This application is required primarily to address the needs of FRDC and the SAFS advisory group to resolve stock uncertainty for two priority species across their national distributions, being Silver Trevally and Ocean Jackets.
The results will inform future SAFS assessments that will ideally be done at the biological stock level. In addition, understanding appropriate scales for assessment and management will benefit future collaborative research, stock assessments and management arrangements. In particular, Silver Trevally in eastern Australia is recognized as being Depleted in NSW waters, yet if there is a single biological stock also being fished by neighbouring jurisdictions (for example the Commonwealth fisheries) there will need to be improved collaboration in terms of stock assessment and management to recover the stock.
All relevant jurisdictions have identified the need to resolve stock structure of Silver Trevally and Ocean Jackets as they are important to commercial and recreational fisheries across their distributions.