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Greenlip Abalone (2023)

Haliotis laevigata

  • Ben Stobart (South Australian Research and Development Institute)
  • Owen Burnell (South Australian Research and Development Institute)
  • Lachlan Strain (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia)
  • Victorian Fisheries Authority (Victorian Fisheries Authority)
  • Craig Mundy (Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania)

Date Published: June 2023

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Summary

Of eight Greenlip Abalone stocks defined by management area, three are undefined (SA Southern Zone, VIC Central Zone, VIC Western Zone), three are depleting (TAS Greenlip Abalone Fishery, SA Central Zone and SA Western Zone), one is depleted (WA Area 3 Fishery), and one is recovering (WA Area 2 Fishery).

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Stock Status Overview

Stock status determination
Jurisdiction Stock Stock status Indicators
Tasmania Tasmania Greenlip Abalone Fishery Sustainable

CPUE

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Stock Structure

Greenlip Abalone is distributed across southern mainland Australia and northern Tasmania. The biological stock structure of Greenlip Abalone has recently been examined [Mayfield et al. 2014, Miller et al. 2014]. Genetic evidence has confirmed that Greenlip Abalone comprise numerous independent biological stocks, but at a spatially broader scale than the biological stock structure evident for Blacklip Abalone [Miller et al. 2009, Mayfield et al. 2014, Miller et al. 2014]. There are many biological stocks across Western Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and South Australia. Given the large number of biological stocks, it is not practical to assess each separately, and they are neither fished nor managed at that separate biological stock level.

Here, assessment of stock status is presented at the management unit level—South Australia Central Zone Fishery, South Australia Southern Zone Fishery and South Australia Western Zone Fishery (South Australia); Tasmania Greenlip Abalone Fishery (Tasmania); Victoria Central Zone Fishery, Victoria Western Zone Fishery (Victoria), Western Australia Area 2 Fishery, Western Australia Area 3 Fishery (Western Australia).

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Stock Status

Tasmania Greenlip Abalone Fishery

The Tasmanian abalone fishery has been quota-managed with an annual total allowable commercial catch (TACC) since 1985. Commencing in 2000, separate TACCs for Greenlip Abalone and Blacklip Abalone were implemented, with separate catch limits applied to 4 regions within the Greenlip Abalone zone. Size limits vary with a legal minimum length (LML) of 132 mm, 145 mm or 150 mm depending on growth rates, size at maturity and maximum size of populations in different regions. An annual fishery assessment is conducted using fishery-dependent catch per unit effort (CPUE) data, and until 2014 the TACC was determined by a weight-of-evidence approach using trends in CPUE and industry perceptions on the state of the resource. In the 2012 and 2014 Status of Australian Fish Stocks editions, this fishery was classified as undefined due to the complexities of reporting and apportioning of effort to Greenlip Abalone, and hence understanding CPUE in this mixed species fishery. The fishery-dependent data time series has since been reviewed and revised and a formal process for assigning effort in mixed-species fishing events established [Mundy and McAllister 2020], enabling the development of separate CPUE indices for Greenlip and Blacklip Abalone.

In 2014–15, an empirical harvest strategy was developed [Mundy and McAllister 2020] and tested by Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) [Haddon et al. 2014, Buxton et al. 2015, Haddon and Mundy 2016]. This harvest strategy was applied in the 2017 annual fishery assessment [Mundy and McAllister 2018]. The harvest strategy assesses fishery performance against target reference points for 3 performance measures (PM) derived from standardised CPUE (SCPUE) data: 1) current CPUE relative to an agreed target (55th percentile of the annual standardised mean CPUE within the reference period); 2) the 4-year gradient of CPUE (target gradient is zero); and 3) the % change in SCPUE in the past year (target change is zero). The reference period for the 2017 assessment spans fishery data between 1992 and 2017. A scoring function is applied to the 3 PMs, resulting in a score between zero and 10, where 5 is the target score and zero and 10 are the zone-wide lowest and highest values for that PM within the reference period. Weightings are applied to the three PMs 0.65:0.25:0.1 to provide a combined final score used in the Control Rule. The HS is applied individually to each statistical reporting block, and a zone score is obtained from the mean block score weighted by block catch.

