VOLUME 29 NUMBER 2 FISHERIES RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION NEWS JUNE 2021 Aquaculture’s new horizons SOCIAL MEDIA FOR TUNA FISH STOCKS SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD FORECASTING UPDATE Subscribe to FRDC’s digital e-newsletter, Message in a bottle. A weekly haul of fisheries relevant science, events and news. To subscribe email us at [email protected] or via the frdc website: www.frdc.com.au FEEDBACK 3 FRDC welcomes your comments: [email protected] FRDC FISH magazine WWW.FRDC.COM.AU is available as an app. JUNE 2021 Download from Google Play or the CONTENTS App Store. FISH is published by the FEATURES FISHERIES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION (FRDC) The FRDC plans, invests in and manages fisheries research, development and extension activities throughout Australia. It is a statutory authority within the portfolio of the Federal Minister for Agriculture, jointly funded by the Australian Government and the fishing industry. 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Material SEAFOOD in FISH is copyright. 11 28 40 DISCLAIMER STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT AQUACULTURE PROFILE Information in FISH is not intended Certified from sustainable fisheries, Seaweed initiatives New structure for responsibly sourced Sue Poole: Adventures as professional advice. in South Australia The FRDC will not accept advisory committees in seafood science responsibility for any liability arising from reliance on the contents. 20 FISH is written and produced by MARKETING the FRDC and Coretext Pty Ltd. 12 Seafood labelling 42 FRDC editor: Annabel Boyer Coretext editor: Catherine Norwood TECHNOLOGY challenges FAREWELL Senior designer: Fiona James Modelling forecasts Peter Horvat Coretext: PO Box 12542, tuna locations farewells the FRDC Melbourne, Vic 8006 T 03 9670 1168 F 03 9670 1127 E [email protected] 22 W www.coretext.com.au RESEARCH INVESTMENT ISSN: 1833-4784 (Print) REGULAR ISSN: 2202-7122 (Digital) Priorities for Cover: Asparagopsis recreational fishing Photo: Shutterstock In brief 07 The FRDC acknowledges the Science briefs 08 traditional custodians of the 31 lands on which FISH magazine is 23 New projects 44 produced, and pay our respects PROMOTION SUSTAINABILITY to their Elders past and present. We acknowledge the special Cost-effective Awards recognise Final reports 45 relationship that Indigenous marketing strategies industry efforts Australians have with their Calendar/Movers... 47 traditional lands and waters. FISH JUNE 2021 | 4 STOCK ASSESSMENT Fisheries sustainability reports expand Ruby Snapper Blue Morwong Teraglin The fifth edition of the Status of Australian Fish Stocks, launched on World Oceans Day, 8 June 2021, marks a decade of expanded national assessments of Australia’s fisheries Words Annabel Boyer Illustrations efishalbum.com ith its fifth edition completed, The latest edition of SAFS Reports assess With greatly expanded coverage since the the Status of Australian Fish 477 stocks of 148 of Australia’s fish species, adding original SAFS Reports of 2012, the fifth edition Stocks (SAFS) Reports mark 71 stocks of 25 species to the 2018 reports. The demonstrates a trend towards sustainability a decade of assessments that SAFS framework uses stock status categories (see Figure 3). provide a national overview on of sustainable, depleting, depleted, recovering, Among the highlights in the new reports are the healthW of Australia’s fisheries. The fifth edition undefined and negligible to give an indication of the improved status of Spanner Crab (Ranina is the largest assessment of Australia’s fish stocks the sustainability of each fish stock. The SAFS ranina) (east coast biological stock), which has ever completed and a mighty achievement of Reports not only provide the opportunity to transitioned from depleting to sustainable, and coordination and collaboration by scientists and highlight sustainable species, but also to understand Yellowtail Kingfish (Seriola lalandi) (eastern agencies around the country. Their size and scope, where there are issues such as data gaps or the need Australia biological stock), which has transitioned too, puts Australia ahead of the game globally for management intervention or additional research from undefined to sustainable. compared to similar reports produced overseas. to resolve status concerns or uncertainty. A result of adding species and stocks to the reports is an increase in the proportion that have WHAT IS A ‘FISH STOCK’? an ‘undefined’ status. This is because these stocks A