Swordfish | FRDC

Management of Australia’s Tropical Tuna fisheries is complex because of the cross-jurisdictional nature of the stocks and governance through the Commonwealth Harvest Strategy Policy and
Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs). Recent work (Kolody et al 2010) has indicated that uncertainty in the connectivity between the fish caught in the Australian fishery and the wider region may make the harvest strategy (HS) unsuitable for use for the tuna species, in particular yellowfin. Currently the HS is not applied to the tuna species for precisely this this reason and further work is required to explore if and how this issue can be resolved.

Recent levels of total allowable commercial catch (TACC) set by the current HS have the potential to increase risk to the regional stock biomass for Striped Marlin, and the upcoming closure of the Coral Sea to long-lining may combine with uncertain connectivity levels to increase localised risk to stock biomass for all species, so the HS urgently needs to be re-evaluated using updated Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) models to ensure that the adopted HS meets the HS Policy guidelines and any Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission Conservation Management Measures (CMMs).

Clarification of different policy settings and processes for development of CMMs by the RFMOs, and their interaction with the Commonwealth Harvest Strategy Policy and implementation via the Australian fisheries Management Authority, is required for improved stakeholder understanding of domestic HS management application. An evaluation of the costs and benefits of further stock structure and connectivity research, and a detailed examination of the existing data, is needed to provide transparent priorities and trade-offs for research focussed on the primary uncertainties underpinning management arrangements of these valuable stocks and for confidence in implementation of management advice based on MSE tested HS.

Objectives

1. Update and recondition spatially disaggregated operating models, also including the Coral Sea closed area, for evaluation of existing and refined harvest strategies (HS) for striped marlin, and evaluate the implications for the SW Pacific stock of alternative future harvesting scenarios, using MSE.

2. Undertake a review the existing data and knowledge on stock structure for the primary target species and connectivity both within (Coral Sea closed area and outisde) and between the Australian and international RFMO managed fisheries and using the MSE software complete a cost benefit analysis of reducing that uncertainty.

3. With direct input from and consultation with both DAFF and AFMA, organise a stakeholder’s workshop to discuss how all sectors, both commercial and recreational, fit into way the international (i.e. other management, exploitation and stock structure) dynamics are dealt with, outcomes from the stock structure review and cost-benefit analysis, and technical HS refinements.

Final report

ISBN: 9781486306565

Author: Richard Hillary

Final Report • 2016-11-24 • 3.70 MB

2013-203-DLD.pdf

Related research

All research

PROJECT NUMBER • 2022-173

PROJECT STATUS:

CURRENT

Assessing current data and alternate data collection methods relating to recreational catches of tropical tuna and billfishes

1. Review traditional and contemporary, cost-effective sources of recreational and charter catch and catch-effort data for Tropical Tuna and Billfish (including assumption and limitations of the data as well as a cost benefit analysis of methods)

ORGANISATION:

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) Hobart

PROJECT NUMBER • 2021-078

PROJECT STATUS:

CURRENT

Improving the management of wildlife interactions in pelagic longline fisheries

Commercial in confidence

ORGANISATION:

Tuna Australia Ltd

PROJECT NUMBER • 2020-041

PROJECT STATUS:

CURRENT

Improving the effectiveness, efficiency and safety of mitigation tools for protected species interactions in the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery

1. To trial several new and/or modified protected species mitigation tools and processes in the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery to further reduce the rate of protected species interactions.

ORGANISATION:

Tuna Australia Ltd

Developing innovative approaches to improve CPUE standardisation for Australia's multi-species pelagic longline fisheries

Project number: 2014-021

Project Status:

Completed

Budget expenditure: $298,741.86

Principal Investigator: Robert A. Campbell

Organisation: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Hobart

Project start/end date: 15 Jun 2014 - 29 Aug 2016

TAGS

SPECIES

Need

Indices of abundance based on standardised CPUE are critical inputs to both the stock assessments of tunas and billfish and associated harvest strategies. However, a major constraint for assessing multi-species fisheries is a lack of reliable abundance indices that are a pre-requisite for the accompanying stock assessments. Improvements in our ability to standardise multi-species CPUE will therefore improve the accuracy of assessment outcomes as well as implementation of harvest strategies such as those used in multi-species fisheries such as the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery (ETBF) which are rely heavily on standardised CPUE. Within the ETBF standardised CPUE indices for some target species display large inter-annual variation which is not thought to truly reflect variation in the stock availability. The multi-species nature of the ETBF also means that it can be difficult to standardise CPUE for individual species as changes in the targeting of different species can change CPUE in a manner not related to stock abundance. Imperfect CPUE standardisation impacts on the output of the harvest strategy, in particular the Recommended Biological Commercial Catches (RBCC). New techniques to improve the CPUE standardisation would consequently improve the quality of resultant RBCCs and subsequent TACCs. There will also be follow-on improvements in assessing the status of other pelagic resources (e.g. byproduct and bycatch speices, both domestically and internationally), most of which rely on the standardisation of CPUE. The recent CPUE Standardisation Workshop held by TTRAG in March 2013 supported this need which was also subsequently endorsed by TTMAC which included the project “Identification, application and appraisal of novel statistical techniques for use in the CPUE standardisation“ as a high priority in the annual research statement for 2013/14.

