Status Reports of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of Western
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Status reports of the fisheries and aquatic resources of Western Australia 2015/16 State of the fisheries Status reports of the fisheries and aquatic resources of Western Australia 2015/16 State of the fisheries Edited by W.J. Fletcher, M.D. Mumme and F.J. Webster Produced by the Science and Resource Assessment and Strategic and Aquatic Resource Divisions Published by the Department of Fisheries 3rd Floor, The Atrium 168 St Georges Terrace Perth WA 6000 Website: www.fish.wa.gov.au ABN: 55 689 794 771 ISSN 2200-7849 (Print) ISSN 2200-7857 (Online) Illustrations © R.Swainston/www.anima.net.au Suggested citation format: Entire report: Fletcher WJ, Mumme MD and Webster FJ. (eds). 2017. Status Reports of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of Western Australia 2015/16: The State of the Fisheries. Department of Fisheries, Western Australia. Individual status report: Strain L, Brown J and Walters S. 2017. West Coast Roe’s Abalone Resource Status Report 2016. In: Status Reports of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of Western Australia 2015/16: The State of the Fisheries eds. WJ Fletcher, MD Mumme and FJ Webster Department of Fisheries, Western Australia. pp. 39-43. CONTENTS EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION ................................... 1 NORTH COAST NEARSHORE AND ESTUARINE HOW TO USE THIS VOLUME ................................ 2 RESOURCE STATUS REPORT 2016 ........... 140 OVERVIEW OF THE STATUS OF KEY ECOLOGICAL NORTH COAST DEMERSAL RESOURCE RESOURCES (ASSETS) .......................................... 9 STATUS REPORT 2016 ............................. 144 ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT .............................. 21 STATEWIDE LARGE PELAGIC FINFISH WEST COAST BIOREGION .................................. 25 RESOURCE STATUS REPORT 2016 ........... 153 NORTH COAST PEARL OYSTER RESOURCE ABOUT THE BIOREGION ................................. 25 SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES POTENTIALLY STATUS REPORT 2016 ............................. 158 NORTH COAST SEA CUCUMBER RESOURCE IMPACTING THE BIOREGION .......................... 26 STATUS REPORT 2016 ............................. 162 BIOREGIONAL SPECIFIC ECOSYSTEM NORTH COAST CRAB RESOURCE STATUS MANAGEMENT ............................................... 27 REPORT 2016 .......................................... 166 ECOSYSTEM MONITORING AND STATUS........ 29 WEST COAST ROCK LOBSTER RESOURCE SOUTH COAST BIOREGION .............................. 172 STATUS REPORT 2016 ............................... 34 ABOUT THE BIOREGION ............................... 172 WEST COAST ROE’S ABALONE RESOURCE SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES POTENTIALLY STATUS REPORT 2016 ............................... 39 IMPACTING THE BIOREGION ........................ 173 WEST COAST BLUE SWIMMER CRAB BIOREGIONAL SPECIFIC ECOSYSTEM RESOURCE STATUS REPORT 2016 ............. 44 MANAGEMENT ............................................. 174 WEST COAST OCTOPUS RESOURCE STATUS ECOSYSTEM MONITORING AND STATUS ..... 176 REPORT 2016 ............................................ 50 SOUTH COAST CRUSTACEAN RESOURCE WEST COAST NEARSHORE AND ESTUARINE STATUS REPORT 2016 ............................. 181 FINFISH RESOURCE STATUS REPORT 2016 54 SOUTH COAST GREENLIP/BROWNLIP WEST COAST SMALL PELAGIC SCALEFISH ABALONE RESOURCE STATUS REPORT 2016 RESOURCE STATUS REPORT 2016 ............. 63 ................................................................ 186 WEST COAST DEMERSAL SCALEFISH SOUTH COAST NEARSHORE AND ESTUARINE RESOURCE STATUS REPORT 2016 ............. 66 FINFISH RESOURCE STATUS REPORT 2016 GASCOYNE COAST BIOREGION .......................... 72 ................................................................ 192 SOUTH COAST SMALL PELAGIC SCALEFISH ABOUT THE BIOREGION ................................. 72 RESOURCE STATUS REPORT 2016 ........... 198 SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES POTENTIALLY TEMPERATE DEMERSAL GILLNET AND IMPACTING THE BIOREGION .......................... 73 DEMERSAL LONGLINE RESOURCE STATUS BIOREGIONAL SPECIFIC ECOSYSTEM REPORT 2016 .......................................... 202 MANAGEMENT ............................................... 77 SOUTH COAST DEMERSAL SCALEFISH ECOSYSTEM MONITORING AND STATUS........ 78 RESOURCE STATUS REPORT 2016 ........... 207 GASCOYNE SHARK BAY PRAWN RESOURCE STATUS REPORT 2016 ............................... 84 NORTHERN INLAND BIOREGION ...................... 211 SAUCER SCALLOP RESOURCE STATUS ABOUT THE BIOREGION ............................... 211 REPORT 2016 ............................................ 90 SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES POTENTIALLY SHARK BAY BLUE SWIMMER CRAB IMPACTING THE BIOREGION ........................ 211 RESOURCE STATUS REPORT 2016 ............. 95 BIOREGIONAL SPECIFIC ECOSYSTEM GASCOYNE EXMOUTH GULF PRAWN MANAGEMENT ............................................. 