I & I NSW Wild Fisheries research Program Yellowfin Bream ( australis)

Exploitation Status Fully Fished

The yellowfin bream has a long history of stability of both the length composition and commercial catch rate data. The is the basis of very significant recreational and commercial fisheries in NSW.

Scientific name Standard name comment

Acanthopagrus australis yellowfin bream Majority of landings.

Acanthopagrus australis Image © Bernard Yau

Background reefs. Yellowfin bream grow slowly, taking about 5 years to reach 23 cm fork length (FL). Yellowfin bream Acanthopagrus( australis) are They mature at around 22 cm and appear to endemic to and occur from Townsville undertake extensive pre-spawning migrations. in to the Gippsland lakes in Maximum length is about 55 cm FL and Victoria. In NSW waters, yellowfin bream are maximum weight about 3.7 kg. Adults may found primarily within estuaries and along return to estuarine waters after spawning. nearshore beaches and rocky reefs, although they also occur within the lower freshwater The majority of bream taken in the Estuary reaches of coastal rivers. Within estuaries, General Fishery are caught in mesh and hauling yellowfin bream are found in association with nets with a smaller number taken in traps. all types of habitat, including seagrass beds, The highest commercial catches of bream occur mangroves, bare substrates and rocky reefs. in autumn and winter. Yellowfin bream are also They eat a wide variety of foods, including small taken in very large quantities by recreational fish, molluscs, crustaceans and worms. fishers and recreational landings are estimated to be about double commercial landings. Spawning occurs in inshore waters near estuary entrances during winter. The larvae enter Reported commercial landings of bream estuaries and the small juveniles subsequently declined during the 1990s. This decline was live in sheltered shallow water habitats at least partly attributable to phasing out the (particularly seagrass beds and mangrove use of pound (figure six) nets in Port Stephens channels). Larger juveniles occur in slightly and adjoining coastal waters. There was also a deeper waters, and are particularly common decline in the amount of fishing effort reported around estuarine and near shore coastal in estuaries during this time. Commercial

status of fisheries resources in nsw, 2008/09 Yellowfin Bream | p 373 wild fisheries research program

landings have stabilised in recent years, and Historical Landings of Yellowfin Bream the age and length compositions of catches have remained relatively stable, indicating no 700 declines in older fish. 600 Black bream (A. butcheri) is a similar species to yellowfin bream and is found in estuarine 500 waters on the NSW coast south of Myall Lakes. 400 They are almost exclusively found in estuarine 300 waters, and generally only enter waters Landings (t)

after periods of flood. Black bream are often 200 reported as yellowfin bream during catch reporting, as distinguishing the species by 100 visual examination can be very difficult. The 0 differentiation between the species is made 48/49 58/59 68/69 78/79 88/89 98/99 08/09 more difficult through a significant percentage Financial Year of hybrids that exist as a result of the two Commercial landings (including available historical records) species interbreeding. of yellowfin/black bream for NSW from 1944/45 to 2008/09 for all fishing methods.

Additional Notes • Length frequency has been stable since the Landings by Commercial Fishery of Yellowfin 1950s and the age distribution of commercial Bream

catches in the early 1990s was mainly 3-8 year Ocean Trap and Line (Primary Species)

old fish (Grayet al., 2000). Ocean Hauling (Target Species) • There is a minimum legal length of 25 cm Estuary General (Primary Species) total length (approximately 22.5 cm FL) for yellowfin and black bream and a combined recreational bag limit of 20 for all bream and 500

tarwhine. 400 300

Catch Landings (t) 200 Recreational Catch of Yellowfin Bream 100 The annual recreational harvest of yellowfin bream in NSW is likely to lie between 820 0 97/98 99/00 01/02 03/04 05/06 07/08 and 1070 t. This estimate is based upon the Financial Year results of the offsite National Recreational and Indigenous Fishing Survey (Henry and Lyle, Reported landings of yellowfin bream by NSW commercial 2003) and onsite surveys undertaken by fisheries from 1997/98. Fisheries which contribute less than I & I NSW. 2.5% of the landings are excluded for clarity and privacy.

p 374 | Yellowfin Bream status of fisheries resources in nsw, 2008/09

Catch Per Unit Effort Information of Yellowfin Length Frequency of Yellowfin Bream Bream Harvested by Fish Trapping in NSW

0.25 1950/51−1989/90 1.0 n = 160 681 0.20 0.8 0.15 0.6 Proportion 0.10 0.4 0.05 Relative Catch Rate 0.2 0.00

10 20 30 40 50 0.0

88/89 93/94 98/99 03/04 08/09

Financial Year 0.25 1994/95−2005/06 n = 60 812 Catch rates of yellowfin bream harvested using fish trap- ping for NSW. Two indicators are provided: (1) median 0.20 catch rate (lower solid line); and (2) 90th percentile of the catch rate (upper dashed line). Note that catch rates 0.15 are not a robust indicator of abundance in many cases. Proportion Caution should be applied when interpreting these 0.10 results. 0.05 0.00

10 20 30 40 50

0.25 2007/08−2008/09 Growth Curve of Yellowfin Bream n = 6615

● 0.20 35

● 0.15 ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Proportion

● ● ● ● ● 0.10 ● ● ● ● ● 30 ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

● ● ● ● ● ● ● 0.05 ● ● ● ● ● ● ● FL (cm) ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 0.00 ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 25 ● ● ● ● ● ● ● 10 20 30 40 50 ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● FL (cm) ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● The length distribution of NSW commercial landings of yellowfin bream has been reasonably stable since the 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 1950s. Prior to the 1950s, the minimum legal length Ring Count (years) (MLL) for bream in NSW was 9 inches (approximately 22 Age-length data with fitted growth curve for yellowfin cm total length (TL) or 19 cm fork length (FL)), but since bream (Ochwada et al., 2008). Lengths are presented as the 1960s the MLL has been 25 cm TL (approximately fork length (FL). 22.5 cm FL).