Objectives

1. Identify the factors likely to influence pelagic longline CPUE and review the data requirements and data availability so that these factors can be used for standardising CPUE.

2. Review all methods (both those currently used and all other and novel methods) which may be used for standardising CPUE.

3. Based on our experiences in other relevant research and the outcomes of objectives 1 and 2 identify, develop and compare the most appropriate methods for standardising CPUE for pelagic longline fisheries.

4. Use simulated catch and effort data to test the potential of each method to adequately account for the influence of factors influencing CPUE and accurately reflect the underlying resource abundance.

5. Investigate the sensitivity of the outcomes of the ETBF harvest strategy on the adoption of the candidate methods for standardising CPUE within the ETBF.

Final report

ISBN: 9781486308521

Authors: Robert Campbell Shijie Zhou Simon Hoyle Rich Hillary Malcolm Haddon and Steve Auld

Final Report • 2017-05-01 • 6.32 MB

2014-021-DLD.pdf

Summary

This project was undertaken by a collaboration of senior fishery scientists at CSIRO and from New Zealand, together with a former fisheries manager now with the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture and Water Resources in Canberra, on the development of methods to construct indices of stock abundance trends from commercial catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) in multispecies pelagic longline fisheries. Such indices are crucial inputs into stock assessments undertaken around the world and play a vital role in achieving the sustainable management of global fisheries. The project work was undertaken during 2015 and 2016, using the multispecies longline fishery for tuna and billfish on the east coast of Australia (the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery) as the example case study. As indices of stock abundance constructed from CPUE data are the central inputs into the harvest strategy used in this fishery to inform the determination of annual Total Allowable Commercial Catch (TACC) limits, there was a need to identify the accuracy of current methods and develop new methods to construct more reliable indices of stock abundance. In this regard, the analyses undertaken during the project and presented here were designed to address specific issues related to this fishery.

However, it is also hoped that the general results of this project will have broader applicability to other multispecies species, both domestically and internationally.

Related research

All research

PROJECT NUMBER • 2022-173

PROJECT STATUS:

CURRENT

Assessing current data and alternate data collection methods relating to recreational catches of tropical tuna and billfishes

ORGANISATION:

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) Hobart

PROJECT NUMBER • 2021-078

PROJECT STATUS:

CURRENT

Improving the management of wildlife interactions in pelagic longline fisheries

Commercial in confidence

ORGANISATION:

Tuna Australia Ltd

PROJECT NUMBER • 2020-041

PROJECT STATUS:

CURRENT

Improving the effectiveness, efficiency and safety of mitigation tools for protected species interactions in the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery

1. To trial several new and/or modified protected species mitigation tools and processes in the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery to further reduce the rate of protected species interactions.

ORGANISATION:

Tuna Australia Ltd

Defining regional connections in Southwestern Pacific broadbill swordfish

Project number: 2007-036

Project Status:

Completed

Budget expenditure: $135,187.00

Principal Investigator: Chris Wilcox

Organisation: CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Hobart

Project start/end date: 28 Jun 2007 - 30 Jun 2009

TAGS

Mortality

Modelling

Fishing Gear

Electronic Monitoring

Economic

SPECIES

Swordfish

Need

Knowledge of the stock structure and migration patterns is fundamental to ensuring effective stock assessment and management of a fishery. While this knowledge is scanty for many Commonwealth fisheries, swordfish structure and movements are particularly poorly known. The stock harvested by the ETBF is locally depleted, suggesting population structure, but there are no direct data on movement or distribution available. Parameterizing a model of movement for swordfish would clarify the stock structure and provide a mechanism for incorporating their movements into spatial management or assessment models.

The recent Ministerial Directive to AFMA has highlighted the lack of knowledge regarding swordfish. Key initiatives in the directive are 1) develop harvest strategies for its fisheries to ensure sustainable management; 2) recover overfished stocks; and 3) end overfishing on stocks. Furthermore, the directive urges AFMA to move to spatial management. Critical to the design of harvest strategies, determination of stock status, and development of spatial management measures is a sound knowledge of the connectivity between stocks fished locally and in other parts of the Pacific basin. In order to ensure equity in limitations due to management arrangements, Australia will need to pursue policies that ensure other nations protect shared stocks within the context of the Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission - requiring clear evidence of the amount of movement between locally and regionally harvested stocks and empirically validated assessment models.

The March 2005 AFMA/ComFRAB Research Gap Analysis and Priority Setting Workshop, held jointly by AFMA and ComFRAB underlined the needs outlined above for swordfish in the ETBF specifically – identifying both spatial management measures to rectify the localized depletion and provision of science and policy advice into the WCPFC. The ETBF research priorities and FRDC’s strategic challenges both identify these same issues, as discussed in the Background section.

