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Issues concerning data-limited multi-sector fisheries in New South Wales

Kevin Rowling

(Kevin Rowling is Principal Scientist, Commercial Finfish with NSW Fisheries in Cronulla. His address is: Cronulla Fisheries Centre, P.O. Box 21 Cronulla NSW 2230. Email: rowlingk@fisheries.nsw.gov.au)

Abstract

Because of its geographic location and the diversity of its coastal habitats, New South Wales has a rich fish fauna. In the 200 years since European settlement, a complex array of fisheries has evolved. However, despite the large human population base in New South Wales and the diversity and dollar-value of fishing activities undertaken, knowledge about the biology and dynamics of our fish resources is extremely limited. A high proportion of our fish stocks fall into the 'data-limited, multi-sector' category.

In common with other jurisdictions, NSW Fisheries is faced with developing appropriate management strategies and environmental impact assessments for each of its defined fisheries. As well as satisfying ecologically sustainable development objectives the environmental impacts of each fishery must be assessed against a detailed set of Government guidelines. In addition to New South Wales legislative requirements, the strategies must meet the requirements of two Commonwealth acts. Additionally, New South Wales is implementing a system of larger and smaller marine protected areas aimed at conserving biodiversity and maintaining natural processes in the estuarine and oceanic waters of the State. The recent introduction of a saltwater Fishing Fee has provided funding for the establishment of significant recreational fishing havens, from which commercial fishing will be totally or partially removed.

Community consultation mechanisms have been put in place to discuss the issues resulting from each of the processes listed above. These include public meetings and input from stakeholders through a set of Ministerial advisory councils and committees. The information requirements of each of these processes are extensive, and rarely does existing data provide for adequate assessments. Some innovative approaches have been utilised to gather information, including new monitoring projects and economic and social surveys.

Introduction

The coastal zone of New South Wales (NSW) extends over a range of almost ten degrees of latitude, or around 1000 kilometres (km) as the albatross flies. The ecology of the NSW coastline, and the near-shore ocean environment in this region, are strongly influenced by the mixing of the warm East Australian Current and cooler Tasman Sea waters (Godfrey et al. 1980). The seasonal north-south migration of the boundary between these two water bodies and the diversity of habitats found in the coastal zone of NSW, gives rise to a rich fish and invertebrate fauna. For example, more than 500 species of finfish have been recorded from Sydney Harbour (J. Paxton, pers. com.), which far exceeds the number of species (around 200) described from the marine waters surrounding the British Isles.

The NSW coast is characterised by a relatively narrow continental shelf (15-20 km in width). Approximately 30% of the coastline consists of rocky foreshores and headlands (Andrew 1999), and there are 721 ocean beaches (Short 1993). Williams et al. (1998) identified 950 water courses along the NSW coastline, although the vast majority of these are ephemeral. There are 130 estuaries, of which 72 are permanently open to the sea. Included in these are 15 major river systems, about 50 minor rivers, 88 coastal lakes and eight drowned river valleys (e.g. Sydney Harbour). NSW ocean waters also contain 44 offshore islands, the largest of which is the World Heritage listed Lord Howe Island.

About 85% of the NSW population (or around six million people) live in the coastal zone; there are about 6700 commercial vessels registered in NSW (of which about 2000 are commercial fishing and charter fishing vessels) and about 173,900 recreational vessels. Apart from their direct impacts on fish stocks through commercial and recreational fishing, population pressures have resulted in a number of indirect (and unquantified) impacts on fish habitat. These include the reclamation of ‘swamp and wetland’ areas, the creation of fields of boat moorings in some bays and inlets, and extensive wharf and jetty structures along many kilometers of foreshores. There are many examples where significant alteration of the local environment has occurred, such as man-made harbours and river entrances, and ‘canal estate’ housing developments.

This paper describes the strategies and consultative processes being developed by NSW Fisheries to help address issues involved in the assessment and management of fisheries based on wild fish stocks in coastal NSW. The diversity of species exploited by NSW commercial and recreational fishers, and the limited knowledge of the biology and dynamics of the fish populations, means that most of these fisheries fall into the ‘data-limited, multi-sector’ category.

