Estimating the national fishing mortality of Southern Bluefin TunaThunnus maccoyiifrom Australia’s recreational fishing sector

Abstract

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.

A long entanglement with nature: Flyfishers in the wild

“…Most of the literature on the interaction of recreationalists with the environment has concentrated on one or two motives or perceptions, yet the two are interlinked, making it worthwhile to document them conjointly. In undertaking a case study on the motivation and perceptions of flyfishers in wild country, the Central Plateau of Tasmania is ideal due to its global reputation for wilderness alpine fly fishing (Tracey et al, 2013). There has been increasing interest from recreational fishing groups and individuals, especially flyfishers, in accessing the wilder areas of the Central Plateau for new fishing experiences; this has occurred alongside pressure to situate other recreational activities in these wild protected places.…”