*

Redthroat Emperor is fished in WA and the east coast of QLD. The stock in QLD is sustainable while the WA stock is classified as recovering.

CRFFF

Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery (QLD)

Genetic analysis indicates that there are two separate biological stocks of Redthroat Emperor in western and eastern Australian waters [Van Herwerden et al. 2009].

Here, assessment of stock status is presented at the biological stock level—Western Australia and East Coast Queensland.

East Coast Queensland

The most recent assessment (2006) of East Coast Queensland Redthroat Emperor used an integrated age-structured model that incorporated all available information on catch, catch per unit effort and age structure [Leigh et al. 2006]. The model estimated that biomass in 2004 was approximately 70 per cent of the unfished levels of 1946. The stock assessment estimated the maximum sustainable yield to be in the range of 760–964 t per year. After significant management changes in 2004 including increased minimum landing size, introduction of a commercial catch quota and reduced recreational bag limits, the annual commercial catch has seen a stable reduction, with 2017 recording the lowest historical catch of 137 t [QDAF 2018]. The most recent recreational fishing survey (2013–14) estimated a total harvest of 49 t in 2014 [Webley et al. 2015], with the charter sector harvesting 83 t in 2016–17 [QDAF 2018]. The combined catch is well below the estimated maximum sustainable yield. The above evidence indicates that the biomass of the stock is unlikely to be depleted and that recruitment is unlikely to be impaired.

Harvests since 2004–05 have been well below the maximum sustainable yield estimate, with both total catch and standardised commercial catch rates remaining stable since then [QDAF 2018]. The above evidence indicates that the current level of fishing mortality is unlikely to cause the stock to become recruitment impaired.

On the basis of the evidence provided above, the East Coast Queensland biological stock is classified as a sustainable stock.

Redthroat Emperor biology [VanHerwerden et al. 2009, Williams 2003, Williams et al. 2003]

CRFFF

Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery (QLD)

Western Australia Data for Western Australia align with the 2017 calendar year.

Queensland Data for Queensland align with the 2016–17 financial year.

Queensland – Indigenous (management methods) Under the Fisheries Act 1994 (Qld), Indigenous fishers in Queensland are entitled to use prescribed traditional and Non-commercial fishing apparatus in waters open to fishing. Size and possession limits, and seasonal closures do not apply to Indigenous fishers. Further exemptions to fishery regulations may be applied for through permits.

Indigenous (management methods) Subject to the defence that applies under Section 211 of the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth), and the exemption from a requirement to hold a recreational fishing licence, the non-commercial take by Indigenous fishers is covered by the same arrangements as that for recreational fishing.

1. Fairclough, D, Walters, S and Holtz, M 2018, West coast demersal scalefish resource status report 2017, in DJ Gaughan and K Santoro (eds), Status reports of the fisheries and aquatic resources of Western Australia 2016/17: The State of the Fisheries, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia, Perth.
2. Fairclough, DV, Molony, BW, Crisafulli, BM, Keay, IS, Hesp, SA and Marriott, RJ, 2014, Status of demersal finfish stocks on the west coast of Australia, Fisheries Research Report No. 253, Department of Fisheries Western Australia, Perth.
3. Fisher, E 2013, Tools for assessing data-limited fisheries and communicating stock status information, PhD thesis, Murdoch University, Perth.
4. Gaughan, D and Santoro, K 2018, Status reports of the fisheries and aquatic resources of Western Australia 2016/17: The State of the Fisheries, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia, Perth.
5. Leigh, G, Williams, A, Begg, G, Gribble, N and Whybird, O 2006, Stock assessment of the Queensland east coast Red Throat Emperor (Lethrinus miniatus), Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, Brisbane.
6. Newman, SJ, Brown, JI, Fairclough, DV, Wise, BS, Bellchambers, LM, Molony, BW, Lenanton, RCJ, Jackson, G, Smith, KA, Gaughan, DJ, Fletcher, WJ, McAuley, RB, Wakefield, CB 2018, A risk assessment and prioritisation approach to the selection of indicator species for the assessment of multi-species, multi-gear, multi-sector fishery resources, Marine Policy, 88: 11–22.
7. Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries 2018, Queensland Stock Status Assessment Workshop Proceedings 2018. Species Summaries. 19–20 June 2018, Brisbane.
8. Ryan, KL, Hall, NG, Lai, EK, Smallwood, CB, Taylor, SM, Wise, BS 2017, Statewide survey of boat-based recreational fishing in Western Australia 2015/16. Fisheries research Report No. 287. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Government of Western Australia, Perth.
9. Van Herwerden, L, Aspden, WJ, Newman, SJ, Pegg, GG, Briskey, L and Sinclair, W 2009, A comparison of the population genetics of Lethrinus miniatus and Lutjanus sebae from the east and west coasts of Australia: evidence for panmixia and isolation, Fisheries Research, 100: 148–155.
10. Webley, JAC, McInnes, K, Teixeira, D, Lawson, A and Quinn, R 2015. Statewide Recreational Fishing Survey 2013–14. Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland Government.
11. Williams, AJ 2003, Spatial patterns in population biology of a large coral reef fish: what role can movement play? James Cook University, Townsville.
12. Williams, AJ, Davies, CR, Mapstone, BD and Russ, GR 2003, Scales of spatial variation in demography of a large coral-reef fish: an exception to the typical model? Fishery Bulletin, 101: 673–683.
13. Wise, BS, St John, J, Lenanton, RC (Eds.), 2007, Spatial scales of exploitation among populations of demersal scalefish: implications for management. Part 1: stock status of the key indicator species for the demersal scalefish fishery in the West Coast Bioregion. Final report to Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, Project 2003/052. Fisheries Research Report No. 163. Department of Fisheries Western Australia. 130 pp.