Newsletter No.26 August 2013

Welcome to the RAP Newsletter, providing feedback on the data you are collecting and keeping you informed about what is happening at the Research Division of the Department of . Artificial reef trial underway

The first trial of purpose-built reefs for Artificial reef modules being recreational fishing in the South West installed in the South West trial. has begun with two artificial reefs installed in Geographe off Bunbury and Dunsborough. The $2.38 million trial, titled the South West Artificial Reefs Project, is being funded through the Royalties for Regions program and the Recreational Fishing Initiatives Fund, collected from boat fishing licence fees. The reef locations, chosen for their accessibility by small recreational boats, had to meet strict State and Commonwealth environmental Schools of slender bullseyes surrounding area and how they guidelines. The Department of among reef modules. stand up to the elements. Fisheries worked with Recfishwest and local fishers and agencies to identify A scientific reference group, suitable locations. including independent experts, has helped design monitoring Each reef is formed of 30 ten-tonne and evaluation strategies. reinforced concrete modules placed in We will use multiple survey six clusters over a four hectare area. techniques including baited The modules were designed and built video and diver surveys every by Haejoo Pty Ltd at MJB Industries six months for four years. in Australind using locally supplied Changes in diversity and concrete and materials. abundance of at the reefs will be assessed and compared Tell us about it The benefits with the diversity and abundance at In addition to the scientific monitoring, The reefs are designed to create complex surrounding natural reefs at varying fishers are encouraged to report spaces and habitat for nearshore distances away. their catches and experiences at species such as silver trevally (skippy), The first surveys have been carried out, the artificial reefs to help determine pink snapper and Samson fish. less than two months after installation. their effectiveness and assess the Similar reefs outside of Western At the Dunsborough reef, large schools benefits to the community. You can have demonstrated of slender bullseyes (Parapriacanthus do this on Facebook (facebook. environmental benefits including the elongatus) were seen taking refuge com/SouthWestArtificialReefs) or by capacity to support a diverse range of within the reef modules and a school of recording details of days fished on the marine life. Over time, these reefs will large Samson fish (Seriola hippos) was reefs in your Research Angler Program provide recreational fishers with new seen circling the modules. fishing log book. and accessible fishing spots. Ten more species, including pink For more information on the artificial snapper (Pagrus auratus), footballer reefs, including a map and regular Monitoring the reefs sweep (Neatypus obliquus) and globefish updates on the research, visit www. Our researchers will monitor the artificial (Diodon nicthemerus), were recorded. fish.wa.gov.au/Fishing-and-Aquaculture/ reefs to assess how effective they are Recreational fishers are already Recreational-Fishing/Pages/Artificial- at creating habitat for recreationally reporting catches of pink snapper and Reefs.aspx targeted fish, their impacts on the large Samson fish at the reefs. Warm response to species on the move