212 RESOURCE STATUS REPORT 2016 ............. 99 ECOSYSTEM MONITORING AND STATUS ..... 212 WEST COAST DEEP SEA CRAB RESOURCE NORTHERN INLAND LAKE ARGYLE FINFISH STATUS REPORT 2016 ............................. 105 RESOURCE STATUS REPORT 2016 ........... 214 GASCOYNE DEMERSAL SCALEFISH SOUTHERN INLAND BIOREGION ...................... 217 RESOURCE STATUS REPORT 2016 ........... 109 ABOUT THE BIOREGION ............................... 217 GASCOYNE INNER SHARK BAY SCALEFISH SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES POTENTIALLY RESOURCE STATUS REPORT 2016 ........... 115 IMPACTING THE BIOREGION ........................ 217 NORTH COAST BIOREGION ...............................121 BIOREGIONAL SPECIFIC ECOSYSTEM ABOUT THE BIOREGION ............................... 121 MANAGEMENT ............................................. 217 SUMMARY OF ACTIVITIES POTENTIALLY ECOSYSTEM MONITORING AND STATUS ..... 218 IMPACTING THE BIOREGION ........................ 122 SOUTH-WEST RECREATIONAL FRESHWATER BIOREGIONAL SPECIFIC ECOSYSTEM RESOURCE STATUS REPORT 2016 ........... 220 MANAGEMENT ............................................. 125 STATEWIDE BIOREGION ................................... 226 ECOSYSTEM MONITORING AND STATUS...... 128 ECOSYSTEM BASED FISHERIES MANAGEMENT NORTH COAST PRAWN RESOURCE STATUS ...................................................................... 226 REPORT 2016 .......................................... 135 STATUS REPORTS OF THE FISHERIES AND AQUATIC RESOURCES OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA 2015/16 STATEWIDE MARINE AQUARIUM FISH AND HERMIT CRAB RESOURCES STATUS REPORT 2016 ........................................................ 228 APPENDICES .....................................................231 APPENDIX 1 – PUBLICATIONS ....................... 231 APPENDIX 2 .................................................. 237 Table of catches from commercial fishers’ statutory returns for 2014/15 ................. 237 Table of catches from marine aquarium fish, specimen shell and hermit crab commercial fishers’ statutory returns for 2014/15 .... 243 Table of catches from boat-based recreational fishers and charter returns for 2013/14................................................... 244 Table of growout production for the Western Australian aquaculture industry in 2014/15................................................... 247 Table of Fish Prices for 2014/15 ............. 248 APPENDIX 3 .................................................. 254 Table of reported bycatch of protected and listed species from commercial fisheries for 2015 ........................................................ 254 DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES INTRODUCTION EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION As part of the transition to ultimately using a web based, voluntary participation in recreational fishing surveys, hierarchical interface, this years’ edition of the Status provision of biological samples, access to vessels and Reports of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of information which are essential to the generation of Western Australia 2015/16 is adopting a more many of the status reports presented in this document. streamlined format. These changes include updates to The input from other science groups located within WA the summary table which, in addition to displaying the plus those from other parts of Australia and stock and fishery performance levels, now includes internationally is also acknowledged. current performance and risk levels for each of the other The Status Reports of the Fisheries and Aquatic EBFM outcomes (e.g. bycatch, listed species, economics Resources of Western Australia 2015/16 provides the etc.). general public, interested fishers and other stakeholders The individual resource reports have also been refined with a starting reference source. This meets the and shortened to remove information that was largely reporting requirements of the Department, including the repeated among editions. It is planned for that all key need to annually report to the WA Parliament on “the resources will have a comprehensive Resource state of fisheries and aquatic resources managed under Assessment Reports (RARs) published this year which this Act”4. will include all the relevant available information where In addition, with the government initiative to have a more details are required. number of WA commercial fisheries undergo The structure of the reports still utilises the certification by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Departments’ risk based Ecosystem Based Fisheries this has resulted in some slight changes in the Management (EBFM) framework which is the basis for terminology that may be used within some sections of management of Western Australia’s aquatic resources these reports in order to match that used in the MSC (Fletcher, et al., 20101, 20122). assessment criteria and also that presented in the Status 5 The