Table 1: Stock status determination for Eastern Australian Salmon
Jurisdiction |
New South Wales, Tasmania, Victoria |
Stock |
Eastern Australian
(CIF, GLF, OF, OHF, OPSF, PPBF, SF) |
Stock status |
|
Sustainable |
Indicators |
Catch, catch rates |
CIF = Corner Inlet Fishery (Victoria); GLF = Gippsland Lakes Fishery (Victoria); OF = Ocean Fishery (Victoria); OHF = Ocean Hauling Fishery (New South Wales); OPSF = Ocean Purse Seine Fishery (Victoria); PPBF = Port Phillip Bay Fishery (Victoria); SF = Scalefish Fishery (Tasmania)
Table 2: Stock status determination for Western Australian Salmon
Jurisdiction |
South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia |
Stock |
Western Australian
(CIF, GLF, LACF, MF, MSF, NZRLF, OF, OPSF, PPBF, SCSF, SWCSF, SZRLF) |
Stock status |
|
Sustainable |
Indicators |
Catch, catch rates |
CIF = Corner Inlet Fishery (Victoria); GLF = Gippsland Lakes Fishery (Victoria); LACF = Lakes and Coorong Fishery (South Australia); MF = Miscellaneous Fishery (South Australia); MSF = Marine Scalefish Fishery (South Australia); NZRLF = Northern Zone Rock Lobster Fishery (South Australia); OF = Ocean Fishery (Victoria); OPSF = Ocean Purse Seine Fishery (Victoria); PPBF = Port Phillip Bay Fishery (Victoria); SCSF = South Coast Salmon Managed Fishery (Western Australia); SWCSF = South West Coast Salmon Managed Fishery (Western Australia); SZRLF = Southern Zone Rock Lobster Fishery (South Australia)
There are two species of Australian Salmon: Eastern Australian Salmon (Arripis trutta) and Western Australian Salmon (A. truttaceus). Each represents a single biological stock. The Eastern Australian Salmon biological stock is distributed from southern Queensland down the east coast of Australia to western Victoria and Tasmania. The Western Australian Salmon biological stock is distributed from Kalbarri in Western Australia southwards to South Australia, Victoria and the west coast of Tasmania. Both species have spawning areas that allow eggs and larvae to be dispersed by the prevailing currents—southwards by the East Australian Current (Eastern Australian Salmon) and southwards and then eastwards by the Leeuwin Current (Western Australian Salmon). The fish then grow and mature before moving back towards their spawning areas.
Eastern Australian Salmon biological stock
This cross-jurisdictional biological stock has components in New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania. Each jurisdiction assesses that part of the biological stock that occurs in its waters. The status presented here for the entire biological stock has been established using evidence from all jurisdictions.
For the New South Wales part of the biological stock, commercial landings and catch rates have gradually increased since the late 1970s to reach historically high levels in recent years. The size and age compositions of fish in commercial landings have remained similar since the late 1970s, and estimates of mortality and spawning stock size are considered sustainable1. This evidence indicates that the current level of fishing pressure by the New South Wales fishery is unlikely to cause the New South Wales part of the Eastern Australian Salmon biological stock to become recruitment overfished.
For the Victorian part of the biological stock, commercial landings have increased substantially since the mid-1990s, to a peak during the mid-2000s. However, there has been little change in the size and age compositions of fish in landings; taking into account that the fishery targets mainly adolescent fish, this suggests that the fishery is sustainable1. This evidence indicates that the current level of fishing pressure by the Victorian fisheries is unlikely to cause the Eastern Australian Salmon biological stock to become recruitment overfished.
For the Tasmanian part of the biological stock, commercial landings have declined to historically low levels since the mid-1990s; however, catch rates remained constant until 2006–07, after which they increased rapidly1–2. The Tasmanian fishery catches juvenile Eastern Australian Salmon, which predominantly occur in Tasmanian waters. This evidence indicates that the current level of fishing pressure by the Tasmanian fishery is unlikely to cause the biological stock of Eastern Australian Salmon to become recruitment overfished.