Redmap Australia has been given a A coral crab. warm reception here in WA with 44 logged sightings in the first six months. Redmap, or the Range Extension Database and Mapping Project, invites the community to Spot, Log and Map any unusual or uncommon marine species they come across at the Redmap website www.redmap.org.au 4.4 metre blue marlin Each report is a piece in the puzzle to (Makaira help reveal whether our marine species mazara), are shifting their range (where they live) first spotted due to warming ocean temperatures beaching itself and extreme climatic events. at Little near Albany. What’s been spotted? Wish list rumour, whispers and newspaper reports So what has been on the move in WA that have come our way. If you have any ••Mud crabs in Perth, Mandurah waters? Reports don’t get much bigger photos in your collection, see if you have and Bunbury than a 4.4 metre blue marlin (Makaira anything that could be logged on the ••Spanish mackerel observed on mazara), first spotted beaching itself at Redmap website over the winter months the south Little Beach near Albany. – we’d love to hear from you. •Whale sharks showing up further This species is synonymous with • south, such as in waters off Perth, Supporting Redmap is easy. The most tropical and sub-tropical oceanic Rockingham, Dunsborough and Albany important thing is to keep your eyes waters. Marlin observed in our southern peeled and have a camera or mobile ••North-West blowfish (silver toadfish) waters is a good example of how phone camera on hand while you’re in the Albany area pelagic (surface-dwelling) fish swim with doing all the things you enjoy doing ••Turtles in southern WA waters their preferred water temperature even around our coast. though it takes them to much higher ••Threadfin salmon in the Mid-West latitudes than normal. It’s the quality photo uploaded to the website that enables Redmap’s After the marlin perished at the scene, How you can help scientists to complete the task we have research staff already in the area took Just like fish when you’re fishing, a few given them – to verify the species you measurements and DNA samples reports have ‘got away’. In addition to have spotted. If you haven’t already, sign from the impressive specimen. our ‘species of interest’ profiles on the up to Redmap Australia’s e-newsletter The marlin’s head was sent to the Redmap website we’ve started to compile and keep in touch through Facebook. Western Australian Museum for further our own unofficial ‘wish list’ based on Any technical issues and queries can be biological analysis. directed to [email protected]. Many of the reports have been of finfish, with a good spread received What’s on the move in WA waters? from recreational fishers, divers Redthroat emperor (Lethrinus miniatus) and snorkellers. Eight sightings between Lancelin and Margaret River. In Western Recreational fishers on the lower Australia, log if observed in the south-west or off the south coast. west coast contributed seven reports of redthroat emperor (Lethrinus Common dart (Trachinotus botla) miniatus), making this demersal Three sightings between Perth and Bunbury. In Western (bottom-dwelling) finfish the highest- Australia, log if observed south of Perth. reported species in WA. Our researchers snapped one swimming Rankin cod (Epinephelus multinotatus) past their camera while carrying out One Rankin cod report from Busselton. In , Baited Remote Underwater Video log if observed south of Geraldton. (BRUV) field work off Margaret River. Remember, all marine species can Japanese devilray (Mobula japanica) be reported. WA’s first mammal One report from Cheynes Beach east of Albany. First ever report – of an elephant seal – came report in Western Australia. Log all observations. in from Eyre near the South Australian border, and our first was a Common lionfish (Pterois volitans) colourfully patterned coral crab caught One sighting from the Busselton Jetty. In Western Australia, in the Swan River. log this species if seen south of Perth metropolitan area.

Redmap is a large collaborative project led by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) at the University of . The expansion of Redmap nationally was made possible with generous funding from an Australian Government Inspiring Australia grant, the Australian National Data Service (ANDS) and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF). Which whiting? . Photo: Henrique Kwong The whiting family () is important to recreational fishers in WA, having been identified as the most or second-most retained finfish category in several surveys. But with 10 different whiting species known in WA, six of them found in south-west waters, we’re keen to know which whiting species are the most important to recreational fishers. Recreational fishers caught all six In the South West zone (WCB), To help us find out, recreational fishers species of whiting known in the WCB, King George whiting was the most donated whiting frames through our and all three in the SCB. The main caught (71 per cent) from boats, Send us your skeletons program. species caught in south-western WA with southern school whiting at From July 2010 to December 2012 were southern school whiting ( 28 per cent. The figures were similar more than 230 fishers gave us nearly bassensis) and King George whiting. in the SCB, where King George and 10,000 whiting samples caught in southern school whiting made up the West Coast Bioregion (WCB) and The catch composition varied, however, 66 per cent and 34 per cent of the South Coast Bioregion (SCB). This was between bioregions, zones and boat catch, respectively. fantastic support for research. habitat/depth (shore and boat-based fishing). For example, So why do we need to know? Apart (S. schomburgkii) were caught mainly From the shore from King George whiting (Sillaginodes (89 per cent) by shore-based fishers, For shore-based fishers, the catch punctata), the largest and most easily which fits with our knowledge of the composition differed, with fishers recognisable, whiting species are often species living mostly in shallow waters catching only two per cent of all King collectively known as ‘ whiting’. (<5 m). George whiting samples. However, while they may look similar, they are different in their distribution, (S. robusta) on the other In the metropolitan zone (WCB), life cycle, growth, and the maximum hand, lives mainly in deeper waters southern school whiting was the most ages and sizes they reach, so it’s (>15 m), so was only caught by boat- caught species (74 per cent), followed important to know which whiting based fishers. by yellowfin (11 per cent), western recreational fishers are catching so we school (eight per cent), western can best manage the stocks. Boat-fishing catches trumpeter (four per cent) and King The graphs below show that if you George (four per cent) whiting. Which and where? catch a whiting while fishing from a In the South West zone (WCB), yellowfin The WCB runs from near Kalbarri to boat in the metropolitan zone (WCB), and southern school whiting were the east of Augusta and the SCB runs it is most likely to be a southern main species caught – 56 per cent and from east of Augusta to the South school whiting (85 per cent of the 38 per cent respectively. Australian border. catch), followed by western school In the SCB, southern school (67 per cent) (nine per cent) and King George whiting Most of the whiting samples were and King George (30 per cent) whiting (six per cent), with yellowfin, stout and caught by boat-based fishers (94 were the main shore-based catches. western making up per cent) in the WCB (84 per cent). less than one per cent. The terrific two West Coast Bioregion South Coast Bioregion This work has identified the main Metropolitan Zone South-west Zone recreationally caught whiting species 100 in the south-west of WA as the

