Research and monitoring update

for the Commonwealth Small

Pelagic FisheryA/Prof Tim Ward15 October 2014

Current Research and Monitoring Projects

Monitoring and assessment of Small Pelagic Fishery (AFMA)

Benchmarking Australia’s small pelagic fisheries against world’s best practice (FRDC)

Improving the precision of estimates of egg production and spawning biomass obtained using the Daily Egg Production (FRDC)

Summer spawning patterns and preliminary Daily Egg Production Method survey of Jack Mackerel and Sardine off the East Coast (FRDC)

Egg distribution, reproductive parameters and spawning biomass of Blue Mackerel, Australian Sardine and Tailor off the East Coast during late winter and early spring (FRDC)

Review and update harvest strategy settings for the Commonwealth smallpelagic fishery (FRDC – Dr Tony Smith)

South East Cape

Flinders Island

Port Stephens

Eden Locations of plankton sites to be sampled from the Dell Richie II in January 2014

Jack Mackerel and Australian Sardine

Off the rigs

Flinders Island

St Helens

Eden

The Hole

Locations at which trawls for Jack Mackerel were conducted from the FV Western Alliance in January 2014

Jack Mackerel and Australian Sardine

0

0.05

0.1

0.15

0.2

0.25

0.6

0.64

0.68

0.72

0.76

0.8

0.84

0.88

0.92

0.96

1 1.04

1.08

1.12

freq

uenc

y (%

)

Egg diameter (mm)

Ethanol preserved eggs

Trachurus novaezelandiae

Trachurus declivis

00.05

0.10.15

0.20.25

0.30.35

0.6

0.64

0.68

0.72

0.76

0.8

0.84

0.88

0.92

0.96

1 1.04

1.08

1.12

freq

uenc

y (%

)

Egg diameter (mm)

Formalin preserved eggs

Trachurus novaezelandiae

Trachurus declivis

Frequency distributions of the diameters of Jack Mackerel (Trachurus declivis) and Yellowtail Scad (Trachurus novaezelandiae) eggs preserved in ethanol and formalin solutions.

Jack Mackerel and Australian Sardine

Densities of Jack Mackerel eggs collected from plankton sites sampled from the Dell Richie II in January 2014

Jack Mackerel and Australian Sardine

Densities of Australian Sardine eggs collected from plankton sites sampled from the Dell Richie II in January 2014

Jack Mackerel and Australian Sardine

ShotNo.

Male Gonad Free Weight (g)

Female Gonad Free Weight (g)

Sex Ratio(Weight)

Mean Fork Length (mm)

SpawningFraction

2 185 184 0.50 255 0.00

3 157 167 0.52 247 0.06

4 274 284 0.51 295 0.00

5 252 243 0.49 282 0.01

6 247 226 0.48 277 0.13

7 220 192 0.47 268 0.14

8 237 231 0.49 280 0.09

9 226 226 0.50 277 0.10

10 230 233 0.50 280 0.10

11 257 244 0.49 290 0.08

14 232 225 0.49 280 0.07

15 150 144 0.49 238 0.12

16 201 190 0.49 258 0.01

17 168 161 0.49 246 0.02

18 155 132 0.46 237 0.04

19 180 166 0.48 248 0.03

20 205 197 0.49 259 0.00

Mean 210 203 0.49 266 0.06

Adult reproductive parameters for samples of Jack Mackerel collected from FV Western Alliance in January 2014.

Jack Mackerel and Australian Sardine

Jack Mackerel

First Australian study to collect samples of adult Jack Mackerel for DEPM.

Samples may provide unbiased estimates of adult parameters (as they were collected during the day when fish were dispersed).

Relatively few females with hydrated oocytes collected – this parameter is strongly correlated with female weight and has limited influence on estimates of spawning biomass.

Large number of adult and egg samples from same location and time suggest that study may provide a robust estimate of the spawning biomass of Jack Mackerel off eastern Australia during January 2014.

Proportion of the adult population that occurred outside this spawning area and was not spawning during this period is unknown.

Australian Sardine

Locations where eggs of Australian Sardine were collected similar to Jack Mackerel, i.e. off north-eastern Tasmania and in Bass Strait.

Likely that a significant proportion of the population of Australian Sardine off eastern Australia occurred outside this area during the sampling period.

No adult Australian Sardine were collected during the present study.

Adult parameters will be sourced from the literature and used for sensitivity analyses.

Surveys conducted between Fraser Island and Jervis Bay during August/September 2014 will be more reflective of the total adult biomass off eastern Australia.

148 150 152 154

38

36

34

32

30

28

26

24

Eden

Sydney

Port S tephens

E

S

Jervis Bay

Batem ans Bay

Sandy C ape

Byron B ay

C offs H arbour

BrisbaneLocations of plankton sites sampled from the Dell Richie II in January August-September 2014

Open circles indicate sites where replicate hauls were conducted and samples were fixed in ethanol.

Blue Mackerel, Australian Sardine and Tailor

Locations at which trawls for Blue Mackerel and Australian Sardine were conducted from the FV Hazel-K in August-September 2014

Samples of adult Tailor also collected from line caught fish off Fraser Island by QDPI staff(~500 fish)

Samples of Australian Sardine were also collected from purse seine catches off Iluka by NSW DPI staff (~500 fish)

Blue Mackerel, Australian Sardine and Tailor

Schedule for completion

SPF Assessment Report March 2015

Jack Mackerel and Australian Sardine Draft final report due 30 October 2014Final report due 1 December 2014

Benchmarking workshop and forum Draft final report due 28 January 2015Final report due 28 February 2015

Blue Mackerel, Australian Sardine and TailorDraft final report due 30 September

2015Final report due 30 October 2015

Improving estimates of egg production Draft final report due 30 November 2015Final report due 30 December 2015

Acknowledgements

SARDI - Alex Ivey, Lorenzo Andreacchio, Dr Owen Burnell, Graham Hooper, Matt Lloyd, Dr Steve Mayfield

UTAS/IMAS - Dr John Keane, Dr Jeremy Lyle, Prof Colin Buxton

QDAFF – Dr Lenore Litherland, Dr Jonathan Staunton-Smith, Dr Eddie Jebreen

AFMA - Kylie Tonon, Steve Shanks

FV Western Alliance - David Guilot, skipper and crew

Dell Richie II - Stuart Richie, skipper and crew

Hazel-K – Russell Kerr, skipper and crew

FRDC - Crispian Ashby, John Wilson, Dr Patrick Hone