On the basis of the evidence provided above, the Eastern Australian Salmon biological stock is classified as a sustainable stock.
Western Australian Salmon biological stock
This cross-jurisdictional biological stock has components in Western Australia, South Australia and Victoria. Each jurisdiction assesses that part of the biological stock that occurs in its waters. The status presented here for the entire biological stock has been established using evidence from all jurisdictions.
For the Western Australian part of the biological stock, total commercial landings have declined markedly since the mid-1990s. At the same time, fishing effort has declined similarly, as a result of weak market demand and low wholesale prices (landings in Western Australia are mainly sold as bait). These declines mainly reflect trends on the south coast, where the majority of annual landings occur. The current total commercial fishing effort directed towards Western Australian Salmon in Western Australia is very low compared with historical levels. Effort in this fishery is measured as the number of licensed teams that are active during the 2–3-month fishing season. Several indicators suggest that the total breeding biological stock level is adequate. The annual commercial catch and catch rate on the west coast have exhibited a long-term stable trend and are considered indicative of a stable biomass. Annual recruitment of Western Australian Salmon from 1994 to 2010 was highly variable, but the long-term trend was stable. This evidence indicates that the Western Australian part of the Western Australian Salmon biological stock is unlikely to be recruitment overfished, and that the current level of fishing pressure by the Western Australian fisheries is unlikely to cause this part of the biological stock to become recruitment overfished.
For the South Australian part of the biological stock, total commercial landings have declined markedly since the mid-1990s. However, commercial effort has declined similarly. The current commercial fishing effort directed towards Western Australian Salmon in South Australia is very low compared with historical levels, and catch rates are stable or increasing3. This evidence indicates that the South Australian part of the Western Australian Salmon biological stock is unlikely to be recruitment overfished, and that the current level of fishing pressure by the South Australian fishery is unlikely to cause this part of the biological stock to become recruitment overfished.
For the Victorian part of the biological stock, total commercial landings are very low compared with those in other states and compared with the quantity of Eastern Australian Salmon landed in Victoria. The low commercial landings of this species indicate that the current level of fishing pressure by the Victorian fishery is unlikely to cause the stock to become recruitment overfished.
On the basis of the evidence provided above, the Western Australian Salmon biological stock is classified as a sustainable stock.
Table 3: Eastern (Arripis trutta) and Western (A. truttaceus) Australian Salmon biology1,4
Longevity and maximum size |
Eastern Australian Salmon: 12 years; 81 cm FL
Western Australian Salmon: 12 years; 85 cm FL |
Maturity (50%) |
Eastern Australian Salmon: 2–4 years; 30–40 cm FL
Western Australian Salmon: 3–5 years; 60–65 cm FL |
FL = fork length
Figure 1: Distribution of reported commercial catch of Australian Salmon (both species) in Australian waters, 2010
Eastern Australian Salmon
- Commercial catch of Eastern Australian Salmon is predominantly taken using purse-seine nets and beach haul nets. Recreational fishers typically use rod and reel with bait or artificial lures from boats, surf beaches and rocky headlands.
- A range of input and output controls are in place across jurisdictions:
- Input controls include limited entry and gear restrictions.
- Output controls include size limits and recreational bag limits. Tasmania applies a 435 t commercial catch trigger limit.
- In 2010, 155 fishers reported catching Eastern Australian Salmon in New South Wales. In Tasmania, 43 operators reported catching Eastern Australian Salmon, although the vast majority of these landings were reported by fewer than five operators.
- Total commercial catch of Eastern Australian Salmon across Australia in 2010–11 was 1487 t, comprising 312 t in Tasmania, 388 t in Victoria and 787 t in New South Wales. Recreational catch in New South Wales is estimated to be 150–210 t per year5. Recreational catch in Tasmania was estimated at 48 t in 2007–08, compared with 110 t in 2000–012. Indigenous catch is unknown.
