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Victorian Dusky Flathead Symposium and Recreational Fishery Online Survey 2018 Recreational Fishing Grants Program Research Report

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Victorian Dusky Flathead Symposium and Recreational Fishery Online Survey 2018 Recreational Fishing Grants Program Research Report Victorian Dusky Flathead symposium and recreational fishery online survey 2018 Recreational Fishing Grants Program Research Report Victorian Dusky Flathead symposium and recreational fishery online survey 2018 Recreational Fishing Grants Program Research Report May 2019 Recreational Fishing Grants Program Research Report Published by the Victorian Government, Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA), May, 2019 © The State of Victoria, Victorian Fisheries Authority, Melbourne 2019 This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. Authorised by the Victorian Government, 1 Spring Street, Melbourne. Preferred way to cite this publication: Hamer, P., Conron, C., and Simpson, K. (2019). Victorian Dusky Flathead symposium and recreational fishery online survey 2018. Recreational Fishing Grants Program Research Report, Project No. 161787. ISBN 978-1-76090-122-6 (Print) ISBN 978-1-76090-127-1 (pdf/online/MS word) Author Contact details: Dr Paul Hamer Fisheries Management and Science Branch, Victorian Fisheries Authority P.O. Box 114, Queenscliff, Vic 3225. Copies are available by emailing [email protected] For more information contact the VFA Customer Service Centre 136 186 Disclaimer This publication may be of assistance to you but the State of Victoria and its employees do not guarantee that the publication is without flaw of 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. Accessibility If you would like to receive this publication in an accessible format, such as large print or audio, please telephone 136 186, or email [email protected] Deaf, hearing impaired or speech impaired? Call us via the National Relay Service on 133 677 or visit www.relayservice.com.au Victorian Dusky Flathead symposium and recreational fishery online survey 2018• Recreational Fishing Grants Program ii Contents Executive summary ____________________________________________________________________ 1 Introduction ___________________________________________________________________________ 2 Objectives 2 Methods ______________________________________________________________________________ 3 2018 Victorian Dusky Flathead Symposium 3 Review of scientific literature on biology and ecology 5 Stock status summary 5 Online Survey 5 Results _______________________________________________________________________________ 5 2018 Victorian Dusky Flathead Symposium 5 Summary of scientific literature on biology and ecology 13 Stock status summary 14 Online survey 14 Discussion ___________________________________________________________________________ 19 Acknowledgements ___________________________________________________________________ 22 References __________________________________________________________________________ 22 Appendix 1. Symposium flyer 24 Appendix 2. Symposium proceedings 25 Appendix 3. “The life of a Dusky Flathead what science has told us” 26 Appendix 4. “A recent history of recreational fishery management in Victoria” 31 Appendix 5. “Status of Dusky Flathead populations in Victoria” 33 Appendix 6. “Dusky Flathead stocking feasibility” 40 Appendix 7. “Healthy catchments healthy fisheries” 44 Appendix 8. Summary of key scientific literature on biology and ecology of Dusky Flathead 47 Appendix 9. Online survey data figures 54 Appendix 10. Survey Additional Comments Question 20. 61 Victorian Dusky Flathead symposium and recreational fishery online survey 2018• Recreational Fishing Grants Program iii Executive summary Dusky Flathead is a highly valued recreational fishing target species in east Gippsland estuaries. The popularity of fishing for Dusky Flathead has grown over the last 10-15 years with the creation of recreational only estuaries in Lake Tyers (2007) and Mallacoota Inlet (2004), and the introduction of highly effective soft plastic lures to the arsenal of most estuary anglers. The risks to sustainable recreational fishing for Dusky Flathead were magnified when studies of age, growth and reproductive biology showed that large Dusky Flathead greater than about 50 cm are virtually all females, and tagging studies showed little movement between estuaries, highlighting the risk of local depletion. From 2003, slot limit regulations and reduced bag limits were introduced in Victoria specifically for Dusky Flathead to ameliorate the risks of overfishing. The regulations have been tweaked over time as more information became available, with the current regulations (minimum legal length 30 cm, maximum legal length 55cm, daily bag limit