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Ocean Jacket (2023)

Nelusetta ayraud

  • Amy Smoothey (New South Wales Department of Primary Industries)
  • Stephen Bradshaw (Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania)
  • Daniel Wright (Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences)
  • Michael Drew (South Australian Research and Development Institute)
  • Justin Bell (Victorian Fisheries Authority)

Date Published: June 2023

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Summary

Ocean Jackets are found along the southern half of Australia, with sustainable stocks in NSW, SA and Commonwealth waters. Stocks in VIC are undefined, with limited information available. Stocks are negligible in TAS.

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Stock Status Overview

Stock status determination
Jurisdiction Stock Stock status Indicators
Commonwealth Commonwealth Trawl Sector Sustainable Catch, effort, CPUE
Commonwealth Great Australian Bight Trawl Sector Sustainable Catch, effort, CPUE
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Stock Structure

Ocean Jackets are distributed along the southern half of Australia from Cape Moreton in Queensland around to North West Cape in Western Australia, including northern Tasmania [Kailola et al 1993]. Throughout their distribution, Ocean Jackets are found in many habitats. As juveniles they are found in estuaries and sheltered bays amongst seagrass beds of Zostera sp. and Posidonia sp. [Grove-Jones and Burnell 1991, Jones and West 2005]. Sub-adults and adults are found in different habitats such as rocky reefs, sandy–mud benthos, or sponge–coralline algae gardens in waters from 2–250 m [Grove-Jones and Burnell 1991, Hutchins 1999], where they are known to aggregate seasonally in large schools.

Little is known about the biological structure of the Ocean Jacket stock. Here, assessment of stock status is presented at the management unit level—Commonwealth Trawl Sector, Great Australian Bight Trawl Sector (Commonwealth); and at the jurisdictional level—New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.

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Stock Status

Commonwealth Trawl Sector

In the Commonwealth Trawl Sector (CTS) of the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF), Ocean Jacket is a non-quota, by-product species. It has not been the subject of formal stock assessments under the SESSF Harvest Strategy Framework (HSF) [AFMA 2021]. However, CPUE is standardised.

A standardised CPUE series for Ocean Jacket in the CTS shows a similar trend to landings, suggesting that the abundance of Ocean Jackets increased after 2003. Following a period of relatively high CPUE from 2007 to 2017, it was slightly less between 2018 and 2020, but in 2020 remained above the long-term average across the entire time series [Sporcic 2021]. Ocean Jacket in the CTS was recently assessed under a sustainability assessment for fishing effects (SAFE). The SAFE found Ocean Jacket to be at ‘low risk’, meaning that the estimated fishing mortality rate during 2012 to 2016 (the period under assessment) was less than that required to drive the stock below the maximum sustainable mortality level [Sporcic et al. 2021]. 

Commonwealth-landed catch in the 2021–22 fishing season was 168.1 tonnes (t), based on logbook data [Emery et al. 2022]. The weighted average of the previous four calendar years (2017 to 2020) was calculated and used to estimate discards of 704.3 t [Althaus et al. 2021]. The CPUE remains above the long-term average of the entire time series, indicating that CTS catches are not driving the stock below the limit reference point (20% of the unfished biomass). 

There is some uncertainty with regard the use of CPUE as a reliable indicator of abundance, for instance, because of the large and variable estimates of discards in the CTS. However, the above evidence indicates that the biomass of this stock is unlikely to be depleted and fishing mortality is unlikely to cause the stock to become recruitment impaired.

On the basis of the evidence presented above, Ocean Jacket in the Commonwealth Trawl Sector (Commonwealth) management unit is classified as a sustainable stock

Great Australian Bight Trawl Sector

In the Great Australian Bight Trawl Sector (GABTS) of the Commonwealth managed SESSF, Ocean Jacket is a non-quota, by-product species. It has not been the subject of formal stock assessments under the SESSF HSF [AFMA 2021], however, CPUE is standardised. A bycatch survey of the GABTS stock in 2001 indicated that Ocean Jacket is often discarded [Knuckey and Brown 2002], which potentially limits the use of commercial CPUE as an index of abundance for this species [Moore et al. 2022].