stock is another way of saying population population or a population of fish that is not have limited data, making an assessment very or sub- population. Use of the term fish stock interacting with other fish populations of the difficult. This highlights the need to find out more usually implies that the particular population is same species. That means this population about the species and stock, as well as increase the more or less isolated from other stocks of the size can be treated as relatively constant level of data collected relating to its harvest, same species and hence self-sustaining. and changes to its structure and size can be whether commercial, recreational or Indigenous. The Status of Australian Fish Stocks (SAFS) measured. It is not always practical to measure In some cases, the latest assessments Reports uses the term ‘stock’ generically for an entire biological population, so the unit incorporate new knowledge. For example, populations of fish defined at any of three levels may be defined in other ways such as who the importance of multiple spawning locations for – biological, management units and populations manages it or where it is. A key aim of fisheries the eastern Australian stocks of Tailor (Pomatomus assessed at the jurisdictional level. management is to ensure that biological stocks saltatrix), revealed by recent research, has been A biological stock is a discrete genetic are maintained at sustainable levels. recognised. Assessments of tropical snappers (Saddletail Snapper, Crimson Snapper and | JUNE 2021 FISH STOCK ASSESSMENT 5 Goldband Snapper in the Lutjanidae family) also is a fish from the tropical Ruby Snapper group, include insights from the analysis of otoliths (fish of the genus Etelis. STATUS OF AUSTRALIAN FISH ear bones) and parasites to understand the stocks SAFS authors identified that the species that STOCKS (SAFS) REPORTS SUMMARY to a more refined level. makes up the largest share of the Ruby Snapper catch is one that has not formally been described FIGURE 1: NUMBER OF SPECIES AND STOCKS, New species, new challenges by taxonomists. Known as Giant Ruby Snapper, 2018 AND 2020 Several new species included in the latest this warm-water species inhabits deep reefs off SAFS SAFS Change SAFS Reports (released in 2021) have provided northern Australia. There is a paper underway to 2018 2020 both challenges and novelty to the assessment have the species formally described and recognised Number +25 new process, says the FRDC’s SAFS program manager as Etelis boweni. 120 148 of species species* Toby Piddocke. Another new species in SAFS that is yet Number +71 new For instance, two eel species – Longfin Eel to be formally described by science has 406 477 of stocks stocks (Anguilla reinhardtii) and Southern Shortfin Eel previously been referred to as the western stock (Anguilla australis) – are both being reported on of the Gloomy Octopus (Octopus tetricus). * Some species previously reported on as species for the first time. For many years it has been recognised that groups (i.e. two or more species combined into a single reporting unit, such “Australian Salmons”) have been Eels have an unusual biology: they only spawn the western species is distinctly different to split into distinct species reports for SAFS 2020. These once in their life and take a long time to reach the Gloomy Octopus found on the east coast newly separated species complexes are NOT included maturity. Female Longfin Eels do not reach of Australia, and so the western species will in the count of new species. A species complex is a group of similar species that are often difficult to maturity until they are in their 50s. be included in SAFS as Octopus djinda. The differentiate without detailed examination. They spend most of their lives in rivers or formal naming process is the subject of an estuaries before heading to the Coral Sea where FRDC project 2018-178. Djinda means ‘star’ they spawn before dying. Their young then travel in the Noongar language and has been chosen back to the waterways where they spend most of because it is uniquely Western Australian. NEW SPECIES INCLUDED IN SAFS their lives. Formal acceptance of the name by the scientific REPORTS 2020 “It’s a really unusual biology that throws community is expected by the end of the year. Australian Bonito (Sarda australis) up a lot of assessment challenges and a lot Barred Javelin (Pomadasys kaakan) of jurisdictional particularities, so they are More than a rating system Blue Morwong (Nemadactylus valenciennesi) interesting species to report on,” Piddocke says.