This study investigated the movement, spatial usage and activity patterns of the arrow squid Nototodarus gouldi (Cephalopoda: Ommastrephidae) using an automated acoustic telemetry system. Sixty-four automated acoustic receivers were aligned as underwater 'curtains' across the entrances to bays and inlets around Storm Bay, southeastern Tasmania. N. gouldi were tagged with small uniquely coded transmitters and released. Twelve tagged squid were detected for up to 37 d over an area of more than 300 km 2 . Tagged squid moved widely between Storm Bay and the Derwent River, but none were detected moving into the adjoining bays or the D'Entrecasteaux Channel. Tagged squid appeared to move out of Storm Bay throughout the study period, suggesting a highly dynamic population. There was evidence of a relationship between level of activity and photoperiod, with visits to receivers being longer and more variable in duration in the night compared to the daytime. Schooling or group movement was not observed. Rates of movement between non-adjacent receivers varied widely with those over distances of 10 km or more, ranging from 0.09 to 0.52 mantle lengths per second (ML s -1 ), and 1 instance of an average speed of 3.6 ML s -1 over 9.3 km.
Southern Bluefin Tuna (SBT) Thunnus maccoyii (Castelnau) comprises a single, highly migratory stock that is managed internationally by the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT). CCSBT members are expected to provide estimates of all sources of fishing mortality within their allocation, including commercial and recreational catch and any additional mortality associated with discarded or released catch. In the absence of a national registration system for the SBT recreational fishery, which would provide a comprehensive sampling frame, an ensemble of off‐site and on‐site survey methods was used across five state jurisdictions to provide the first species‐specific national assessment of a recreational fishery in Australia. The national harvest of SBT for the 12 months from December 2018 to November 2019 by the recreational sector was 270 t (239–301 t: 95% CL). This survey has resulted in the first official recognition of a catch set aside to the recreational sector for an Australian Commonwealth managed fishery with 5% per cent of the CCSBT allocation to Australia now set aside for the sector.
As global research into recreational fishing gains momentum due to the pursuit’s biological, social and economic impacts, information on regional and temporal patterns of recreational exploitation will continue to enable objective assessment and development of management initiatives for exploited species. This paper demonstrates the utility of offsite survey methods in assessing spatial and temporal differences in recorded catches from a large, diffuse and heterogenous coastal recreational fishery. Using the estuarine recreational fishery that operates along the coast of New South Wales, Australia as a case study, survey data was employed to quantify annual (June 2013-May 2014) state-wide estuarine catch. Generalized linear mixed effects models were then applied to expanded catch estimates from surveyed households to examine the influence of zone and season on the kept and released numbers of snapper (Pagrus auratus), dusky flathead (Platycephalus fuscus) and bream (Acanthopagrus spp. complex comprised of A. butcheri, A. australis and their hybrids). For kept bream, significant differential seasonal effects were observed in all regions except the Mid-South Coast. For released bream, numbers were greatest in Sydney and during Summer and Winter. For kept snapper, the greatest harvest was recorded in the Mid-South Coast but season had no effect. Differential seasonal effects were found in each zone for released snapper. For kept dusky flathead, the greatest numbers were recorded in Sydney and the Mid-South Coast but season had no effect. We conclude by assessing some current spatial and temporal management initiatives in light of the uncovered patterns of recreational catch and consider the implications of these patterns in terms of future ecosystem-based management recommendations aimed at achieving ecological, social and economic sustainability in fisheries.
In areas where commercial fishing is prohibited, demographic metrics obtained from recreational fisheries and fishery‐independent methods can be integral to population ecology and management. For Australian bass Percalates novemaculeata (Steindachner) and Murray cod Maccullochella peelii peelii (Mitchell), two key finfish species native to the recreational‐only fresh waters of New South Wales (NSW), Australia, recreational fishing surveys were combined with electrofishing methods to capture information on spatial patterns of exploitation and variation in size. The species’ catch across NSW fresh waters (2013–2014) was estimated using a telephone‐diary longitudinal panel survey and examined for spatial effects using generalised linear mixed effects models. Length data, collected through electrofishing (2013–2015), were compared among geographic zones using Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests and kernel density estimate tests. Catch patterns for each species were mainly spatially static, but significant regional differences in the size composition of both species were detected. The findings are discussed in the context of current catch‐and‐release practices for Australian bass and the application of size limits for Murray cod to illustrate the value of quantitative spatial information from recreational surveys and fishery‐independent methods in developing evidence‐based management and conservation initiatives.
Recreational fishing can have substantial ecological impacts, which must be managed against a background of critical socio-economic factors. However, it is often difficult to assess the effect of altered management arrangements on this sector’s harvest. Recreational fishing surveys can assist in quantifying the impact of changes to harvest limits. Here, we use survey data collected in 2013/2014 and 2017/2018 to estimate the total catch of Dusky Flathead (Platycephalus fuscus), a key Australian marine species, under a daily harvest limit of 10 fish per angler and simulated scenarios where the limit is reduced to 5, 3, or 1 fish per angler. We then test the significance of these changes in harvest limit on catch and also model the potential effects of year and region using generalized linear mixed models (GLMMz). For both sampled time periods, the GLMMz found that only the most stringent harvest limit reduction to 1 fish per angler would lower retained harvest significantly. None of the reductions in harvest limit increased the number of released Dusky Flathead significantly. We discuss how this novel quantitative approach can be used to inform alternative output management regulations by taking into account their potential ecological and socio-economic benefits for a recreational fishery.
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