Legislative framework

In the next two to three years NSW Fisheries, in common with many other fisheries jurisdictions, must develop appropriate management strategies and environmental impact assessments for each of its defined fisheries. As well as satisfying the ecologically sustainable development objectives contained in the NSW Fisheries Management Act 1994, the environmental impacts of each fishery must be assessed against a set of guidelines issued by the Department of Urban Affairs and Planning (now 'Planning NSW') under Part 5 of the NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979. This latter requirement stems from a decision in the NSW Land and Environment Court in January 2000, which required that the environmental impacts be assessed before the issue or renewal of each commercial fishing licence. Conducting an environmental impact assessment prior to the issue or renewal of individual fishing licences was considered to be impractical and ineffective (as the cumulative impacts of the fishery as a whole would not be assessed). The relevant legislation was therefore amended to provide for the development of a Fishery Management Strategy (FMS) for each defined fishery in NSW, with environmental impact assessment (by way of an Environmental Impact Statement, EIS) being undertaken on the strategy as a whole. There are also requirements under the Commonwealth Wildlife Protection (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1982 and the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, and it is intended that the FMS and EIS process also meet the requirements of this Commonwealth legislation.

Management of fisheries on naturally occurring stocks in NSW will also be affected by the establishment of marine protected areas (MPAs) and recreational fishing havens under the Fisheries Management Act 1994, and by the creation of larger marine parks under the Marine Parks Act 1997. A draft Indigenous Fisheries Strategy is also currently under development in NSW, and it is possible that this may have an impact on the management of commercial and recreational fisheries in areas of the State.

Consultative processes

To consult with stakeholder groups on the development of fishery management policies and strategies, and to provide for a level of co-ordination in the overall process, the NSW Minister for Fisheries, the Hon. Eddie Obeid OAM MLC, has established a number of advisory councils and committees (summary in Figure 1). The most recently established body, the Fisheries Resource Conservation and Assessment Council (FRCAC), contains representatives from a wide range of fisheries interest groups, including commercial and recreational fishers, the seafood and aquaculture industries, indigenous people, conservationists, and State Government agencies. FRCAC has been established to provide broad-based advice to the Minister on the FMS and EIS process, and on other issues as requested by the Minister, such as the community consultation for recreational fishing havens. The other councils and committees provide advice relevant to their specific areas of interest, ranging from the commercial sector to the recreational sector (with a conservation representative on each advisory council).

Figure 1. Summary of the consultative processes in NSW which impact on the management of marine commercial and recreational fisheries based on wild fish stocks.

NSW commercial fisheries production

The total reported commercial landings of finfish from NSW coastal and estuarine waters in 1998/99 was about ten thousand tonnes and was valued at around $30 million at first point of sale. While more than 100 species of finfish are regularly reported as landed by commercial fishers in NSW, in 1998/99 reported landings of 65 species or species groups were in excess of 10 tonnes (t), including 20 species for which catches exceeded 100 t. Adequate stock assessments are available for just a few of the most important species. For many important species there is a long time series of catch data, but very little is known about their biology and almost nothing is known about their population dynamics. Yet for many of these species concerns have been expressed about stock status, and in many cases there are expectations of management action to address these concerns. Two examples follow.

Mulloway (Argyrosomus japonicus)

The mulloway (or jewfish) is a large estuarine and near-shore species which is highly prized by both commercial and recreational fishers. Mulloway are taken by line and trawl in oceanic waters, and by handline, seine and gill net in estuarine waters. Mulloway appear to be a fast growing species, reaching about 45 cm after two years; but are relatively long-lived and may attain more than 20 years of age and 30 kg in weight (Wallace and Schleyer 1979; Smale 1985; Gray and McDonall 1993).

Commercial landings of mulloway in NSW (Figure 2) ranged between 100 t and 150 t per annum during the 1950s and 1960s, and increased to 200 – 300 t per annum during the 1970s. During the 1990s, annual commercial landings returned to around 100 t. Commercial landings from estuarine waters were relatively stable at around 50 t per annum throughout this period. The increase in catches during the 1970s was possibly associated with the increase in fish trawling in oceanic waters that occurred at about that time. The recreational catch of mulloway in NSW has not been documented, but is likely to be of a similar order of magnitude to the commercial landings.