of 5) being established in 2012. The regulations are important for limiting ‘individual’ angler impacts on Dusky Flathead, but in recent times there have been concerns about ‘overall’ fishing pressure and uncertainty over the current condition of Victoria’s Dusky Flathead populations. This project aimed to shine new light on Victoria’s Dusky Flathead fisheries by convening a free and open public symposium on Dusky Flathead in Victoria (2018 Dusky Flathead Symposium) and reviewing the current state of knowledge on Dusky Flathead biology and ecology, and stock status in Victorian estuaries. An important focus of the projects’ approach was to provide anglers with an opportunity to contribute information to support better understanding of the status of Dusky Flathead fisheries through the symposium (that was also live streamed) and an online survey. The first Victorian Dusky Flathead Symposium was held at Lakes Entrance of Saturday 10th March 2018. A total 155 people registered, with 100 people attending on the day. Seven keynote presentations were delivered, covering: • Welcome to country and indigenous perspectives (Wayne Thorpe, traditional custodian of the Gunnai culture) • Perspectives on the changes in Dusky Flathead recreational fishing (Kaj “Bushy” Busch, Dusky Flathead fishing expert and recreational fishing personality) • Information on the biology/ecology of Dusky Flathead (Paul Hamer, VFA) • Recent recreational fishery management history (Kate Simpson, VFA) • Update on status and perceptions of Dusky Flathead fisheries in east Gippsland estuaries (Simon Conron and Paul Hamer, VFA) • Dusky Flathead stocking feasibility (Brett Ingram, VFA) • Catchment management to support healthy estuaries and Dusky Flathead populations (Graeme Dear, East Gippsland CMA) Presentations were followed by a Q & A session with all the speakers and the CEO of the Victorian Fisheries Authority, Travis Dowling, followed by a demonstration and Q & A session on angling techniques for Dusky Flathead presented by Kaj Busch. Abstracts and presentation slides are included in this report. The presentations can also be viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKo29JSp_KfQxxYYUFq_V7RytNJXeLhEy This report provides summaries of the scientific literature on Dusky Flathead biology and ecology, and information on stock and fishery status, primarily derived from the “Diary Angler Program”, but also commercial catch rates from the Gippsland Lakes where diary angler coverage for Dusky Flathead is lacking. The report also presents the results from 194 respondents to the 20-question online survey. Review of the status of Dusky Flathead fisheries in key east Victorian estuaries showed similar declines in catch rates of slot limit (retainable fish) size fish since the late 2000’s. This suggested a regional reduction in recruitment rates driven by processes operating at a larger-scale than individual estuaries. Catch rates have stabilised since 2014, however, future trends are uncertain as there is a lack of reliable information of recent recruitment. While there were signs that slot limit regulations may have influenced the increased proportions of larger female fish in diary angler catches in Lake Tyers, this was not evident for Mallacoota Inlet. However, there is uncertainty as to the representativeness of the diary angler data on larger fish for Mallacoota Inlet. None-the-less the online survey responses and comments supported a decline in availability of larger fish in Mallacoota Inlet compared to Lake Tyers. Overall the survey responses and information from diary anglers were consistent in indicating that the Dusky Flathead fisheries in all major estuaries were not performing as well as they did during 2000-2010 period. The reliance on diary anglers to collect information on the status of Dusky Flathead stocks is problematic, as diary angler effort is difficult to maintain. There is currently insufficient coverage of Dusky Flathead by diary anglers in Gippsland Lakes and Mallacoota Inlet and declining diary angler effort for Dusky Flathead in Lake Tyers. This presents a risk to ongoing monitoring and management of these important fisheries. Increased angler involvement in monitoring Dusky Flathead stocks and fishery performance may be facilitated through the addition of the GoFishVic app. and a schedule of regular meetings with anglers to discuss status and ongoing management of the Dusky Flathead fisheries. A properly structured tagging program should also be considered as an option for periodic estimation of fishing mortality rates. Victorian Dusky Flathead symposium and recreational fishery online survey 2018• Recreational Fishing Grants Program 1 Introduction Dusky Flathead is an important recreational target species in the estuaries of eastern Victoria. The status
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