The Corner Inlet Fishery

Information to inform assessment of the Victorian Corner Inlet Fishery under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

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Contents

Introduction ...... 2

Description of the fishery ...... 3 Target species ...... 3 Prohibited species ...... 3 Fishing area ...... 3 Fishing methods ...... 4 Cornet Inlet fishery management arrangements ...... 5 Catch Data ...... 6 Fisheries management ...... 7

Status of key stocks ...... 7 Stock assessments ...... 7 King George whiting ...... 8 Rock flathead ...... 8 Southern garfish ...... 8 Australian salmon ...... 8 Silver trevally ...... 8 Southern calamari ...... 8

Protected species ...... 9 Interactions with protected species and reduction strategies ...... 9

Ecosystem effects including the effects of fishing ...... 9 Ecological risk assessments ...... 9 Fishery impacts on the ecosystem...... 10 External (non-fishing) impacts on the ecosystem and critical fish habitats ...... 10

References ...... 11

Corner Inlet Fishery 1

Introduction

Under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act), all export fisheries must be assessed against the Commonwealth Guidelines for the Ecologically Sustainable Management of Fisheries .

This is the first application for assessment of the Corner Inlet Fishery.

The Corner Inlet Fishery is a multi-species, multi-gear fishery that is managed primarily using input controls. This report addresses key species taken in the fishery:

• King George whiting (Sillaginodes punctate );

• southern garfish (Hyporhamphus melanochir );

• rock flathead (Platycephalus laevigatus );

• Australian salmon ( Arripis trutta and Arripis truttaceus );

• silver trevally ( Pseudocaranx dentex ); and

• southern calamari (Sepioteuthis australis ).

The Fisheries Act 1995 (Fisheries Act) provides the broad statutory framework to ensure the ecologically sustainable management of Victoria’s aquatic resources. The Fisheries Regulations 2009 (Fisheries Regulations) provide the operational tools to manage the Corner Inlet and Victoria’s other fisheries.

The Victorian Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources (DEDJTR) is committed to developing a fishery management plan for the Corner Inlet Fishery which will be prepared in accordance with the Fisheries Act. A fishery management plan must, under the Fisheries Act:

• be consistent with the objectives of the Fisheries Act and any guidelines issued; • define the fishery to which it relates; • include the management objectives of the plan; • specify the objectives, state, status or use of the fishery; • specify the management tools and other measures that are or will be used to achieve the management objectives; • include guidelines for the criteria to be used for issuing licences and permits and for the renewal, variation or transfer of licences; • as far as possible, identify relevant critical components of the ecosystem, the current or potential threats to those components and existing or proposed preventative measures; • specify performance indicators, targets, and monitoring methods; and • as far as relevant and practical, identify the biological, ecological, social and economic factors relevant to the management of the fishery, including: ˗ current status, human uses and economic value; ˗ measures to minimise its impact on non-target species and the environment; ˗ research needs and priorities; and ˗ resources required to implement the plan.

Corner Inlet Fishery 2

Description of the fishery Target species

Corner Inlet commercial fishers target primarily:

• King George whiting; • Southern garfish; • Rock flathead; • Australian salmon; • Silver trevally; and • Southern calamari. Prohibited species

The take of abalone, giant crab, jellyfish, scallop, rock lobster and sea urchins is prohibited whilst fishing under a Corner Inlet fishing licence. A maximum of eight wrasse can be taken in any one day. Fishing area

Corner Inlet is a large, shallow embayment located in eastern Victoria (Figure 1). The bay is dominated by seagrass which provides habitat for various fish species including King George whiting and rock flathead.

The Corner Inlet Fishery is defined by the Fisheries Regulations as the total area of all bays, inlets, entrances bounded by a line running south-westerly from the mean high water mark on the south-western end of the Ninety Mile Beach (McLoughlins Entrance) which follows the mean high water mark along the outer or seaward shoreline of the Nooramunga Islands that enclose Shoal or Shallow Inlet, crossing the entrances at McLoughlins Beach, Manns Beach, Kate Kearney Entrance and Port Albert with a straight line between the mean high water marks on the seaward extremities on each side of each entrance, continuing along the mean high water mark on the outer seaward shoreline of Snake Island to the navigation light on Bentley Point then in a straight line to the mean high water mark on the most northern point of Entrance Point on Wilson’s Promontory (Figure 2).

The 1,550 hectare Corner Inlet Marine National Park, within which all methods of fishing are prohibited, is located to the north and east of Wilsons Promontory National Park (within fishing area code 1, Figure 2) adjacent to the southern shores of Corner Inlet.