Yellowfin Bream | p 375 wild fisheries research program

Further Reading Broadhurst, M., D. Reynolds and C. Brand (2006). Pollock, B.R. (1982). Spawning period and growth of Bream: the survivor, Fishing World Magazine July yellowfin bream,Acanthopagrus australis (Günther), 2006: 62. in Moreton Bay, Australia. Journal of Fish Biology 21: 349-355. Broadhurst, M.K., C.A. Gray, D.D. Reid, M.E.L. Wooden, D.J. Young, J.A. Haddy and C. Damiano (2005). Queensland Fisheries. (2010). Stock status of Mortality of key fish species released by recreational Queensland’s fisheries resources 2009-10. anglers in an Australian estuary, Journal of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 321: 171- Development and Innovation: 65 pp. 179. Reynolds, D., P. Butcher and M. Broadhurst (2006). Broadhurst, M.K., P.A. Butcher, C. Brand and M. Porter Tough Bream, Fishing World July 2006 - Winter (2007). Ingestion and ejection of hooks by yellowfin Special: 38. bream (Acanthopagrus australis): Effects on long- Steffe, A.S. and D.J. Chapman (2003).A survey of term health and mortality, Diseases of Aquatic daytime recreational fishing during the annual Organisms 74: 27-36. period, March 1999 to February 2000, in Lake Butcher, P.A., M.K. Broadhurst, D. Reynolds, D.D. Reid Macquarie, . 124 pp. Sydney, NSW and C. Gray (2007). Effects of release method and Fisheries. anatomical hook location on the mortality of Steffe, A.S., J.J. Murphy, D.J. Chapman and C.C. Gray angler-caught yellowfin bream Acanthopagrus( (2005). An assessment of changes in the daytime australis) and mulloway (Argyrosomus japonicus), recreational fishery of Lake Macquarie following the Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 74: 17-26. establishment of a ‘Recreational Fishing Haven’. 103 Gray, C.A. (2002). Management implications of pp. Cronulla, NSW Fisheries. discarding in an estuarine multi-species gill net Steffe, A.S., J.J. Murphy, D.J. Chapman, G.P. Barret and fishery, Fisheries Research 56: 177-192. C.C. Gray (2005). An assessment of changes in the Gray, C.A., B.C. Pease, S.L. Stringfellow, L.P. Raines, B.K. daytime, boat-based, recreational fishery of the Rankin and T.R. Walford (2000). Sampling estuarine Tuross Lake estuary following the establishment of fish species for stock assessment, FRDC Project No. a ‘Recreational Fishing Haven’. 70 pp. Cronulla, NSW 94/042. NSW Fisheries Final Report Series. Cronulla, Fisheries. NSW Fisheries: 196 pp. Stewart, J. and D.J. Ferrell (2002). Escape panels to Gray, C.A., D.D. Johnson, M.K. Broadhurst and D. Young reduce by-catch in the NSW demersal trap fishery, (2005). Seasonal, spatial and gear-related influences Marine and Freshwater Research 53: 1179-1188. on relationships between retained and discarded Stewart, J. and D.J. Ferrell (2003). Mesh selectivity in catches in a multi-species gillnet fishery, Fisheries the NSW demersal trap fishery, Fisheries Research Research 75: 56-72. 59: 379-392. Gray, C.A., S.J. Kennelly and K.E. Hodgson (2003). Low levels of bycatch from estuarine prawn seining in New South Wales, Australia, Fisheries Research 64 (1): Please visit the CSIRO website, 37-54. http://www.marine.csiro.au/caab/, and search for the species code (CAAB) 37 353004 and 37 353003, Henry, G.W. and J.M. Lyle (2003). The National common name or scientific name to find further Recreational and Indigenous Fishing Survey. Final information about the species. Report to the Fisheries Research & Development Corporation and the Fisheries Action Program Project FRDC 1999/158. NSW Fisheries Final Report Series No. 48. 188 pp. Cronulla, NSW Fisheries. Ochwada, F. A., J. P. Scandol, and C.A. Gray (2008). Predicting the age of fish using general and generalized linear models of biometric data: a case study of two estuarine finfish from New South Wales, Australia. Fisheries Research 90 (1-3): 187-197.

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Disclaimer: The information contained in this publication is based on knowledge and understanding at the time of writing (April 2010). However, because of advances in knowledge, users are reminded of the need to ensure that information upon which they rely is up to date and to check currency of the information with the appropriate officer of Industry and Investment NSW or the user’s independent adviser. p 376 | Yellowfin Bream