The zone target CPUE PM score is used as a proxy for biomass and the zone gradient CPUE PM score is used as a proxy for fishing mortality, F. A target CPUE score of one is the limit reference point (LRP) defining the boundary between recruitment overfished and depleting for all Tasmanian management units. This LRP is typically 5% above the lowest SCPUE observed within the zone during the reference period. A negative zone gradient score gives evidence that fishing mortality is increasing and the magnitude of the gradient provides some information on the magnitude of F. The gradient 4PM score ranges from negative 5 to positive 5, where the target reference point is zero and defines the boundary between sustainable and depleting classifications, but also between the classifications of recovering and depleted. The combination of a negative CPUE gradient and near record low CPUE score represents a cautious proxy for the true depleted reference point. No reporting blocks have become depleted under this harvest strategy within the reference period (1992–2018 ), providing confidence that maintaining stocks above the LRP will prevent stock depletion, as predicted by MSE testing of the HS [Haddon and Mundy 2016].

The TACC for the Tasmania Greenlip Abalone Fishery has been stable at around 140 t since 2000, with only minor variation in the proportion of the TACC harvested annually from each of the four regions (King Island, North West, North East and Furneaux). The Greenlip TACC was reduced in 2018, 2019 and 2020, but increased in 2022 with a total catch set at 91.0 t in 2022. Catch-weighted mean standardised CPUE (SCPUEcw) declined slowly from 2010 to 2018, and then increased from 2019 to 2022 [McAllister and Mundy 2023]. The zone-wide catch-weighted block mean SCPUEcw increased from 50.6 kg per hour in 2019 to 61.5  kg per hour in 2022.  The zone-wide proxy for abundance has increased from 3.6 in 2017, to 6.4 in 2022 and remains above the LRP.  The zone-wide proxy for F in 2022 was 2.9, and above the TRP. The above evidence indicates that biomass is unlikely to be depleted and that recruitment is unlikely to be impaired. 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 Tasmania Greenlip Abalone Fishery management unit is classified as a sustainable stock.

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Biology

Greenlip Abalone biology [Burnell et al. 2016, Haddon and Mundy 2016, Hart et al. 2017]

Biology
Species Longevity / Maximum Size Maturity (50 per cent)
Greenlip Abalone

20 years, 200 mm SL 

3–5 years, 70–120 mm SL

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Distributions

Distribution of reported commercial catch of Greenlip Abalone

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Tables

Fishing methods
Tasmania
Commercial
Diving
Indigenous
Diving
Recreational
Diving
Management methods
Method Tasmania
Commercial
Limited entry
Size limit
Total allowable catch
Indigenous
Bag limits
Size limit
Recreational
Bag limits
Size limit
Catch
Tasmania
Commercial 91.00t
Indigenous Unknown
Recreational 2.2 t

Victoria – Indigenous (Management Methods) A person who identifies as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander is exempt from the need to obtain a Victorian recreational fishing licence, provided they comply with all other rules that apply to recreational fishers, including rules on equipment, catch limits, size limits and restricted areas. Traditional (non-commercial) fishing activities that are carried out by members of a traditional owner group entity under an agreement pursuant to Victoria’s Traditional Owner Settlement Act 2010 are also exempt from the need to hold a recreational fishing licence, subject to any conditions outlined in the agreement. Native title holders are also exempt from the need to obtain a recreational fishing licence under the provisions of the Commonwealth’s Native Title Act 1993.

Commonwealth – 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.

Western Australia - Recreational (Catch Volume) [Smallwood et al. 2023]

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Catch Chart

Commercial catch of Greenlip Abalone - note confidential catch not shown.