n = 6,210 n = 1,568 n = 1,519 southern school and King George 75 whiting. For this reason, these two 50 species are the focus of a stock Boat

25 assessment report that will help us with future stock management. 0 With the support of the recreational 100

Percent fishing community and funding from n = 171 n = 209 n = 107 75 the State Government’s Natural

50 Resource Management program, we Shore have improved our knowledge of the 25 whiting catch composition, which 0 is essential to ensuring whiting are Stout Stout Stout managed sustainably and continue to Yellowfin Yellowfin Yellowfin King George King George King George be enjoyed by recreational fishers in SouthernWestern school school SouthernWestern school school SouthernWestern school school Western trumpeter Western trumpeter Western trumpeter the future. Whiting species

Catch composition of whiting species donated by recreational fishers (boat and shore-based) from the south-west of Western Australia. Little bites 1600 4.5 •• A big welcome to the new log-bookers who were 1400 Number of tailor 4 recruited to take part in the blue swimmer crab 3.5 research in the Swan- 1200 Catch rate (tailor per fisher hour) Canning, Leschenault 3 Inlet and Geographe Bay. 1000 Remember, we’d love you 2.5 te to record all of your fishing h Ra

tc 800 activity in your log book, h Ca not just your crab catches. 2 tc Ca Please contact us with any 600 questions you may have. 1.5 •• In 2013, the nineteenth 400 year of the tailor 1 recruitment survey, juvenile tailor numbers were high, 200 0.5 with 1,368 fish caught, the second-highest number 0 0 caught in the long-running program’s history. 199 6 199 8 200 0 200 2 200 4 200 6 200 8 201 0 201 2

Year Point Walter tailor catch and catch rate (Feb-Apr)

A juvenile tailor.

Fisher of the month

The RAP ‘fisher of the month’ prizes were decided by randomly drawing one log sheet returned in each month. Congratulations to the following ‘fishers of the month’: September Bob Longmore (West Coast Bioregion) October Kim Meldrum (West Coast Bioregion) November Tony Fanowrios (West Coast Bioregion) December Jacintha Page (Gascoyne Coast Bioregion) January John Hodder (West Coast Bioregion) February Tony Sheehan (West Coast Bioregion) March Craig Bibra (West Coast Bioregion) April James Hart (South Coast Bioregion) Each winner will receive a stubby holder and water bottle.

Thank you for your ongoing support and happy fishing! The Research Angler Program is run by the Nearshore and Estuarine Finfish Research Team: Dr Kim Smith – [email protected] Chris Dowling – [email protected] Joshua Brown – [email protected] Amber Howard – [email protected] T: +61 (08) 9203 0111 F: +61 (08) 9203 0199 Post: Research Angler Program, Department of Fisheries, PO Box 20, North Beach WA 6920 Deliveries: 39 Northside Drive, Hillarys, Western Australia 6025 ABN: 55 689 794 771 www.fish.wa.gov.au RES605_12 AUGUST 2013