Figure 2. Annual landings of mulloway reported by NSW commercial fishers for the financial years ended June 1945 to June 2000.

There is not even a preliminary stock assessment for this species. The only population data available come from market measurement programs on the size composition of mulloway landed by commercial fishers (Figure 3). During the early 1970s, when no minimum legal length (MLL) applied to mulloway, the bulk of fish in commercial landings were between 30 cm and 50 cm long. In 1979 a MLL of 38 cm was applied to mulloway, and the bulk of fish in commercial landings during 1987–90 were 40–60 cm in length. In 1993 the MLL was increased to 45 cm, and recent sampling has shown a considerable improvement in the proportion of the catch which is comprised of fish greater than 60 cm in length. The relatively high proportion of large (more than 80 cm TL, and presumably old) fish in the commercial catch suggests that the mulloway stock is not subject to a high rate of fishing mortality.

Figure 3. Size composition of mulloway measured from NSW commercial catches for the periods 1972-75 (no minimum legal length), 1987-90 (MLL = 38 cm TL) and 1996-99 (MLL = 45 cm TL). Explanation: MLL = minimum legal length (shown by a vertical dotted line); TL = total length; N = number of individuals measured.

Even so, following public concerns expressed about the status of the mulloway stock, NSW Fisheries has done research into the artificial propagation and stocking of this species (Fielder, Bardsley and Allan 1999) and debate about the desirability and impact of stock enhancement continues.

Eastern sea garfish (Hyporhamphus australis)

The eastern sea garfish is a small pelagic schooling species, which occurs between southern Queensland and north-eastern Victoria. The species is caught close to shore, mainly by fishers in the beach- and boat-based sectors of the NSW Ocean Hauling fishery. Fishing is highly targeted, and small meshed hauling nets specifically designed and approved for catching garfish are used. Commercial landings increased following the development of an export market in the 1980s, and peaked at around 250 t in the mid 1990s (Figure 4). However, in recent years the NSW landings of eastern sea garfish have declined very significantly.

Figure 4. Annual landings of sea garfish reported by NSW commercial fishers for the financial years ended June1953 to June 2000.

Unfortunately, limited biological research has been undertaken on eastern sea garfish, and there has been no routine monitoring of the size or age composition of commercial catches. It has therefore been very difficult to provide an assessment of the likely reasons for the collapse in catches. A similar species of garfish (H. melanochir) was shown to have low fecundity, and conservative management was therefore recommended (Ling, 1958). Low fecundity, combined with the knowledge that the NSW fishery targets garfish aggregations through the summer months, suggests that the decline in catches may indicate a significant fishing down of the sea garfish stock. However, in the absence of a credible biological assessment, agreement on management measures aimed at rehabilitating the sea garfish stock has been difficult to achieve. This issue is one of the more contentious ones currently facing the development of the Ocean Hauling FMS and its associated EIS.

Responses

A number of initiatives have been introduced to gather information to help in the assessment of data-deficient, multi-sector fisheries in NSW, and three examples are summarised below.

The commercial finfish monitoring project

This project was established by the Commercial Research Branch of NSW Fisheries in 1998 and has two main objectives. They are:

1) to collect size and/or age composition data from landed catches of important commercial finfish species; and

2) to ensure the secure storage of all available size and age composition data for commercial finfish species in NSW, including data available from historic studies.

For most of the 65 finfish species with landings greater than 10 t in 1998/99 we have very little biological information and only rudimentary data on the fishery (catch per fisher per month, and the number of days fished with each gear type). The commercial finfish monitoring project collects size and some age composition information from the landed catches of important species, according to priorities established by the Commercial Finfish Catch Monitoring Committee. The list of ‘priority’ species is reviewed annually, taking into account the commercial value of the species, recent trends in catch or catch rate for the species, and the importance of the species to both the commercial and recreational sectors, or to other jurisdictions. Around 50,000 individual measurements and about 5,000 ageing samples from about 20 important species have been taken annually in recent years.

