Postgraduate Funding - Stock Structure And Connectivity Of Black Bream Including Implications For Management
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$75,000.00
Summary
Understanding the demographic characteristics, connectivity and stock structure of a fish species is crucial for identifying the appropriate scale and strategy for management.
Black bream is a slow growing and long-lived finfish species with reproduction confined to estuarine habitats. It is distributed in the estuaries and inshore marine waters of southern Australia, from central NSW to central west coast WA, including Tasmania. Throughout its broad distribution, black bream is thoug ....Understanding the demographic characteristics, connectivity and stock structure of a fish species is crucial for identifying the appropriate scale and strategy for management.
Black bream is a slow growing and long-lived finfish species with reproduction confined to estuarine habitats. It is distributed in the estuaries and inshore marine waters of southern Australia, from central NSW to central west coast WA, including Tasmania. Throughout its broad distribution, black bream is thought to be composed of a number of isolated spawning stocks, with limited evidence of movements between estuaries.
In SA, black bream supports important commercial fisheries, and is highly sought-after by recreational anglers. Most of the State-wide commercial catch is taken by the Lakes and Coorong Fishery (LCF) in the Coorong estuary, with smaller contributions taken by the Marine Scalefish Fishery. In 2016, the LCF for black bream, which was historically one of Australia’s most productive black bream fisheries, was classified as ‘overfished’. It is unknown whether this status is reflective of the broader population in SA waters, or if current management arrangements for the Coorong population, which are aimed to promote stock recovery, are adequate in terms of the spatial scale that they apply.
There is a need to understand the demography, connectivity and stock structure of black bream populations across southern Australia (SA, VIC and WA). This information will assist in identifying appropriate scales and strategies for management.
‘People development’ is one of several priorities identified in the FRDC’s RD&E Plan 2015-20. The proposed project will be undertaken by a high-performing student as a PhD project. The student will undertake applied research relevant to FRDC stakeholders (scientists, fishery managers, commercial, recreational and indigenous fishers) in SA, and gain industry experience by being co-supervised by scientists from SARDI. The project will increase fisheries science capacity in SA through training of the next generation of researchers.
Objectives: 1. Define the stock structure of black bream in southern Australia using a multi-methods approach incorporating genetics/genomics and otolith-based techniques 2. Review information on and determine how black bream respond to changing environmental conditions 3. Provide recommendations for fishery managers based on results of stock structure analyses 4. Increase fisheries science capacity in South Australia through training of the next generation of researchers Read moreRead less
Gulf Of Carpentaria King Threadfin (Polydactylus Macrochir) - Addressing The Knowledge Gaps To Support Assessment, Management And Sustainable Harvest
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$1,410,230.50
Summary
The proposal addresses the key needs specified in FRDC investment opportunity on GoC KTF in an integrated manner, in consultation and collaboration with industry, by a team of people highly experienced in the science and logistical challenges of working in the GoC. The ‘Needs’ in the FRDC Call for R&D Investment Opportunities were (1) stock structure, including spatial and temporal connectivity between regions (i.e., movement and reproductive connectivity), (2) quantify life history information ....The proposal addresses the key needs specified in FRDC investment opportunity on GoC KTF in an integrated manner, in consultation and collaboration with industry, by a team of people highly experienced in the science and logistical challenges of working in the GoC. The ‘Needs’ in the FRDC Call for R&D Investment Opportunities were (1) stock structure, including spatial and temporal connectivity between regions (i.e., movement and reproductive connectivity), (2) quantify life history information at regional scales relevant to stock assessment, and (3) factors influencing variation in the relationship between catch rate and population abundance.
The proposal addresses these knowledge gaps, which continue to bring uncertainty to the GoC KTF assessment and management. Further details are included in the Methods section.
It is critical that the inputs to the stock assessment, such as the spatial structure of the model, standardised catch rates, and life history parameters (e.g., temporal and spatial variation in growth rates, proportion mature-at-age, proportion mature-at-length) are representative of GoC stocks. Independent review of the latest KTF stock assessment (Campbell et al. 2024) concurs with this statement. Past research has included GoC samples of varying levels of spatial representativeness (Garrett et al. 1997; Welch et al. 2010; Newman et al. 2010; Moore et al. 2011; Moore et al. 2017) primarily due to due to logistical challenges. Despite the past research, there remains spatial and temporal uncertainty in how KTF populations function in this large tropical region, which has highly variable patterns in wet season rainfall and flood - the primary drivers of nutrient input to coastal GoC ecosystems.
