Western King Prawn (2023)
Melicertus latisulcatus
Date Published: June 2023
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Summary
Western King Prawn is harvested in WA, SA and QLD. Stocks in all states are sustainable, except for the South Australian West Coast Prawn Fishery, which is depleting.
Stock Status Overview
Jurisdiction | Stock | Stock status | Indicators |
---|---|---|---|
South Australia | Gulf St. Vincent Prawn Fishery | Sustainable | Survey and commercial catch rates |
South Australia | Spencer Gulf Prawn Fishery | Sustainable | Survey catch rates |
South Australia | West Coast Prawn Fishery | Depleting | Survey and commercial catch rates |
Stock Structure
Western King Prawn is distributed throughout the Indo-West Pacific [Grey et al. 1983]. In South Australia, one study of the genetic structure of Western King Prawn found no differences between the three fisheries [Carrick 2003]; however, each fishery functions as an independent population at time scales relevant to management, with distinct adult and juvenile habitats and independent variations in recruitment and abundance. No research has been conducted into Western King Prawn biological stock structure in Western Australia or Queensland. Hence, status in each state is reported at the management unit level.
Here, assessment of stock status is presented at the management unit level—Exmouth Gulf Prawn Managed Fishery, North Coast Prawn Managed Fisheries, Shark Bay Prawn Managed Fishery, South West Trawl Managed Fishery (Western Australia); East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery (Queensland); Gulf St. Vincent Prawn Fishery, Spencer Gulf Prawn Fishery, and West Coast Prawn Fishery (South Australia).
Stock Status
Gulf St. Vincent Prawn Fishery
Management arrangements for the Gulf St. Vincent Prawn Fishery have evolved since the fishery’s inception in 1967 and the fishery has gone through a number of cycles characterised by increasing catches, subsequent declines in recruitment and fishery performance, and resulting closure periods (1991–92 to 1992–93 and 2012–13 to 2013–14). The latest management plan for the fishery was implemented in July 2022 and provides the decision rules for classifying stock status relative to limit, trigger and target reference points defined for two performance indicators relating to relative stock biomass [PIRSA 2022]. The performance indicators are: 1) standardised annual commercial catch per unit effort (CPUE); and 2) standardised fishery-independent survey (FIS) CPUE estimated from surveys undertaken in March and April or May. Each performance indicator is evaluated against limit and trigger reference points specified in the harvest strategy and used in combination to determine stock status (PIRSA 2022).
The most recent stock assessment report was completed in 2022 [McLeay and Hooper 2022] and used data to the end of the 2021–22 season (1 November 2021–31 July 2022). In 2021–22, the total commercial catch of Western King Prawn in the Gulf St. Vincent Prawn Fishery was 138.5 t obtained from 298 vessel-nights that comprised 96% of the Total Allowable Commercial Effort of 312 vessel-nights for 2021–22 and 22 vessel-nights carried over from the 2019–20 season.
In 2021–22, standardised annual commercial CPUE was 805 kg per vessel-night, which was 9% above the target reference point defined for this performance indicator (738 kg per vessel-night). From 2013–14 to 2018–19, estimates of standardised FIS CPUE remained above the target reference point (22.2 kg per trawl-shot). In 2020–21, standardised FIS CPUE decreased to below target, and in 2021–22 was 21.0 kg per trawl-shot, which is 13.5% above the trigger reference point defined for this performance indicator (18.5 kg per trawl-shot) [PIRSA 2022]. The FIS Recruitment Index (FRI) was 1,178 recruits/hr in 2021–22, the highest estimate on record.
The above evidence indicates that the biomass of this stock is unlikely to be depleted and that recruitment is unlikely to be impaired. Furthermore, 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 Gulf St. Vincent Prawn Fishery management unit is classified as a sustainable stock.
Spencer Gulf Prawn Fishery
The primary indicator for biomass and fishing mortality in Spencer Gulf is the weighted average catch rate of adult prawns (defined as 20 or fewer prawns per pound), obtained during fishery-independent surveys conducted yearly in November, March, and April [PIRSA 2020]. This index of relative biomass is evaluated against limit and trigger reference points of 60.3 and 86.2 kg per hour, respectively, where the trigger reference point is considered to be the minimum catch rate at which future recruitment to the fishery will be adequate (that is, the level that delineates a stock status classification of ‘sustainable’ from ‘depleting’).
The most recent advice on stock status [Heldt and Hooper, 2023] concluded that the fishery was sustainable in 2021-22. In 2021-22, the weighted average catch rate was 104.7kg per hour for adult prawns which was above the trigger reference point. The above evidence indicates that the biomass of this stock is unlikely to be depleted and that recruitment is unlikely to be impaired.