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References

  1. Burnell, O 2023, Status of the Central Zone Abalone Fisheries in 2022. Status Report for PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture. South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences), Adelaide. SARDI Publication No. F2021/000378-2. SARDI Research Report Series No. 1203. 31pp.
  2. Burnell, O and Hogg, A 2023, Assessment of the Southern Zone Abalone (Haliotis rubra and H. laevigata) Fishery in 2022/23. Fishery Assessment Report to PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture. South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences), Adelaide. SARDI Publication No. F2007/000552-9. SARDI Research Report Series No. 1179. 59pp.
  3. Burnell, O and Mayfield, S 2023, Assessment of the Central Zone Abalone (Haliotis laevigata & H. rubra) Fishery in 2021. Report to PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture. South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences), Adelaide. SARDI Publication No. F2007/000611-12. SARDI Research Report Series No. 1201. 63pp.
  4. Buxton CD, Cartwright I, Dichmont CM, Mayfield S and Plaganyi-Lloyd E 2015, Review of the harvest strategy and MCDA process for the Tasmanian Abalone Fishery. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart.
  5. Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources 2014, Victorian Wild Harvest Abalone Fishery Management Plan. State of Victoria, Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources, Melbourne. 42 pp.
  6. Department of Fisheries 2017, Abalone resource of Western Australia harvest strategy 2016–2021. Fisheries Management Paper No. 283. Department of Fisheries, Western Australia, Perth. 36pp.
  7. Department of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia 2021, Management Plan for the South Australian Commercial Abalone Fisheries (2021). 51pp.
  8. Dixon C, Lowe J and Potts J 2023 Draft stock assessment for the central zone of the Victorian abalone fishery 2021/22. ISBN 978-0-6450199-8-8.
  9. DPIRD 2023, Abalone resource of Western Australia harvest strategy 2021–2026: Version 2.0. Fisheries Management Paper No. 283. Department of Primary Industries and regional Development, Western Australia, Perth. 53pp.
  10. Gorfine H, Thomson J, Spring D and Cleland M 2018, Modelling trends including effects of natural disturbance in an abalone dive fishery in Australia. Natural Resource Modelling, 31. DOI: 10.1111/nrm.12175
  11. Haddon M and Mundy C 2016, Testing abalone empirical harvest strategies, for setting TACs and associated LMLs, which include the use of novel spatially explicit performance measures. Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Oceans and Atmosphere, Hobart.
  12. Haddon M, Mayfield S, Helidoniotis F, Chick R and Mundy C 2014, Identification and evaluation of performance indicators for abalone fisheries, Fisheries Research and Development Corporation project 2007/020, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Hobart.
  13. Hart A, Strain L, Hesp A, Fisher E, Webster F, Brand-Gardner S and Walter S 2017, Marine Stewardship Council full assessment report Western Australian Abalone Managed Fishery. Department of Fisheries, Western Australia, Perth. 288pp.
  14. Hart AM, Fabris F, Brown J and Caputi N 2013, Biology, history and assessment of Western Australian abalone fisheries. Fisheries Research Report No. 241. Department of Fisheries, Western Australia, Perth. 96pp.
  15. Mayfield, S, McGarvey, R, Gorfine, HK, Peeters, H, Burch, P and Sharma, S 2011, Survey estimates of fishable biomass following a mass mortality in an Australian molluscan fishery. Journal of Fish Diseases, 34: 287–302.
  16. Mayfield, S, Miller, KJ and Mundy, CM 2014, Towards understanding Greenlip Abalone population structure, Final report to the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, project 2010/013, South Australia Research and Development Institute, Adelaide.
  17. Miller, KJ, Maynard, BT and Mundy, CN 2009, Genetic diversity and gene flow in collapsed and healthy abalone fisheries, Molecular Ecology, 18: 200–211.