Western Australian Salmon
- Commercial catch of Western Australian Salmon is predominantly taken using beach haul nets. Recreational fishers typically use rod and reel with bait or artificial lures from surf beaches and rocky headlands.
- A range of input and output controls are in place across jurisdictions:
- Input controls include limited entry, gear restrictions and area closures.
- Output controls include size limits and recreational bag limits.
- In 2010, there were 18 licensees in the South Coast Salmon Managed Fishery and 5 licensees in the South West Coast Salmon Managed Fishery. Not all fishers were active in 2010. No other fishers are licensed to harvest Western Australian Salmon commercially in Western Australia. The commercial catch of Western Australian Salmon in South Australia was taken by 76 vessels in 2010–11.
- Total commercial catch of Western Australian Salmon in 2010–11 was 351 t, comprising 172 t in Western Australia, 153 t in South Australia and 26 t in Victoria. The current recreational catch of Western Australian Salmon is unknown. The most recent estimate for Western Australia was made by the 2000–01 National Recreational and Indigenous Fishing Survey6, which estimated an annual catch of 136 t. The most recent estimate of the recreational catch in South Australia is 91.3 t7. Indigenous catch is unknown.
2a
2b
3a
3b
Figure 2a) Commercial catch of Eastern Australian Salmon in Australian waters, 1999–2000 to 2010–11 (financial year);
Figure 2b) Commercial catch rates in New South Wales, 1990 –2000 to 2010–11 (financial year);
Figure 3a) Commercial catch of Western Australian Salmon in Australian waters, 1999–2000 to 2010–11 (financial year);
Figure 3b) Commercial catch rates on the south and west coasts of Western Australia, 1999–2000 to 2010–11 (financial year)
Eastern Australian Salmon
The total commercial landings of Eastern Australian Salmon increased to around 2000 t per year in the 2000s; this is believed to be due to high abundance and stronger markets. There have been slight declines in commercial landings in Tasmanian waters and increases in the Victorian and New South Wales fisheries. Commercial fisheries for Eastern Australian Salmon are strongly market driven, and total landings are more an indication of market demand than of biological stock abundance. Catch rates for the adult portion of the biological stock (i.e. in New South Wales) have increased during the past decade. A large increase in catch rates during the past two years may be an artefact of more accurate daily catch reporting, rather than an indication of a dramatic increase in availability.
Western Australian Salmon
The total commercial landings of Western Australian Salmon have declined in Western Australia and South Australia. Total commercial landings in Western Australia have been declining since 1995, when a peak of 4046 t was reported. This trend reflects declining catches in the South Coast Bioregion of Western Australia8, where the annual catch steadily declined from a historical peak of 2728 t in 1995 to 291 t in 2010. This decline was largely caused by decreased fishing effort, which is attributed to weak market demand. In contrast, the catch trend in the West Coast Bioregion of Western Australia was non-directional over the long term, although annual landings have varied widely from less than 1 t (in 2000) to 1364 t (in 1968). West Coast Bioregion landings of 1316 t in 1995 and 1194 t in 2006 were close to the historical peak reached in 1968. A substantial decline in the South Australian commercial catch from 2003–04 onwards reflects a decline in fishing effort associated with area closures and some major operators leaving the fishery.
- The fishing methods used to target Australian Salmon are highly selective and targeted. As a result, there is little bycatch in these fisheries1.
- The life cycles of Eastern and Western Australian Salmon are strongly linked to the prevailing currents throughout their distributions. The East Australian, Leeuwin and Capes currents appear to influence the distribution of spawning, larval dispersal, the strength and distribution of juvenile recruitment, and the distribution of fishery landings. Environmentally driven changes to these currents may affect recruitment and the distribution and abundance of both species.
a Department of Primary Industries, New South Wales
b South Australian Research and Development Institute
c Department of Primary Industries, Victoria
d Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, Tasmania
e Department of Fisheries, Western Australia