Figure 1. The location of Corner Inlet.

Corner Inlet Fishery 3

Figure 2. Map of Corner Inlet and adjacent coastline. Numbers within the inlet represent the areas against which commercial catch and effort data is reported by fishers. Fishing methods

Commercial fishing

The limit Corner Inlet Fishery Access Licence holders to using the following gear: • a seine net of no greater than 650m in length; • a mesh net of no greater than 1,300m if fishing alone or 1,650m if fishing with assistance; • up to 20 hoop nets; • a longline or combination of longlines with no more than 400 hooks attached; • up to six fishing lines that are not longlines with no more than 3 hooks or 1 bait jig each; and • up to two hand operated bait pumps.

Haul seines and mesh nets are the gear most often used by Corner Inlet commercial fishers, the fishing effort using the other permitted methods is negligible. The main target species for each of these gear types are listed in Table 1.

Table 1. Target species for each commercial fishing method.

Method Main target species Seine net • King George whiting • Southern garfish • Calamari • Silver trevally • Australian salmon Mesh net • Rock flathead, • Gummy shark

Corner Inlet Fishery 4

Recreational fishing

Most recreational fishing in Corner Inlet is boat-based with anglers targeting primarily: • King George whiting; • sand, yank and dusky flathead; • silver trevally; • Australian salmon; • gummy shark; and • southern calamari.

Snapper is also targeted in coastal waters outside Corner Inlet by anglers who launch boats from inside the inlet. Cornet Inlet fishery management arrangements

Commercial arrangements

The Corner Inlet Fishery is managed using the following input controls: limits on the number of licences, limits on gear type (listed under fishing methods above), spatial and temporal closures (including a weekend closure to minimise conflict with recreational fishers) and legal size limits for individual species (Table 2).

The number of Corner Inlet Fishery Access Licences is capped at eighteen. Licences are renewable annually subject to the licence holder being fit and proper and are fully transferable. Conditions of the Corner Inlet Fishery Access Licence are outlined in the Fisheries Regulations.

Signatories to the Corner Inlet Fishery Licence Code of Practice operate in accordance with agreed principles when using seine nets: • seine net shots are limited to no more than two per day (from midnight to midnight); • shots must be shot and closed up within ninety minutes; and • operators cannot work both sides of the line known as the Middle Ground 1 in any one day.

Corner Inlet Fishery Access Licence holders must not use commercial fishing equipment between midnight on Friday and 5 PM the following Sunday. Table 2. Legal minimum size limits for key species and associated recreational bag limits.

Commercial minimum size Recreational minimum size Recreational bag/ Species (centimetres) (centimetres) possession limit King George whiting 27 27 20 Southern garfish 20 N/A 40 Rock flathead 27 27 20 of all flathead species except dusky Australian salmon 21 21 20 Australian salmon and/or Australian herring Silver trevally 20 20 20 Southern calamari N/A N/A 10

Recreational arrangements

Recreational fishers must hold a recreational fishing licence in order to fish in Corner Inlet, or anywhere else in the State, unless they are exempt from the requirement 2.

Recreational fishers may only use the fishing gear specified in the Fisheries Regulations:

• a rod and line; • a spear gun; • a bait pump; • a handline; • hand-held spear; • a baited line with no hook; • a dip net; • recreational bait net; • a hook; and • a bait trap; • a recreational hoop net; • a bait jig. • a landing net; • an abalone tool;

Recreational legal minimum size limits for key commercial species are shown in Table 2 above.

1 The Middle Ground is the high bank dividing the head of the Welshpool Channel and the Port Albert Channel 2 Victorian Recreational Fishing Guide (http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/fisheries/recreational-fishing/recreational-fishing-guide ) Corner Inlet Fishery 5

Catch Data A summary of commercial catch since 2000 for key species harvested in the Corner Inlet Fishery is provided in Table 3. There are no recent estimates of total annual recreational catch from Corner Inlet. Table 3. Reported catch of key species in the Corner Inlet fishery 2000 – 2015.

