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Bluethroat Wrasse are found on rocky reefs around south-eastern Australia. Catches in VIC, TAS and SA are considered to be sustainable. Catches in NSW are considered to be negligible.

Bluethroat Wrasse are found on rocky reefs around south-eastern Australia, including the waters of southern New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia [Edgar 1997]. There is currently no information regarding the biological stock throughout this range. The species has a planktonic larval duration ranging from 44 to 66 days [Welsford 2003]. Once settled, Bluethroat Wrasse show a high degree of site fidelity [Edgar et al. 2004]. This suggests that, despite the potential for extensive dispersal of larvae by ocean currents, exploited populations in each jurisdiction could represent different stocks. Thus, conservatively, assessment of stock status is presented at the jurisdictional level—New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.

Tasmania

In Tasmania, Bluethroat Wrasse is targeted for live fish markets for human consumption and as bait for the rock lobster fishery (bait usage is likely to be under-reported). Between the late 1990s and mid 2000s, peak catches (all wrasse species combined) beyond 100 t were reported. Since 2007, catches of Bluethroat Wrasse have been differentiated to species level in commercial logbooks.

A significant catch reduction occurred in 2020 commensurate with COVID related reduced demand for live fish. Since then, catch has remained at a lower level with the total reported catch in 2021–22 at 29.7 t (approximately half the catch taken in 2018–19) [Sharples et al. 2023]. Since data first became available in 2007, commercial catch rates have been relatively stable with a slight upwards trend [Sharples et al. 2023]. Bluethroat wrasse are rarely targeted by recreational fishers, generally representing by-catch [Lyle et al. 2014]. The latest estimates of recreational catches (all wrasse species) were 6.4 t in 2012–13 and 9.6 t in 2017–18, representing about 10% of the total commercial catch [Lyle et al. 2019]. 

State-wide analyses of catch and effort are insensitive to changes at the level of individual reefs at which the fishery has been shown to impact local population abundances [Stuart-Smith et al. 2008; Walsh et al. 2017]. Thus, it is possible that marked regional shifts in effort over the years have masked localised depletions. Monitoring of such potential localised depletions should be introduced, especially in areas where effort is known to be concentrated. 

Based on current evidence, the biomass of Bluethroat Wrasse in Tasmania is unlikely to be depleted and recruitment is unlikely to be impaired. Furthermore, the current level of fishing mortality is unlikely to cause the stock to become recruitment impaired. On this basis, Bluethroat Wrasse in Tasmania is classified as a sustainable stock.

Bluethroat Wrasse biology [May and Maxwell 1986; Barrett 1995; Smith et al. 2003].

Distribution of reported commercial catch of Bluethroat Wrasse.

New South Wales – Recreational (Catch). Murphy et al. [2022] 

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

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 fishinglicence under the provisions of the Commonwealth’s Native Title Act 1993.

Tasmania – Commercial (Catch). Catches reported for the Tasmanian Scalefish Fishery are for the period 1 July to 30 June the following year. The most recent assessment available is for 2021-22.

Tasmania – Commercial (Catch). A trip limit of 30 kg for landed dead Wrasse is in place unless fishers hold a Wrasse licence.

Tasmania – Recreational (Management Methods). A recreational licence is required for fishers using dropline or longline gear, along with nets, such as gillnet or beach seine. A minimum size limit of 300 mm is in place for all Wrasse species in Tasmanian waters. A bag limit of five fish and a possession limit of ten fish (all Wrasse species) are also in place.

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).

Commercial catch of Bluethroat Wrasse - note confidential catch not shown.

