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Southern Shortfin Eel occurs in coastal streams of eastern Australia, from southern QLD to the Murray River (SA). A distinct sub-species is also found in New Zealand and islands of the western Pacific. There is currently no cross-jurisdictional stock assessment for Southern Shortfin Eel in Australia, so this assessment is presented at the jurisdictional level. Southern Shortfin Eel is classified as undefined in QLD and NSW, and sustainable in VIC and TAS.

Photo: Museums Victoria

Southern Shortfin Eel is widespread in coastal streams of south-eastern Australia, from the Pine River in southern Queensland to the Murray River in South Australia, including Tasmania. The species also occurs in New Zealand and western Pacific Islands [Beaumer 1996; Allen et al. 2002]. Genetic studies indicate that Shortfin Eel represents two geographically separate subspecies; Anguilla australis australis in Australia and Anguilla australis schmidtii in New Zealand and western Pacific islands [Shen and Tzeng 2007; Arai 2016]. As there is currently no cross-jurisdictional stock assessment undertaken for the shared stock, assessment of stock status is presented here at the jurisdictional level—New South Wales, Queensland, Tasmania and Victoria.

New South Wales

In New South Wales, commercial catches of Southern Shortfin Eel are taken almost exclusively by eel trapping in the Estuary General Fishery, which is only permitted to operate in tidal waters of 75 coastal rivers and excluded from all freshwater and inland river reaches. Limited eel trapping is also permitted in a small number of nominated farm dams and coastal impoundments through section 37 permits, although these primarily target the more widely distributed Longfin Eel (Anguilla reinhardtii). In NSW, Southern Shortfin Eel is found primarily in coastal drainages east of the Great Dividing Range and in the Snowy River catchment; however, because the latter drains into east Gippsland, Victoria, it is not fished for eels in NSW.

Commercial catches of Southern Shortfin Eel have fluctuated widely, with a rapid increase in the early 1990s to a peak of 82.2 tonnes (t) in 1993–94 before decreasing to 3.2 t in 1996–97, and then increasing to a second peak of 46.8 t in 1998–99 before steadily decreasing to 4.3 t in 2005–06 [Hall 2020]. Since then, catches have remained at less than 10 t, and have been less than 1 t over the last five years [Hall 2023]. There are insufficient data in many years to form a time series of catch rates for standardisation from New South Wales waters [Hall 2020]. Reported fishing effort for the species by eel trapping also declined rapidly during the 2000s from 1,866 days in 2000–01 to less than 150 days since 2009–10 and less than 5 days per annum over the last five years [Hall 2023]. Targeted fishing for Longfin Eel still occurs in many of the estuaries where catches of Southern Shortfin Eel were historically reported. Fisher identification and reporting of the two species may not be reliable.

Recreational catches of freshwater eels are not separated according to species. The most recent estimate of the recreational harvest of combined species was approximately 2,605 eels during 2019–20, with an additional 7,369 eels caught and released [Murphy et al. 2022]. This estimate was based on a survey of Recreational Fishing Licence (RFL) Households, comprised of at least one fisher possessing a long-term (1 or 3 years duration) fishing licence and any other fishers resident within their household. The equivalent estimates from previous surveys in 2017–18 and 2013–14 were approximately 2,955 and 1,024 eels, with an additional 8,744 and 16,479 eels caught and released [Murphy et al. 2020]. A survey of Aboriginal cultural fishing in the Tweed River catchment identified freshwater eels as one of the main components of freshwater catches [Schnierer and Egan 2016]; however, statewide estimates of the annual Aboriginal harvest of eels in New South Wales waters are unknown. There is insufficient information to confidently classify the status of this stock.

On the basis of the information provided above, Southern Shortfin Eel in New South Wales is classified as an undefined stock.

[Beumer 1996; Allen et al. 2002; McKinnon et al. 2002; Crook et al. 2014].

New South Wales – Commercial (Catch). Data are provided in financial years.

New South Wales – Recreational (Catch). Estimates from Murphy et al. [2020,2022], based on a survey of Recreational Fishing Licence households. Note, estimates for eels are highly uncertain, with a relative standard error of greater than 30% and based on survey data from fewer than 20 households.

New South Wales – Indigenous (Management Methods). https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/aboriginal-fishing).

Queensland – Indigenous (Management Methods). for more information see https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries/traditional-fishing

Queensland – Commercial (Catch). Queensland commercial and charter data have been sourced from the commercial fisheries logbook program. Further information available through the Queensland Fisheries Summary Report https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries/monitoring-research/data/queensland-fisheries-summary-report 

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.
Tasmania - Recreational (Management Methods). In Tasmania, an angling licence is required to take eels. There is a 12 fish daily bag limit for eels with a minimum size of 300 mm and a possession limit of 24 eels at any one time [IFS 2018].
Tasmania - Indigenous (Management Methods). In Tasmania, Indigenous persons engaged in traditional fishing activities in marine waters are exempt from holding recreational fishing licences but must comply with all other fisheries rules as if they were licensed. For details, see the policy document 'Recognition of Aboriginal Fishing Activities” (https://fishing.tas.gov.au/Documents/Policy%20for%20Aboriginal%20tags%20and%20alloting%20an%20UIC.pdf).

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2. Arai, T 2016, Taxonomy and distribution. In: Biology and Ecology of Anguillid Eels (Arai, T. ed.), pp. 1-20. CRC Press, London.
3. Australian Survey Research 2012, Improving Inland Recreational Fishing Survey Report. DPI: Fisheries Victoria. Australian Survey Research Group Pty Ltd, Ormond, Victoria. 89 pp.
4. Australian Survey Research Group Pty Ltd, September 2018, Victorian Fisheries Authority Recreational Fishing Survey 2018
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14. Murphy, JJ, Ochwada-Doyle, FA, West, LD, Stark, KE, Hughes, JM and Taylor, MD 2020, Survey of recreational fishing in NSW, 2019/20 – Key Results. Fisheries Final Report Series No. 161. NSW Department of Primary Industries, Nelson Bay, NSW, Australia
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19. Victorian Fisheries Authority 2017, Review of key Victorian fish stocks — 2017 Victorian Fisheries Authority Science Report Series No. 1.