Over the past 50 years, a significant amount of information has been collected by a number of agencies on the size composition of NSW commercial catches of some important finfish species. Prior to the current project, much of this information was stored as originally recorded (handwritten paper records) where it was not readily accessible for use in stock assessments and was in danger of being lost. A secure electronic database has been established as part of the monitoring project, and both historic and recent data are being checked and added to this database as time and resources allow. As at August 2001, there were just over one million individual measurements recorded on the database, for a total of 41 finfish species, covering the period from 1945 to 1999. The total is expected to increase significantly over the next couple of years as many recent measurements are still to be incorporated in the database.

Recreational catch monitoring programs

Several new initiatives have recently been added to NSW Fisheries’ long-term collection of information from recreational fishers. In conjunction with the establishment of a management plan for recreational charter boats, logbooks for the charter industry were introduced in late 2000 to collect catch, effort and biological data. Separate logbooks have been designed for charter boats operating in the offshore gamefishing, bottom and sportfishing, and estuarine fishing sectors (Lowry and Murphy, submitted). The results from the charter boat logbook program will be combined with results from tournament monitoring, and NSW Fisheries’ gamefish tagging study, to assist in the assessment of the status of species important to recreational fishers. In addition, NSW Fisheries is co-ordinating the first national survey of recreational and indigenous fishing, which is due for completion in early 2002. This survey is planned to provide the first estimates of total catches by recreational fishers on a state-wide and national basis.

Economic and social surveys

Until recently, information on the economic and social factors influencing commercial fishers was restricted to the small amount of data held by the NSW Fisheries' licensing and catch records sections, and the broad summary data collected and published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The NSW environmental assessment guidelines require that the economic and social impacts of proposed management strategies be predicted and assessed. Given the general lack of data to enable such assessment, consultants were engaged by NSW Fisheries during 2001 to undertake a series of surveys of commercial fishers. Results from these surveys relevant to the consideration of economic and social impacts of the planned FMSs are being included in the draft EIS for each commercial fishery (Dominion Consulting Pty Ltd 2001 is an example).

Development of FMSs and EISs for defined fishing activities

Under the legislative amendments introduced in 2000, FMSs and associated EISs need to be prepared within the next two to three years for the following designated fishing activities:

• eight marine commercial fisheries (Estuary General, Ocean Hauling, Ocean Trap & Line, Ocean Fish Trawl, Ocean Prawn Trawl, Estuary Prawn Trawl, Rock Lobster and Abalone)
• recreational fishing
• fishing from charter boats
• fish stocking
• beach safety (shark meshing) program

The process to develop management strategies for these activities commenced in early 2001, and by August of that year the draft strategy and EIS for the Estuary General Fishery was nearing completion to the point of being open for public comment. Significant progress had also been made on draft strategies for the Ocean Hauling and Estuary Prawn Trawl fisheries. The relevant advisory committees and councils have been heavily involved in the preparation of these documents. NSW Fisheries will consider the comments received on each draft management strategy, then initiate a further round of consultation with the relevant advisory councils and committees before final approval is sought for each management strategy and EIS.

Marine protected areas

The conservation of biological diversity and the protection of key aquatic habitats are two of the primary management objectives of NSW Fisheries. Historically, these objectives have been addressed by the declaration of aquatic reserves (eight existing) and smaller intertidal protected areas (fifteen existing). In keeping with NSW Fisheries’ commitment to the establishment of a National Representative System of Marine Protected Areas, and following recent research surveys, in May 2001 a discussion paper outlining proposals for further aquatic reserves was released for comment. Aquatic reserves are proposed for an additional fifteen rocky shores and sites within seven estuaries in two (the Hawkesbury Shelf and Batemans Shelf) of the five marine bioregions in NSW. Further candidate sites will be identified in the remaining bioregions at a later time.

Following the establishment of the NSW Marine Parks Authority in 1997, the process for the declaration of large, multiple use marine parks is now well underway. Proposed zoning and management plans for three such marine parks (Solitary Islands, Jervis Bay and Lord Howe Island) are currently in varying stages of public discussion. The most advanced of these is for the Solitary Islands Marine Park in the Tweed-Moreton bioregion, where a draft zoning plan is currently on public exhibition. The proposed plan incorporates a detailed zoning scheme, which specifies a range of protection levels from full sanctuary to general use zones. In some zones, existing commercial and recreational fishing will be allowed to continue. There has been considerable public debate about the merits of the proposed zoning scheme.