1. Barrett, NS 1995, Aspects of the biology and ecology of six temperate reef fishes (families: Labridae and Monacanthidae). PhD thesis, University of Tasmania.
2. Beckmann, CL, Durante, LM, Graba-Landry, A, Stark, KE and Tracey, SR 2023, Survey of recreational fishing in South Australia 2021–22, Report to PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture. South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences), Adelaide. SARDI Publication No. F2022/000385-1. SARDI Research Report Series No. 1161. 185pp.
3. Bell, JD, Ingram, BA, Gorfine, HK and Conron, SD 2020, Review of key Victorian fish stocks — 2022, Victorian Fisheries Authority Science Report Series No. 38, First Edition, November 2023. VFA: Queenscliff. 176pp
4. Edgar, G 1997, Australian Marine Life: the plants and animals of temperate waters. Reed Books, Melbourne.
5. Edgar, GJ, Barrett, NS and Morton, AJ 2004, Patterns of fish movement on eastern Tasmanian rocky reefs, Environmental Biology of Fishes, 70: 273–284.
6. Lyle, JM, Stark, KE and Tracey, SR 2014, 2012–13 survey of recreational fishing in Tasmania. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, Hobart.
7. Lyle, JM, Stark, KE, Ewing, GP and Tracey, SR 2019, 2017-18 Survey of recreational fishing in Tasmania. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, Hobart, Tasmania.
8. May, JL and Maxwell, JGH 1986, Trawl fish from temperate waters of Australia. CSIRO Division of Fisheries Research, Tasmania. 492 p.
9. Murphy, JJ, Ochwada-Doyle, FA, West, LD, Stark, KE and Hughes, JM 2020, The Recreational Fisheries Monitoring Program, Survey of recreational fishing in 2017–18, Fisheries final report series 158, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Wollongong.
10. Murphy, JJ. Ochwada-Doyle, FA, West, LD, Stark, KE, Hughes, JM, and Taylor, MD 2022, Survey of recreational fishing in NSW, 2019/20. NSW Department of Primary Industries, Nelson Bay, Fisheries Final Report Series No. 161. 80p.
11. Sharples , R, Cresswell, K, Hartmann, K and Krueck, N 2023, Tasmanian Scalefish Fishery Assessment 2021/22. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania.
12. Smart, JJ, McGarvey, R, Feenstra, J, Drew, MJ, Earl, J, Durante, L, Beckmann, CL, Matthews, D, Matthews, JM, Mark, K, Bussell, J, Davey, J, Tsolos, A and Noell, C 2023, Assessment of the South Australian Marine Scalefish Fishery in 2021–22, Report to PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture. South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences), Adelaide. SARDI Publication No. F2017/000427-6. SARDI Research Report Series No. 1184. 259pp.
13. Smith, DC, Montgomery, I, Sivzkumaran, KP, Krusic Golub, K, Smith ,K and Hodge, R 2003, The fisheries biology of Bluethroat Wrasse (Notolabrus tetricus) in Victorian Waters. Fisheries Research and Development Corporation project 97/128, Fisheries Research and Development Corporation and Department of Primary Industries, Victoria.
14. Stuart-Smith, RD, Barrett, NS, Crawford, CM, Frusher, SD, Stevenson, DG and Edgar, GJ 2008, Spatial patterns in impacts of fishing on temperate rocky reefs: Are fish abundance and mean size related to proximity to fisher access points? Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 365:116–125.
15. Victorian Fisheries Authority Commercial Fish Production Information Bulletin 2019. Victorian Fisheries Authority, Queenscliff, Victoria, Australia.
16. Walsh, AT, Barrett, N and Hill, N 2017, Efficacy of baited remote underwater video systems and bait type in the cool-temperature zone for monitoring ‘no-take’ marine reserves, Marine and Freshwater Research, 68: 568–580.
17. Welsford, DC 2003, Early life-history settlement dynamics and growth of the temperate wrasse, Notolabrus furicola (Richardson 1840), on the east coast of Tasmania. PhD thesis, University of Tasmania, Hobart.
18. West, LD, Stark, KE, Murphy, JJ, Lyle, JM and Ochwada-Doyle, FA 2015, Survey of recreational fishing in New South Wales and the ACT, 2013–14, Fisheries final report series 149, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Wollongong.