Annual status report 2009 Queensland Marine Specimen Shell Collection Fishery Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries, part of the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation (DEEDI), seeks to maximise the economic potential of Queensland’s primary industries on a sustainable basis. While every care has been taken in preparing this publication, the State of Queensland accepts no responsibility for decisions or actions taken as a result of any data, information, statement or advice, expressed or implied, contained in this report. © The State of Queensland, Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation 2009. Copyright protects this material. 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Inquiries should be addressed to: Intellectual Property and Commercialisation Unit Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries GPO Box 46 Brisbane Qld 4001 or [email protected] Tel: +61 7 3404 6999 Annual Status Report 2009—Queensland Marine Specimen Shell Collection Fishery 1 Fishery profile 2008 Species targeted Total number of commercial licences in 2008 Broad range of animals from the phylum Mollusca 3 authorities Total harvest from all sectors Commercial licences accessing the fishery in 2008 Estimated < 1000 One Commercial harvest Fishery season 4 shells Collection can occur throughout the year Recreational harvest (2006) Fishery symbols Maximum estimated 812 (549 live, 263 dead) F Indigenous harvest Monitoring undertaken No estimate Compulsory daily commercial logbooks Charter harvest FOP days monitored in 2008 Nil Nil Commercial Gross Value of Production (GVP) Accreditation under the EPBC Act No estimates of GVP available. Fishery is exempt from the export requirements of Part 13A of the EPBC Act. Exemption expires on 12 November Annual export market estimated to be valued at $2 2009. million nationally. Allocation between sectors Logbook validation There are more recreational collectors than commercial. None – not considered a priority based on limited fishing There is likely to be minimal overlap between the activity. species collected by Indigenous harvesters and those sought by commercial and recreational collectors. Total exports Quota managed No estimate. Specimen shells traded domestically and No internationally. Key fish resources Stock status Risk to stock All shelled mollusc species combined1 Not assessed Low Comments: Stock status has not been assessed. Risk level based on Ecological Risk Assessment workshop conducted in 2005. 1 Does not include oysters, pearl oysters, trochus, giant clams, cephalopods and scallops. These are managed under separate arrangements. Annual Status Report 2009—Queensland Marine Specimen Shell Collection Fishery 2 Introduction The Queensland Marine Specimen Shell Collection Fishery (MSSCF) harvests a broad range of animals from the phylum Mollusca. These are collected by commercial and recreational fishers for the purpose of display, collection, classification, research or sale (domestically and internationally). Shelled molluscs are also collected by Indigenous fishers for traditional and customary purposes such as food, artwork and tools. Specimen shell molluscs may be alive or dead at the time of collection. The MSSCF includes the collection of beach-washed shells, but not the collection of fossilised shells. Other commercial fisheries (e.g. the East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery) cannot retain specimen shells. This report covers the period up to December 2008. Figure 1: Area of the Queensland Marine Specimen Shell Collection Fishery. Fishery description endemicity, Fishing area and methods conservation status, Shells are generally collected by hand or hand- operated shell dredges. The fishery area level of trade, comprises all Queensland waters within the biological features, such as form of boundary of the Offshore Constitutional reproduction, and Settlement. Operators in the MSSCF are specific habitat requirements. permitted to harvest specimen shells in areas that are not closed through general fisheries The groups represent a hierarchy of increasingly closures or marine parks zoning. The majority of conservative management measures with Group commercial shell collecting occurs in coastal 1 being the lowest level and Group 3 the highest. and reef waters of northern Queensland. Species with similar conservation and Key Species management requirements were classified into the following three groups: Shell species in the MSSCF are broadly Group 1 — Very common species and limited characterised into three groups. The groups trading that are considered appropriately were classified based on a combination of managed information from Willan (1986), Ponder & Grayson (1998), advice from the Malacological Group 2 — Selected species identified as Society of Australia, and by using the following requiring greater management focus and criteria; catch monitoring distribution, Group 3 — Rare, valuable or high demand species requiring greater management focus abundance, Annual Status Report 2009—Queensland Marine Specimen Shell Collection Fishery 3 Groups 2 and 3 are being monitored each year limited in the same way as recreational for changes in catch trends to determine if trade collection; however, permit conditions impose may be deleterious to stock sustainability. The restrictions, including on the number of conservative recreational bag limit of 50 shells specimens that may be taken. in possession (live or dead) remains in place across these groups while further investigations Catch statistics are conducted into alternative management Commercial controls. As a general exception to the regulated fish declarations, the Fisheries Regulation 2008 Only three live and one dead Cypraea xanthodon allows for the possession of mollusc shells (Group 2) specimens were collected in 2008 (outside of possession limits) in genuine shell (Figure 2). No shells were collected in 2007 and collections which are comprised of cleaned, 49 shells in 2006 (QPIF had reported that no preserved and labelled specimens. shells were collected in 2006 however a late lodgement of logbook information was received The ecological risk the fishery poses on these after the report was published). There has been groups of species was assessed in a workshop very limited collecting effort in the MSSCF since held in 2005. The vulnerability assessment of 2005. Commercial harvest effort in the MSSCF is specimen shells in Australia (Ponder & Grayson highly variable between years and the catch 1998) informed the development of the scope of data show no real trends. This is a low value the workshop to ensure vulnerable species were fishery with only a few commercial operators assessed. Results from the workshop indicated who harvest shells opportunistically (e.g. when that fishery posed only a low sustainability risk the weather is good for boating) rather than as a to the species collected. regular activity. The variable data reflects this Main management methods used sporadic collection activity. The MSSCF is managed under the Queensland 2500 30 Whole Dead Fisheries Regulation 2008 as part of the Whole Live 25 legislative framework of the Queensland 2000 Effort Fisheries Act 1994. The fishery has been subject 20 1500 to a limited entry policy (no new licences issued) 15 since 1997. Fisheries management focuses on 1000 (days) Effort 10 shell species that require particular attention, individuals of Number 500 including endemic, rare or most commonly 5 traded species. 0 0 A variety of input and output controls are used to 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 manage harvest in the MSSCF, including: Figure 2: Commercial catch and effort for the MSSCF limited entry, gear restrictions (type and (Source: QPIF CFISH database. 30 July 2009). dimensions), spatial closures, possession limits and species restrictions for QPIF has committed to monitor the take of commercial operators groups of mollusc species that may require greater management attention (Weis, Gaffney & possession limits, spatial closures and Dunning 2004). Commercial catches of species restrictions for recreational fishers. specimen shells from Groups 2 and 3 are QPIF also issues permits for the collection of monitored each year for changes in catch and marine shells for scientific research or display trade trends that could harm their sustainability purposes. Collection for these purposes is not (Tables 1 and 2). Only four shells (Cypraea Annual Status Report 2009—Queensland Marine Specimen Shell Collection Fishery 4 xanthodon) from Group 2 were collected in 2008 The other permit was for the defined collection and no shells from Group 3. (by species, location, number (range from 8 to 200 individuals) and method) for use in QPIF issued two General Fisheries Permits to research. No shells identified as vulnerable or collect shells during the 2008 reporting period. Group 2–3 shells were permitted to be collected. One permit was for the limited collection (by number (500 in total) and location) of dead beach washed shells for use in saleable artwork. Table 1: Numbers and species of Group 2 marine shells collected by commercial operators between 1997 and 2008 (Source: QPIF CFISH database. 30 July 2009) Group 2 species 1997 1998 1999 2000