Ocean jacket is a relatively short-lived species (approximately 6 years), reaching maturity within 2–3 years. Large cyclical changes in abundance appear to have occurred off eastern Australia [Miller and Stewart 2009]. Historical catch data suggest that Ocean Jacket was fished down off the east coast of Australia in the 1920s and 1950s [Klaer 2001]. There are no age data for Ocean Jacket from the GABTS, and the available historical length-frequency data are too old to be useful. 

Standardised CPUE for Ocean Jacket in the GABTS has been variable through time, with the most recent estimate similar to that at the start of the series (1986) [Sporcic 2021]. Fishery-independent surveys have been undertaken in the GAB since 2005. The relative abundance estimate increased by 77% between surveys in 2018 and 2021 [Knuckey et al. 2018, 2021]. This variability in Ocean Jacket abundance aligns with previous observations reported by Miller and Stewart [2009]. 

Landed catch of Ocean Jacket in the GABTS peaked in 2005 at 527 t. Commonwealth-landed catch in the GABTS has been less than 250 t since 2008–09 and was 182 t in the 2021–22 fishing season, based on logbook data [Moore et al. 2022].

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 current level of fishing mortality is unlikely to cause the stock to become recruitment impaired.

On the basis of the evidence presented above, Ocean Jacket in the Great Australian Bight Trawl Sector (Commonwealth) management unit is classified as a sustainable stock.

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Biology

Ocean Jacket biology [Kailola et al. 1993; Miller et al. 2010; Miller and Stewart 2012]

Biology
Species Longevity / Maximum Size Maturity (50 per cent)
Ocean Jacket

at least 9 years, 790 mm FL New South Wales 6 years, 656 mm TL

New South Wales 2.5 years

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Distributions

Distribution of reported commercial catch of Ocean Jacket
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Tables

Fishing methods
Commonwealth
Commercial
Danish Seine
Otter Trawl
Management methods
Method Commonwealth
Commercial
Gear restrictions
Limited entry
Marine park closures
Spatial closures
Trip limits
Catch
Commonwealth
Commercial 327.69t

Commonwealth – Commercial (Management Methods/Catch). Data provided for the Commonwealth align with the Commonwealth Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery for the 2021–22 financial year.

Commonwealth – Recreational. The Australian government does not manage recreational fishing in Commonwealth waters. Recreational fishing in Commonwealth waters is managed by the state or territory immediately adjacent to those waters, under its management regulations.  

Commonwealth – Indigenous. The Australian government does not manage non-commercial Indigenous fishing in Commonwealth waters, with the exception of Torres Strait. In general, non-commercial Indigenous fishing in Commonwealth waters is managed by the state or territory immediately adjacent to those waters.

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

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

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.

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Catch Chart

Commercial catch of Ocean Jacket - note confidential catch not shown
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References

