Towards integrated multi-species management of Australia’s SE reef fisheries: A Tasmanian example Stewart Frusher, Colin Buxton, Neville Barrett, David Tarbath, Kevin Redd, Jayson Semmens, Hugh Pederson, Joe Valentine and Michaela Guest Project No. 2004/013 Towards integrated multi-species management of Australia’s SE reef fisheries: A Tasmanian example Stewart Frusher 1, Colin Buxton 1, Neville Barrett 1, David Tarbath 1, Kevin Redd 1,2 , Jayson Semmens 1, Hugh Pederson 1,3 , Joe Valentine 1,3 , Michaela Guest 1,3 Addresses 1. Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute, University of Tasmania, Marine Research Laboratories, Nubeena Crescent, Taroona, 7053 Tasmania 2. School of Zoology, University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay, 7005 Tasmania 3. QMS Post-Doctoral Fellow, Cebtre of Marine Science, University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay, 7005 Tasmania Project Number 2004/013 © Fisheries Research and Development Corporation and the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute 2009. This work is copyright. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth), no part of this publication may be reproduced by any process, electronic or otherwise, without the specific written permission of the copyright owners. Neither may information be stored electronically in any form whatsoever without such permission. ISBN 978-1-86295-535-6 Preferred way to cite: Frusher S, Buxton C, Barrett N, Tarbath D, Redd S, Semmens J, Hugh Pederson, Valentine J & Guest M (2009). Towards integrated multi-species management of Australia’s SE reef fisheries: A Tasmania example . Report to Fisheries Research and Development Corporation. No. 2004/013. Tasmanian Aquaculture & Fisheries Institute, University of Tasmania. DISCLAIMER The authors do not warrant that the information in this book is free from errors or omissions. The authors do not accept any form of liability, be it contractual, tortious or otherwise, for the contents of this book or for any consequences arising from its use or any reliance placed upon it. The information, opinions and advice contained in this book may not relate to, or be relevant to, a reader's particular circumstances. Opinions expressed by the authors are the individual opinions of those persons and are not necessarily those of the publisher or research provider. &'1*=4+=(439*398= NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY ....................................................................................... 1 Objectives ................................................................................................................................................................. 2 Outcomes achieved ................................................................................................................................................... 2 Keywords ................................................................................................................................................................. 4 Acknowledgments ....................................................................................................................................................... 4 Background .................................................................................................................................................................. 5 Need .............................................................................................................................................................................. 7 Objectives ..................................................................................................................................................................... 8 1 DETERMINING THE INTERSPECIFIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ABALONE AND ROCK LOBSTER ................................................................................................... 9 1.1 Size structure of cryptic and emergent abalone and correlations with predators and competitors. ........ 10 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................ 10 Methods .................................................................................................................................................................. 10 Results .................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Summary of findings ......................................................................................................................................... 10 Discussion .............................................................................................................................................................. 11 1.2 Determing size-specific predation of abalone, and the dynamics of lobster predation on abalone .......... 12 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................ 12 Methods .................................................................................................................................................................. 12 Results .................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Summary of findings ......................................................................................................................................... 12 Discussion .............................................................................................................................................................. 13 Performance indicators ........................................................................................................................................... 13 2 EVALUATING THE EFFECT OF ABALONE FISHING ON THE COMMUNITY STRUCTURE OF THE REEF ........................................................................................ 14 2.1 Evaluation of the decline in extent of commercially viable abalone reef in eastern Tasmania relative to fishing pressure.......................................................................................................................................................... 15 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................ 15 Methods .................................................................................................................................................................. 16 (a) History of fishing ......................................................................................................................................... 16 (b) Data collection ............................................................................................................................................. 22 Results .................................................................................................................................................................... 23 Responses to questions ...................................................................................................................................... 23 Changes in fished coastline ............................................................................................................................... 45 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................................................ 47 2.2 Biological and environmental correlates of reefs with contrasting abalone densities ................................... 53 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................ 53 Methods .................................................................................................................................................................. 54 Study sites .......................................................................................................................................................... 54 Survey protocol.................................................................................................................................................. 56 Analysis ............................................................................................................................................................. 58 Results .................................................................................................................................................................... 59 Biological correlates of reefs with contrasting abalone densities ...................................................................... 59 :19.885*(.*8=2&3&,*2*39=4+==7**+=+.8-*7.*8 = .= = Environmental characteristics of reefs with contrasting abalone densities ....................................................... 74 Discussion .............................................................................................................................................................. 75 Evidence for abalone as a structuring influence on subtidal reef communities ................................................ 75 Factors affecting abundance of understorey organisms