Objectives: 1. Evaluate the spatial stock structure and the connectivity and movement of King Threadfin between regions within the Gulf of Carpentaria to inform meta-population dynamics. 2. Quantify life history parameters of King Threadfin across regions within the Gulf of Carpentaria relevant to stock assessment and management. 3. Evaluate factors influencing the relationship between catch (rate) and population abundance to inform catch rate standardisation. Read moreRead less
Assessing The Biology And Connectivity Of Deep-water Finfish On Australia’s East Coast And The Impact Of Fleet Dynamics
Funder
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
Funding Amount
$433,228.00
Summary
Deep-water finfish are an increasingly important fisheries resource on Australia's east coast that has been subjected to recent and rapid growth in fishing pressure across commercial, recreational, and charter sectors. Drivers of increased targeting of deep-water species likely include depletion of inshore stocks leading to effort shifts to deeper areas, advances in technology facilitating more effective targeting of deep-water species and changing market dynamics leading to increased profitabil ....Deep-water finfish are an increasingly important fisheries resource on Australia's east coast that has been subjected to recent and rapid growth in fishing pressure across commercial, recreational, and charter sectors. Drivers of increased targeting of deep-water species likely include depletion of inshore stocks leading to effort shifts to deeper areas, advances in technology facilitating more effective targeting of deep-water species and changing market dynamics leading to increased profitability. However, sustainable management of deep-water finfish stocks requires species-specific information on fundamental life history characteristics and stock structure to inform evidence-based management that is currently lacking.
Deep-water species are often characterised by slow growth, late maturity, and clustered distributions around pockets of suitable habitat that leave them vulnerable to overfishing. It is necessary to determine how such traits and connectivity among populations affect the sustainability of fisheries for key deep-water species on Australia's east coast. Management of deep-water species is also complicated by cross-jurisdictional distributions including Queensland, New South Wales, and Commonwealth managed fisheries.
Currently, due to the lack of fundamental biological information, key deep-water species are managed using basic harvest strategies set to trigger enhanced management and scientific focus when such need arises, which is now occurring. For example, the 2021 commercial harvest of Bar Cod (Epinephelus ergastularius) in Queensland exceeded double the mean harvest from 2011-2015, triggering a requirement for the first stock assessment of this species. Anecdotally, recreational catches in Queensland of other key species including Flametail Snapper (Etelis coruscans) and Goldband Snapper (Pristipomoides multidens) have substantially increased in recent years, with the latter given priority status for future stock assessment. New South Wales DPI has indicated a particular need for research focus on Bass groper (Polyprion americanus) and Hapuku (Polyprion oxygeneios) due to the complete lack of biological information required for fisheries management of these species, both of which are now quota managed. Recreational fishing effort is important to quantify because this sector has come to dominate the deep-water fishery in some areas where commercial fishing effort is sparse. Changing fleet dynamics and the uptake of technological advances in fishing gear have also increased fishing power for deep-water species in ways that are poorly understood.
This project aims to address these issues with a cross-jurisdictional collaboration between Qld DAF, NSW DPI, and AFMA supported by the University of Queensland providing fundamental information on the biology and population connectivity of key deep-water species. Project staff are well placed to leverage their existing networks and will also build new relationships with stakeholders throughout the deep-water fishery to pursue sample collection from all available sources including commercial fishers, processors, and recreational and charter fishers. Archived samples and targeted fishery-independent sampling will also be employed to secure sufficient samples to provide confident estimates on life history parameters and population connectivity to inform stock assessment. Additionally, we aim to develop novel methods to improve recreational reporting of deep-water catches and improve estimates of fishing power effects on catches of deep-water finfish.
Objectives: 1. Describe the life history characteristics of key deep-water species, e.g., Bar Cod, Flametail Snapper, and Goldband Snapper 2. Understand the stock structure and connectivity of deep-water species in Queensland and New South Wales 3. Investigate and implement novel methods for improving recreational catch reporting of deep-water species 4. Improve estimates of fishing power in the deep-water line fishery by reviewing (as opposed to trialling) historic and current fishing technologies Read moreRead less