Australian Calamari , Flathead, Garfish, Whiting, King salmon Southern Rock Southern sea Trevally George Year Catch (kg) Catch (kg) Catch (kg) Catch (kg) Catch (kg) Catch (kg)

2000 9,901 27,348 46,388 70,352 23,960 43,555 2001 17,015 40,851 36,324 90,186 45,867 44,690 2002 15,285 15,886 44,009 50,666 39,316 31,295 2003 5,109 21,678 42,041 46,029 18,505 57,026 2004 9,247 31,870 41,287 71,119 26,290 80,943 2005 3,784 15,411 31,363 33,246 14,189 26,959 2006 12,685 24,604 43,491 52,018 19,089 56,634 2007 8,751 20,033 41,143 45,679 32,174 93,805 2008 21,286 36,721 39,369 40,675 53,695 86,524 2009 12,929 16,465 66,001 39,052 40,578 27,046 2010 11,775 44,767 101,396 52,843 26,096 53,584 2011 27,765 12,394 81,985 28,684 24,463 63,333 2012 16,017 15,429 92,663 12,932 12,053 56,500 2013 20,982 9,417 62,548 58,179 14,447 38,371 2014 11,305 23,735 52,595 28,790 17,210 34,966 2015 10,068 22,639 35,878 26,190 12,944 73,633

Incidental commercial catch

Fishers are required to report byproduct and bycatch in daily catch logs. As a mixed-species fishery, most of what is caught is retained and sold with only a small number of non-commercial species captured. Non-commercial bycatch species include porcupine fish, toad fish, cobblers, black stingray, banjo shark, Pork Jackson shark, sandy crab etc. The Corner Inlet Fishery Licence Code of Practice also documents established practices to improve selectivity and increase the survivability of bycatch species returned to the water.

From 2000-2015, byproduct species in the haul seine sector made up on average 33% of the catch, with almost two-thirds of this from five species (sand flathead, greeneyed flounder, mackerel, yellow-eyed mullet and rays). Over the same period, byproduct species in the mesh net sector made up on average 41% of the catch, with almost two-thirds of this from five species (blue-spotted and sand flathead, yellow-eyed mullet, rays and gummy shark).

Fishing effort

DEDJTR uses the monthly returns provided by commercial fishers to obtain information on catch, species composition, effort, fishing date, boat registration, fishing area (Figure 1), and gear including type, net length and number of shots.

Most of the commercial catch in the Corner Inlet is taken by haul seine but this has declined over the past decade and mesh net effort has increased.

Catch rates

The most recent stock assessment, undertaken in 2012, found that commercial catch rates of all species assessed were stable or increasing in the Corner Inlet Fishery (Kemp et al 2013).

DEDJTR has recently standardised catch rates for the two key target species in the fishery, rock flathead and King George whiting. Although catch per unit effort (CPUE) for King George whiting has been below the long term average for the last three years, the trend appears to be consistent with what is known about the life-history of this species, that recruitment peaks occur on decadal cycles and that abundance is expected to increase again.

The CPUE for rock flathead has also been below the long term average over the last three years but because there is less known about the life cycle of this species, it cannot be presumed that this is a cyclic trend. The Corner Inlet rock flathead Corner Inlet Fishery 6 stock will be assessed the first half of 2016 and management action will be taken if required. Fisheries management

Recent management changes

There have been no recent changes to management arrangements in the Corner Inlet Fishery. Work is anticipated to begin in late 2016 on the development of a management plan for the fishery for completion in late 2017. This process will include a review of the current management arrangements, identify required management improvements, develop management objectives for the fishery along with a harvest strategy.

Consultation processes

The Fisheries Act 1995 and other legislation specify the classes of decisions for which consultation with stakeholders is required, including: • development of fishery management plans; • changes to licence conditions; and • making Fisheries Notices.

Other Victorian legislation also requires that consultation with stakeholders be undertaken when a change to legislation or regulations will have a significant impact on them. Any changes to management arrangements for the Corner Inlet Fishery must, as a result, be considered in consultation with commercial and recreational fishers.

Performance of the fishery

Performance indicators and measures for the Corner Inlet Fishery include targeted catch rate trends (abundance index) from commercial and/ or recreational monitoring programs and trends in size/age composition of commercial catches. Commercial fishers lodge monthly catch and effort returns in accordance with the requirements of the Fisheries Regulations. Status of key stocks Stock assessments

Stock assessments of key marine and estuarine finfish stocks provide DEDJTR with information that is used to ensure the biological sustainability and governance objectives of key stocks are maintained. DEDJTR conducts these assessments by: • assembling all relevant fisheries data for the key species; • evaluating the available fisheries-independent monitoring and research data; • convening workshops involving scientists, resource users and managers to assess the status of the stock/fishery; and • producing an assessment report which provides scientific information and advice to facilitate fishery management decision-making.

The assessment process that is used by DEDJTR: • provides unbiased scientific evidence of the status of the fish stocks and the environmental factors and harvest pressures that influence stock abundance; • underpins evidence-based decisions in an ESD management context; • complements Victorian fisheries management planning processes; • improves stakeholder understanding and acceptance of assessment outcomes; and • ensures the fishery assessment process is accountable and transparent.