Recreational fishing havens

In March 2001 NSW Fisheries extended the freshwater recreational fishing fee to include saltwater areas. Funds raised are placed into trusts, and are to be used to improve the quality of recreational fishing in the State. Two angler committees oversee expenditure of trust funds. One of the major applications of these funds will be to provide for the establishment of recreational fishing havens by the purchase and retirement of commercial fishing businesses. Over 2,600 community nominations were received for areas to be considered for declaration as havens, and public consultation is underway regarding the designation of appropriate havens in eight coastal regions of NSW. A range of options is being evaluated for each region, with the outcomes dependent on the comments received from local communities in each area. On 31August 2001, the Minister announced the first of the recreational fishing havens, with Lake Macquarie and Botany Bay to be closed to all commercial fishing from May 2002.

Summary

As can be seen from the brief outline presented above, many changes are currently occurring in the management of fisheries and fish habitats in NSW. In a data-limited environment, extensive consultation with stakeholders and the community in general is taking place, to ensure that information from a wide spectrum of sources is taken into account. As the general community is becoming more aware of issues surrounding the sustainability of fisheries resources and habitat, the participation of the community at large, as well as stakeholders, can facilitate appropriate levels of conservation and sustainable utilisation of the aquatic resources of NSW.

References

Andrew, N.L. 1999. Under southern seas – the ecology of Australia’s rocky reefs. University of New South Wales Press, Sydney. 238 pp

Dominion Consulting Pty Ltd. 2001. An assessment of economic and social issues in the NSW estuary general fisheries management strategy. Appendices CG1 and CH1, Volume 4, Estuary General Fishery Environmental Impact Statement, NSW Fisheries, Cronulla. 131 pp

Fielder, D.S., Bardsley, W.J. and Allan, G.L. 1999. Enhancement of mulloway (Argyrosomus japonicus) in intermittently opening lagoons. NSW Fisheries Final Report Series No. 14, May 1999. NSW Fisheries, Taylors Beach. 49 pp

Godfrey, J.S., Cresswell, G.R., Golding, T.J., Pearce, A.F. and Boyd, R. 1980. The separation of the east Australian current. Journal of Physical Oceanography 10(3): 430-440.

Gray, C.A. and McDonall, V.C. 1993. Distribution and growth of juvenile mulloway Argyrosomus hololepidotus (Pisces:Sciaenidae) in the Hawkesbury River, south-eastern Australia. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 44: 401-409.

Ling, J.K. 1958. The sea garfish, Reporhamphus melanochir, (Cuvier & Valenciennes) (Hemiramphidae) in South Australia: breeding, age determination and growth rate. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 9(1):60-105.

Lowry, M. and Murphy, J. (submitted) The NSW Gamefish Tournament Monitoring Program: part of an integrated framework for monitoring the recreational gamefish fishery. Proceedings of the Third International Billfish Symposium. Marine and Freshwater Research.

Short, A.D. 1993. Beaches of the New South Wales coast; a guide to their nature, characteristics, surf and safety. Australian Beach Safety and Management Program. University of Sydney Printing Service, Sydney. 356pp

Smale, M.J. 1985. Aspects of the biology of Argyrosomus hololepidotus and Atractoscion aequidens (Osteichthyes:Sciaenidae) in waters of the south-eastern Cape, South Africa. South African Journal of Marine Science 3: 63-75.

Wallace, J.H. and Schleyer, M.H. 1979. Age determination in two important species of South African angling fishes, the kob (Argyrosomus hololepidotus Lacep.) and the spotted grunter (Pomadasys commersonni Lacep.). Transactions of the Royal Society of South Africa 44: 15-26.

Williams, R.J., Watford, F.A., Taylor, M.A. and Button, M.L. 1998. New South Wales Coastal Aquatic Estate. Wetlands (Australia) 18(1): 25-48.