Objectives

1. Collect swordfish movement data and habitat preferences on the Coral Sea spawning grounds and during subsequent migration using electronic tags

2. Collate data from this study with data from ongoing studies on swordfish movement in the Tasman Sea, east of New Zealand, and in the central South Pacific spawning area.

3. Refine existing analysis methods to incorporate electronic tag data and oscillatory movements such as annual migrations

4. Parameterize a regional movement model which describes retention times on the spawning grounds and migration patterns

5. Provide a succinct description of stock structure and movement that can be incorporated into other analyses

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-643-10847-9

Final Report • 2014-05-15 • 1.41 MB

2007-036-DLD.pdf

Related research

All research

PROJECT NUMBER • 2021-078

PROJECT STATUS:

CURRENT

Improving the management of wildlife interactions in pelagic longline fisheries

Commercial in confidence

ORGANISATION:

Tuna Australia Ltd

PROJECT NUMBER • 2020-041

PROJECT STATUS:

CURRENT

Improving the effectiveness, efficiency and safety of mitigation tools for protected species interactions in the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery

1. To trial several new and/or modified protected species mitigation tools and processes in the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery to further reduce the rate of protected species interactions.

ORGANISATION:

Tuna Australia Ltd

PROJECT NUMBER • 2018-150

PROJECT STATUS:

COMPLETED

Attendance at the Annual Session of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) - 4-9 December 2018 in Honolulu, USA

1. To gain an understanding of the international aspects of the WTBF fishery

ORGANISATION:

Narooma Seafood Direct

Delivery of focused corporate governance training by the Australian Institute of Company Director's to the newly formed Tuna Australia Ltd board representing stakeholders of the Commonwealth managed Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery

Project number: 2016-414

Project Status:

Completed

Budget expenditure: $12,800.00

Principal Investigator: David Ellis

Organisation: Tuna Australia Ltd

Project start/end date: 28 Feb 2017 - 29 Apr 2017

TAGS

SPECIES

Southern Bluefin Tuna

Need

TUNA AUSTRALIA (TA) is a newly formed industry association representing statutory fishing right owners, holders, fish processors and sellers, and associate members associated with the Eastern tuna and billfish fishery operating on the east coast of Australia.

TA has a board and a CEO to collectively ensure ecological sustainable development of the industry; improve resource access and property rights, profitability and safety and workplace development; enhance market opportunities and extend industry practices to stakeholders and the general public. TA aims to advance, promote and represent the industry’s views in dealings with governments of state and commonwealth, media, corporations and organisations, and all persons nationally and internationally.

To achieve these objectives and to maximize board member’s time it is very important that the TA board understands and follows sound corporate governance processes.

This EOI seeks funding to deliver a 1 day course on corporate governance training delivered by the Australian Institute of Company Directors to board members (Directors and Alternate Directors) prior to a board meeting.

Objectives

1. The role of the Director and the board covers: The role and relationships of the board

Who is a director

How boards do their job – corporate governance

Directors’ duties and responsibilities

Appointment, conduct and removal of directors

Rights of directors.

2. Introduction to Board meetings and governance covers: The role and composition of the board

Boards in action

Evaluating and improving board performance

Making an informed decision in joining a board

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-945604-04-1

Author: David Ellis

Final Report • 2017-10-01 • 1.85 MB

2016-414-DLD.pdf

Summary

TUNA AUSTRALIA is a newly formed industry association representing statutory fishing right owners and holders, fish processors and sellers, and associate members associated with the Eastern and Western Tuna and Billfish Fisheries of Australia.

Tuna Australia has a board and a CEO to collectively ensure ecological sustainable development of the industry; improve resource access and property rights, profitability and safety and workplace development; enhance market opportunities and extend industry practices to stakeholders and the general public.

Sound corporate governance embraces a good board culture and sound strategic process to achieve successful outcomes. As Tuna Australia is a newly formed board an opportunity existed to expose board members to education and training emphasizing these two points.

A 1-day workshop was designed in partnership between the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the CEO from Tuna Australia to deliver focused training in the areas of: The role of the director and the board, and Introduction to board meetings and governance. Ms Tracy Matthews (FAICD) delivered the workshop at the Australian Fisheries and Management Authority Aquarium Room on 3 May 2017.

The corporate governance workshop met and exceeded the aims and objectives of the people development research project.

Workshop participants gained a sound understanding of the duties of a director, role of the board, board composition, governance relations, meeting effectiveness, and board performance. As a direct result participants are now confident they have the skills to identify the role and key functions of the board and its directors, describe the key duties and responsibilities of directors, and understand how the board fulfils its primary functions within the regulatory framework in which boards operate.

Tuna Australia board members have the knowledge to review board meeting protocols and procedures and realise the importance of key performance indicators for the board and directors. Importantly, board members have an appreciation of a director’s liabilities and related protections.

This training workshop was important as it provide a sound education on corporate governance and emphasised the need to set a sound board culture and meeting processes. This training will no doubt be beneficial in the short- and long-term for Tuna Australia.
Given the experience of Tuna Australia board members it is worthwhile for the FRDC board to consider this type of training for other seafood industry boards including those involved in the recreational sector, indigenous, and commercial groups in Australia.