The available data for the key species harvested from Corner Inlet includes: • targeted catch rate trends from commercial and/or recreational monitoring programs; and • size/age composition of commercial and/or recreational catches.

The most recent Corner Inlet Fishery assessment was conducted in 2012 and covered all key target species; the next assessment is scheduled for mid-2016. A separate rock flathead assessment was also conducted in 2012 and a further assessment is also scheduled for 2016. DEDJTR also monitors catch/effort and size/age composition data to identify any unusual trends.

Corner Inlet Fishery 7

The 2016 assessment will use standardisation methods to account for the improved gear efficiency. King George whiting

Commercial haul seine catch rate for King George whiting, as determined in the 2012 Corner Inlet assessment, was above the long term average. This assessment also determined that the commercial age and size classes are within the historical range for the fishery.

The stock composition of King George whiting in Victoria is unknown. King George whiting spawn and spend a substantial part of the life ‐cycle in coastal waters and sub-adults are found in Victorian bays and inlets. Whiting in Corner Inlet are part of a larger but unknown stock.

Fluctuations in commercial catch rate data for King George whiting harvest from Port Phillip Bay, Corner Inlet and Western Port suggests that recruitment is variable. Although the CPUE for King George whiting has been below the long term average in the last three years, the trend displays a cyclical pattern which is consistent with what is known about the life- history of this species. Commercial catch rates of King George whiting show an eight to ten year cyclic trend, with peaks observed in 1989/90, 1997/98 and 2007/08.

Standardised catch rates for King George whiting closely follow the nominal CPUE trends throughout the available time series. Rock flathead

Commercial mesh net catch rate was above the long term average, determined in the 2012 Corner Inlet stock assessment and the five year moving trend was stable. A more recent analysis of standardised catch rate, however, has shown the last three years to be below the long term average. This observation will be investigated during the stock assessment in early 2016 and management action to prevent further decline will be undertaken if required.

Standardised catch rates for rock flathead closely follow the nominal CPUE trends throughout the available time series. Southern garfish

Commercial haul seine catch rate for southern garfish was found to be below the long term average in the 2012 Corner Inlet stock assessment but the five year moving trend was stable. This trend will be evaluated again during the stock assessment that will be undertaken in 2016. Australian salmon

The Australian salmon harvested from Corner Inlet belong to a single biological stock that is distributed from southern Queensland along the east coast of Australia to western Victoria and Tasmania.

The commercial haul seine catch rates were below the long term average in the 2012 Corner Inlet assessment although the five year moving trend was increasing. This trend will be evaluated again during the stock assessment that will be undertaken in 2016. Silver trevally

Silver trevally range from northern New South Wales to Western Australia. Little is known of the stock structure but preliminary research suggests that the silver trevally off south-eastern Australia belong to a single stock.

The commercial haul seine catch rate was below the long term average in the 2012 Corner Inlet assessment however the five year moving trend was increasing. This trend will be evaluated again during the stock assessment that will be undertaken in 2016. Southern calamari

Individual southern calamari are capable of moving large distances and DEDJTR’s assessment assumes that the individuals in Corner Inlet are part of a larger stock.

The commercial haul seine catch rate was above the long term average in the 2012 Corner Inlet assessment and the five year moving trend was increasing. This trend will be evaluated again in the stock assessment that will be undertaken in 2016.

Corner Inlet Fishery 8

Protected species Interactions with protected species and reduction strategies

The Victorian Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DEWLP) provides an amnesty from prosecution under the State’s Wildlife Act 1975 or the Flora and Fauna Guarantee Act 1988 to Victorian commercial fishers who have accidental interactions with protected wildlife providing that they report the interaction in the approved way. The amnesty is subject to the following conditions:

• the fishing activities are being undertaken in accordance with the licence conditions; • the interaction was unintentional; • immediate steps were taken to return the protected species to its natural environment as quickly as possible and with minimum injury; and • the licence holder reported the interaction in the approved manner and within the time specified.

Fishers must record all interactions on their daily catch logs and regular summaries are provided to DELWP. Commercial Corner Inlet and other Victorian commercial fishers have been provided with the Protected Species Identification Guide for Victoria’s Commercial Fishers Guide to assist them in reporting interactions (DEDJTR 2015). From 1 April 2015, changes were made to the daily catch logs to improve the quality of information recorded by fishers. Table 4 below shows the numbers of interactions since the changes to the daily catch logs were introduced. There were a total of 447 interactions between April 2015 and January 2016, with 442 of these species released alive and only 5 interactions resulting in mortality. Table 4. Reported interactions with Protected Species since April 2015.

