the acceptance of any management strategies by the general public and the various user-groups also requires that the calculations that underpin allocation decisions can be demonstrated to be sound and justified.

We have combined on-site surveys at large access sites with data obtained from a recreational boat movement logbook study to estimate the number of daytime recreational trailer boat fishing trips, and the number of daytime recreational cruiser and gameboat fishing trips, for all large sites that provide access for these types of boats to the marine waters of NSW. This same combination of on-site methods has also been used to estimate the day-time harvest of recreational trailer boat anglers, for all large sites that provide trailer boat access to the marine waters of NSW. We estimated that in excess of217,500 trailer boat trips were made from large access sites throughout the state during the first survey year (September 1993 to August 1994 inclusive) and more than 214,800 trips occurred during the second survey year (September 1994 to August 1995 inclusive). We estimated that in excess of 24,500 cruiser and gameboat trips were made from large access sites throughout the state during the first survey year (September 1993 to August 1994 inclusive) and more than 25,000 trips occurred during the second survey year (September 1994 to August 1995 inclusive).

We also conducted over 10,600 interviews with trailer boat angling parties during the two year period of the survey and found the retained catch of this marine recreational fishery to be extremely diverse. We recorded 210 taxa in the harvest statewide. Despite this diverse harvest, relatively few species accounted for the bulk of the recreational harvest, by weight and by number offish. The top ten species always accounted for more than 68% by number, and 59% by weight, of the recreational trailer boat harvest. This pattern of harvesting was consistent among regions and between survey years. The main species, by weight, during the first survey year were eastern blue-spotted flathead (229.3 tonnes), snapper (184.2 tonnes), silver trevally (103.5 tonnes), blue morwong (90.9 tonnes), yellowfin tuna (73. l tonnes), skipjack tuna (56.8 tonnes), kingfish (53.0 tonnes), silver sweep (47.5 tonnes), slimy mackerel (40.1 tonnes), and albacore (38.7 tonnes). The main species, by weight, during the second survey year were eastern blue-spotted flathead (207. 5 tonnes), snapper (18 7 .6 tonnes), silver trevally (112.3 tonnes), yellowfin tuna (59.1 tonnes), blue morwong (54.9 tonnes), silver sweep (43.2 tonnes), skipjack tuna (39.0 tonnes), kingfish (35.8 tonnes), albacore (35.1 tonnes), and sergeant baker (32.0 tonnes). Overall, recreational trailer boat harvests in excess of one tonne statewide were recorded for 55 taxa during the first survey year, and 54 taxa during the second survey year. Latitudinal differences in recreational harvest were evident for some species. For example, during both survey years the harvest of snapper was greatest in the northern region, intermediate in the central region and lowest in the southern region of the state.

We compared the estimates of daytime recreational harvest taken by trailer boat anglers in coastal waters to the declared commercial landings taken from NSW coastal waters. The recreational harvest was greater, or about the same as, the commercial catch for some species, such as eastern blue-spotted flathead, dolphin fish, cobia, blackspot pigfish, maori wrasse, dusky flathead and red scorpioncod. Conversely, the commercial catch was greater than the recreational daytime harvest for many other species such as snapper, mulloway, john dory, kingfish, blue morwong, nannygai , red gurnard, and silver trevally. We have documented great latitudinal changes in the harvesting patterns of many important species by both the recreational and commercial fisheries, which results in regional changes of harvest allocation between the sectors for these species. Examples include eastern blue-spotted flathead, snapper, tiger flathead, and silver trevally.