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Baywide Recreational Fishery Surveys Sub-Program Progress Report No. 2 (Edition 2) (May–Sept. 2008). Simon Conron, Natalie Bridge, Daniel Grixti and Karina Ryan April 2009 Fisheries Victoria Technical Report Series No. 24 If you would like to receive this Copyright The State of Victoria, Department of information/publication in an Primary Industries, 2009. accessible format (such as large This publication is copyright. No part may be print or audio) please call the reproduced by any process except in accordance Customer Service Centre on: with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. 136 186, TTY: 1800 122 969, Authorised by the Victorian Government, GPO Box 4440, Victoria 3001. or email Printed by Fisheries Victoria, Queenscliff, [email protected] Victoria Conron S, Bridge N, Grixti D and Ryan K (2008). Published: Fisheries Victoria Recreational Fishery Surveys Progress Report Department of Primary No.2 (Edition 2)(May–September 2008). Technical Industries, Queenscliff Centre Report Series No.24, Fisheries Victoria, April PO Box 114, Queenscliff, Victoria 2009. Department of Primary Industries, 3225 Australia. Queenscliff, Victoria, Australia. 10 pp. General disclaimer This publication may be of assistance to you but ISSN 1835-4785 the State of Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of ISBN 978-1-74217-572-0 any kind or is wholly appropriate for your particular purposes and therefore disclaims all liability for any error, loss or other consequence which may arise from you relying on any information in this publication. Recreational Fishery Surveys Progress Report #2 Edition 2 ii Table of Contents Introduction............................................................................................................ 1 This report...................................................................................................................................................................1 Project Design and Methods............................................................................... 2 On-site surveys...........................................................................................................................................................2 Catch rate .................................................................................................................................................................2 Catch length composition......................................................................................................................................2 Statistical analysis .....................................................................................................................................................2 Exceptions ...................................................................................................................................................................3 Results...................................................................................................................... 4 On-site survey methods............................................................................................................................................4 Catch rate .................................................................................................................................................................4 Catch length composition......................................................................................................................................4 Raw data ......................................................................................................................................................................5 Discussion............................................................................................................... 8 References ............................................................................................................... 9 Appendix............................................................................................................... 10 Recreational Fishery Surveys Progress Report #2 Edition 2 iii List of Tables Table 1. On-site survey sample days required, undertaken and used for analysis in each region of PPB for January −April and May–September 2008................................................................................................. 6 List of Figures Figure 1. Boat ramps of PPB selected for on-site surveys..................................................................................... 3 Figure 2. Estimated mean catch rates (± 95% confidence limits) of combined species (snapper, King George whiting and flathead) retained by boat-based anglers fishing within the Melbourne, Mornington and Bellarine regions of PPB during January −April and May −September 2008. ............... 6 Figure 3. A comparison of the length (TL) frequency distribution of snapper, King George whiting and flathead (all species) retained by boat-based anglers fishing in PPB during January −April and May −September 2008 (n=number of fish measured)............................................................................. 7 Recreational Fishery Surveys Progress Report #2 Edition 2 iv Introduction Fish are an important component of the experienced anglers) record ‘diary’ ecosystem in Port Phillip Bay (PPB). They form information on all fish caught, including the basis of a significant commercial fishery and those below the LML. the largest recreational fishery in Victoria. This sub-program is described in the CDBMP The main species of interest to recreational Recreational Fishery Surveys Detailed Design - anglers in PPB are snapper ( Pagrus auratus ), CDP_ENV_MD_017 Rev 0 (PoMC 2007). flathead (several species; Family Platycephalidae) and King George whiting ( Sillaginodes punctata ). The objective of this sub-program is to detect changes in the abundance and recruitment of key The Recreational Fishery Surveys Sub-Program recreational fishery species outside of expected of the Channel Deepening Baywide Monitoring variability. Programs (CDBMP) for PPB consists of two components: This report • On-site surveys to assess the recreational This report summarises progress results for the catch rates of boat-based anglers: on-site survey component of the sub-program for anglers interviewed on return to the boat the period from late autumn to early spring ramp and detailed data recorded on fishing (May–September 2008). effort and retained catch (i.e. fish above the Legal Minimum Length, LML) • Angler-based assessments of fish stocks: research anglers (a select group of Recreational Fishery Surveys Progress Report #2 Edition 2 1 Project Design and Methods The methods and statistical analysis for this sub- • Snapper program are described in the Detailed Design for TL=1.125FL+1.38 (Francis and Winstanley 1989) the sub-program (PoMC 2007). • King George whiting TL=1.0644FL–0.3708 (DPI unpublished data). On-site surveys The primary sampling unit for the on-site survey Catch rate Combined catch rates (measured in fish per component is the number of ‘face to face’ survey angler hour) of the three most commonly caught days. fish species/taxa (snapper, King George whiting Angling in PPP decreases during winter from the and all flathead) for each region during the activity levels seen in spring, summer and survey period were used as an indicator of fish autumn. To maximise contact with anglers, the stock abundance. Catch rates were calculated sampling schedule for the winter reporting using the ratio-of means estimator (Jones et al. period (May–September 2008) were conducted 1995). only at weekends (see Detailed Design). Analysis was based on daily harvest rates, which Surveys were undertaken from May to represent the appropriate level of sampling September 2008 (Table 1), at selected boat ramps around PPB (Figure 1)(see also Exceptions). Boat (Steffe 2008). A review of variation on catch rates ramps were grouped into three key regions: by the number of interviews recorded per survey day indicated comparable variation for two or • Melbourne more interviews. The analysis threshold used for • Mornington this report was based on two or more interviews • Bellarine. per survey day, which is less than those indicated in the Detailed Design (PoMC 2007; see also Anglers were asked to provide information about Exceptions). the fishing trips they completed including: • Target species Catch length composition Length frequency distributions were plotted for • Number of fish of each species retained and snapper, King George whiting and flathead. released • Time spent fishing Statistical analysis • Location fished Catch rate • Level of fishing experience. The Detailed Design for this sub-program A sample of the important recreational species in prescribes that the three most commonly caught the retained catch, namely snapper, King George fish species/taxa (snapper, King George whiting whiting, flathead (all species), Australian salmon and all flathead) will be statistically compared (Arripis trutta ), calamari ( Sepioteuthis australis ) with data from the past 5 years during and garfish (Family Hemiramphidae), were comparable survey periods (PoMC 2008). As inspected, species identified and individuals there were no comparable data for the May– counted and measured. September reporting period prior to 2008, these analyses could not be performed and qualitative Total length was recorded for species with comparisons only were undertaken for other truncate or rounded