Fishery-independent surveys and fishery-dependent data have demonstrated a long history of stable recruitment and commercial catch (Heldt and Hooper, 2023). 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 Spencer Gulf Prawn Fishery management unit is classified as a sustainable stock.
West Coast Prawn Fishery
The West Coast Prawn Fishery (South Australia) harvests the Western King Prawn from an oceanic stock that shows large fluctuations in recruitment, thought to be environmentally driven [Carrick and Ostendorf 2005; Carrick 2008], and consequently has experienced large fluctuations in commercial catch. The harvest strategy for the West Coast Prawn Fishery includes defined performance indicators and associated reference levels (PIRSA 2022). The primary performance indicator is the average of (1) nominal commercial CPUE from at least three months of commercial fishing between March and September and, (2) average fishery-independent survey CPUE measured from the March and June surveys undertaken in Venus Bay. Average catch rate is considered to be a reliable proxy for biomass and fishing mortality because: (1) the fishery-independent sampling design has remained relatively consistent since inception in 2002 and, (2) there is contrast in the data as they span the most recent low catch period from 2002 to 2007 and the relatively higher levels from 2012 to 2018.
The fishery was recently classified as depleted (2022) and depleting (2020 and 2021; Noell 2022) with total annual catches (31–68 tonnes) well below the 10-year average (108 ± 34 t). Annual catches were low in 2023 (31 t) partly because the fishery was closed (Nov 2022–May 2023), with recent survey results in June 2023 enabling the fishery to re-open (SARDI unpublished; PIRSA 2022). The most recent stock status, completed in 2023 [SARDI unpublished], reported an average CPUE of 41.8 kg per hour, which was above the limit but below the trigger reference points of 36 and 54 kg/hr, respectively. Under the harvest strategy, the fishery is classified as depleting at this average catch rate. Long-term reductions in the average catch rate occurred from approximately 70 kg per hour (2012–2018) to 40 (2022–2023) kg per hour.
The above evidence indicates that the biomass of this stock is not yet depleted and recruitment is not yet impaired. Furthermore, the above evidence indicates that the current level of fishing mortality is likely to cause the stock to become recruitment impaired.
On the basis of the evidence provided above, the West Coast Prawn Fishery (South Australia) management unit is classified as a depleting stock.
Biology
Western King Prawn biology [Kangas et al. 2015 a,b; Penn 1980; Noell and Hooper 2019]
Species | Longevity / Maximum Size | Maturity (50 per cent) |
---|---|---|
Western King Prawn | 2–3 years, maximum 4 years South Australia: males 46 mm CL, females 57 mm CL Western Australia: males 45 mm CL, females 60 mm CL | 6–7 months, 25 mm CL |
Tables
South Australia | |
---|---|
Commercial | |
Otter Trawl |
Method | South Australia |
---|---|
Commercial | |
Catch limits | |
Effort limits | |
Limited entry | |
Spatial closures | |
Vessel restrictions |
South Australia | |
---|---|
Commercial | 1.51Kt |
Indigenous | Unknown |
Recreational | 0t |
Queensland – Indigenous (management methods). For more information see: Traditional fishing | Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland (daf.qld.gov.au) https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries/traditional-fishing .
Queensland – Commercial (Catch). Queensland commercial and charter data are sourced from the commercial fisheries logbook program. Further information available through the Queensland Fisheries Summary Report: Queensland fisheries summary report | Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland (daf.qld.gov.au)
Queensland – Commercial (Management Methods). Harvest strategies are available at:
Harvest strategies | Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland (daf.qld.gov.au)
Catch Chart
References
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- Caputi, N, de Lestang, S, Hart, A, Kangas, M, Johnston, D and Penn, J 2014a, Catch predictions in stock assessment and management of invertebrate fisheries using pre-recruit abundance—case studies from Western Australia, Reviews in Fisheries Science and Aquaculture, 22 (1) 36–54.
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- Caputi, N, Penn, JW, Joll, LM and Chubb, CF 1998, Stock-recruitment-environment relationships for invertebrate species of Western Australia. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Special Publication, 125: 247–255.
- Carrick, N 2008, Determining the impact of environmental variability on the sustainability, fishery dynamics and economic performance of the West Coast Prawn Fishery, final report, Fisheries Research and Development Corporation project 2005/082, FRDC and Fisheries and Environmental Consulting Services, Canberra.
- Carrick, NA 2003, Spencer Gulf Prawn (Melicertus latisulcatus) Fishery, Fishery Assessment Report to Primary Industries and Regions South Australia Fisheries, South Australian Research and Development Institute publication RD03/0079-2, SARDI Research Report Series 161, SARDI, Adelaide.
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