Month Sea Australian Giant Black- Other Released Mortalities 3 Horse Fur Seal Cormorant faced Pipefish Alive Cormorant April-15 5 3 18 0 31 57 0 May-15 4 0 5 0 13 22 0 June-15 1 0 29 37 84 151 0 July-15 0 4 5 3 11 23 0 August-15 1 1 1 0 18 21 0 September-15 0 1 0 0 31 30 2 October-15 5 1 0 0 17 23 0 November-15 15 2 0 0 31 46 2 December-15 3 0 0 0 28 31 0 January-15 1 0 0 0 38 38 1 TOTAL 35 12 58 40 302 442 5

3 All mortalities were pipefish

Prior to these changes being implemented there is limited information available on interactions with protected species, although in less than 12 months there has been an increase in reporting which should continue in the future. The information provided by fishers helps to support ecologically sustainable management of Victoria’s fisheries, to identify risks and to inform DEDJTR whether fishery management changes are required to minimise the impacts on protected species. Reporting by fishers will also assist in maintaining and/or improving the public perception of the fishery and its ‘social licence to operate’. Ecosystem effects including the effects of fishing Ecological risk assessments

An ecological risk assessment for the Corner Inlet commercial fishery will be undertaken to inform development of the fishery management plan.

The Victorian Bay and Inlet Fisheries Association Environmental Management System , to which a number of Corner Inlet commercial fishers are signatories, includes an environmental risk assessment (VBIFA 2013).

Corner Inlet Fishery 9

Fishery impacts on the ecosystem

Corner Inlet commercial fishers primarily use mesh and haul seine nets which can be set in ways and with varying mesh sizes that target and/or avoid certain species or size classes. The Fisheries Regulations require fishers to immediately return to the water and with the least possible injury or damage, any fish that is not required (other than noxious species).

Grixti et al (2010) found that the total post release survival rate of black bream caught in mesh nets was about 91 per cent. Knuckey et al (2002) found that the likelihood of fish caught in haul seine nets and released averages about a ninety per cent survival rate across all species. External (non-fishing) impacts on the ecosystem and critical fish habitats

Environmental conditions known to impact on the abundance of key species in the Corner Inlet include:

• wind, tides and currents, particularly on King George Whiting recruitment; and • seagrass which is important habitat and the basis of the trophic food web for species like King George whiting, rock flathead and southern sea garfish.

Seagrass cover in Corner Inlet has been variable over the last 50 years or more. There have been numerous studies attempting to track fluctuations in seagrass in Corner Inlet, from use of anecdotal evidence to sophisticated satellite tracking software. However, due to the range of methods used, it is difficult to compare these studies and accurately quantify the changes over time.

Other research projects, which may on completion be considered by DEDJTR, and that are currently investigating seagrass health in Corner Inlet include: • Using local knowledge to understand linkages between ecosystem processes, seagrass change and fisheries productivity to improve ecosystem-based management. Collaboration between Melbourne University and the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation. This work is using fishing industry knowledge to create a map of seagrass distribution and document historical fluctuations as well as working with farmers to reduce the impacts of land management on the aquatic environment.

• Corner Inlet Community Seagrass Monitoring Project . Part of the state wide Sea Search program, managed by the Parks Foundation, Parks Victoria and the community. Community volunteers map seagrass condition across the Corner Inlet to identify areas in good or poor health which can be used by management agencies to help improve seagrass health.

Corner Inlet Fishery 10

References

DEDJTR (2015). Protected Species Identification Guide for Victoria’s Commercial Fishers . The Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources; Melbourne, Victoria. http://agriculture.vic.gov.au/fisheries/commercial- fishing/reporting-of-fisheries-interactions-with-protected-species.

Grixti D , S Morison & J Bell (2010) Undersized Acanthopagrus butcheri Caught and Released from Commercial Gill Nets Show High Survival Rates in the Gippsland Lakes, Southeastern Australia, North American Journal of Fisheries Management, 30:3, 723-731.

Kemp J., Brown L., Bruce T., Bridge N., Conron S. (2013). Fisheries Assessment Report Series No. 68 - Corner Inlet Nooramunga Fishery Assessment 2012.

Knuckey, I. A., Morison, A.K. and Ryan, D.K. (2002). The effects of haul seining in Victorian bays and inlets. FRDC Final Report, 1997/210.

VBIFA (2013). Environmental Management System. The Victorian Bay and Inlet Fisheries Association. http://siv.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/VBIFA-EMS-2013.pdf.

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