  18. Miller, KJ, Mundy, CM and Mayfield, S 2014, Molecular genetics to inform spatial management in benthic invertebrate fisheries: a case study using the Australian Greenlip Abalone. Molecular Ecology, 23: 4958–4975.
  19. Mundy C and McAllister J 2020, Tasmanian Abalone Fishery assessment 2017. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies Report, University of Tasmania, Hobart.
  20. Mundy C and McAllister J 2020, Tasmanian Abalone Fishery assessment 2017. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies Report, University of Tasmania, Hobart.
  21. Prince J 2008, Analysis of Greenlip Abalone sampling from Minerva and Hospital Reef, Portland, 10–11 May, 2008, unpublished report to the Western Abalone Divers Association, 13 June 2008.
  22. Smallwood, CB, Ryan, KL, Lai, EKM, Rudd, LJ and Strain LWS 2023, Recreational fishing for Abalone in Western Australia in 2021/22: estimates of participation, effort and catch. Fisheries Research Report No. 333. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia. 33pp.
  23. Stewardson, C, Andrews, J, Ashby, C, Haddon, M, Hartmann, K, Hone, P, Horvat, P, Mayfield, S, Roelofs, A, Sainsbury, K, Saunders, T, Stewart, J, Stobutzki, I and Wise, B (eds) 2016, Status of Australian fish stocks reports 2016. Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, Canberra.
  24. Stobart B, Mayfield S and McGarvey R 2013, Maximum yield or minimum risk: Using biological data to optimize harvest strategies in a southern Australian molluscan fishery, Journal of Shellfish Research, 32(3): 899–909.
  25. Stobart, B 2023, Western Zone Blacklip Abalone (H. rubra) and Greenlip Abalone (Haliotis laevigata) Fisheries in 2022/23. South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences), Adelaide. SARDI Publication No. 2021/000331-7. SARDI Research Report Series No. 1202. 77 pp.
  26. Stobart, B and Mayfield, S 2016, Assessment of the Western Zone greenlip abalone (Haliotis laevigata) Fishery in 2015. Fishery Stock Assessment Report to PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture. South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences), Adelaide. SARDI Publication No. F2015/000373-2. SARDI Research Report Series No. 920. 67pp.
  27. Stobart, B and Mayfield, S 2021, Western Zone Blacklip Abalone (Haliotis rubra) and Greenlip Abalone (H. laevigata) Fisheries in 2020/21. Report to PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture. South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences), Adelaide. SARDI Publication No. F2017/000331-5 SARDI Research Report Series No. 1119. 72pp.
  28. Stobart, B, Mayfield, S and Heldt, K 2017b, Western Zone blacklip (Haliotis rubra) and greenlip (H. laevigata) abalone fisheries in 2016. Adelaide, South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences). F2017/000331-1. SARDI Research Report Series No. 964. 91pp.
  29. Stobart, B, Mayfield, S and Heldt, K 2020, Western Zone Greenlip Abalone (Haliotis laevigata) and Blacklip Abalone (H. rubra) Fisheries in 2019. Report for PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture. South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences), Adelaide. SARDI publication in review. 84. pp.
  30. Tarbath, DC, Mundy, C and Haddon, M 2005, Tasmanian Abalone Fishery 2004. Fishery Assessment Report, Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute: 131.
  31. Victorian Government 2013, Victoria Government Gazette, 28 March 2013 www.gazette.vic.gov.au/gazette/Gazettes2013/GG2013G013.pdf
  32. Western Abalone Divers Association 2023, Assessment of abalone stocks in Western Zone Victoria: Submission for the TAC setting process for 2023-24. Western Abalone Divers Association. ISBN 978-0-9870470-7-6.
  33. Western Zone Blacklip Abalone (Haliotis rubra) and Greenlip Abalone (H. laevigata) Fisheries in 2018. South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences), Adelaide. SARDI Publication No. F2017/000331-3. SARDI Research Report Series No. 1039. 90pp.

Downloadable reports

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