  1. AFMA 2021, Harvest strategy framework for the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery 2009 (amended 2021), Australian Fisheries Management Authority, Canberra.
  2. Althaus, F, Thomson, R and Sutton, C 2021, Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery catches and discards for TAC purposes using data until 2020, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Hobart.
  3. Emery, T, Wright, D, Davis, K, Keller, K, Woodhams, J and Curtotti, R 2022, Commonwealth Trawl and Scalefish Hook sectors, in Patterson, H, Bromhead, D, Galeano, D, Larcombe, J, Timmiss, T, Woodhams, J and Curtotti, R (eds), Fishery status reports 2022, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, Canberra.
  4. Grove-Jones, RP and Burnell, AF 1991, Fisheries biology of the Ocean Jacket (Monacanthidae: Nelusetta ayraudi) in the eastern waters of the Great Australian Bight. South Australian Department of Fisheries. FIRDC Project DFS01Z, Final report 107 pp.
  5. Hughes, JM, Murphy, JJ, Ochwada-Doyle, FA and Taylor, MD 2023, NSW Charter Fishery Monitoring 2019/20, NSW DPI - Fisheries Final Report Series No. 162.
  6. Hutchins, BJ 1999. Leatherjackets. In Andrew, NL Under southern Seas. The ecology of Australia’s rocky reefs. University of New South Wales Press Ltd, Sydney. pp 195–202.
  7. Jones, MV and West, RJ 2005, Spatial and temporal variability of seagrass fishes in intermittently closed and open coastal lakes in southeastern Australia, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 64: 277–288.
  8. Kailola, PJ, Williams, MJ, Stewart, PC, Reichelt, RE, McNee, A and Grieve, C 1993, Australian Fisheries Resources. Australian Bureau of Resource Sciences and the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation. Canberra.
  9. Klaer, N 2001, Steam trawl catches from southeastern Australia from 1918 to 1957: trends in catch rates and species composition. Marine and Freshwater Research, 52: 399–410.
  10. Knuckey, I, Koopman, M and Hudson, R 2018, Resource survey of the Great Australian Bight Trawl Sector 2018, report to AFMA, Fishwell Consulting, Queenscliff, and Australian Fisheries Management Authority, Canberra.
  11. Knuckey, I, Koopman, M and Hudson, R 2021, Resource survey of the Great Australian Bight Trawl Sector 2021, report to AFMA, Fishwell Consulting, Queenscliff, and Australian Fisheries Management Authority, Canberra.
  12. Knuckey, IA and Brown, LP 2002, Assessment of bycatch in the Great Australian Bight Trawl Fishery, final report to FRDC, report 2000/169, FRDC, Canberra.
  13. Miller, ME and Stewart, J 2009, The commercial fishery for ocean leatherjackets (Nelusetta ayraudi, Monacanthidae) in New South Wales, Australia, Asian Fisheries Science, 22: 257–264.
  14. Miller, ME and Stewart, J 2012, Reproductive characteristics of the ocean leatherjacket, Nelusetta ayraudi. Reviews of Fish Biology and Fisheries.
  15. Miller, ME, Stewart, J and West, RJ 2010, Using otoliths to estimate age and growth of a large Australian endemic monocanthid, Nelusetta ayraudi (Quoy and Gaimard, 1824). Environmental Bioliology of Fishes, 88: 263–271
  16. Moore, A, Keller, K and Tuynman, H 2022, Great Australian Bight Trawl Sector, in Patterson, H, Bromhead, D, Galeano, D, Larcombe, J, Timmiss, T, Woodhams, J, and Curtotti, R (eds), Fishery status reports 2022, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, Canberra.
  17. Moore, B, Lyle, J and Hartmann, K 2018, Tasmanian Scalefish Fishery Assessment 2016/17. Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania.
  18. Murphy, JJ, Ochwada-Doyle, FA, West, LD, Stark, KE and Hughes, JM 2020, The NSW Recreational Fisheries Monitoring Program - survey of recreational fishing, 2017/18. NSW DPI - Fisheries Final Report Series No. 158.
  19. Murphy, JJ, Ochwada-Doyle, FA. West, LD, Stark, KE, Hughes, JM and Taylor, MD 2022, Survey of recreational fishing in NSW, 2019/20. NSW DPI - Fisheries Final Report Series No. 161.
  20. 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.
  21. 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.
  22. Smoothey, AF 2023. NSW Stock Status Summary 2021/22 – Ocean Jacket – (Nelusetta ayraudi). NSW Department of Primary Industries. Fisheries NSW. 7 pp.
  23. Sporcic, M 2021, Statistical CPUE standardisations for selected SESSF species (data to 2020), CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Hobart.
  24. Sporcic, M, Bulman, CM and Fuller, M 2021, Ecological risk assessment for the effects of fishing: report for the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (Commonwealth Trawl Sector) – otter trawl subfishery 2012–2016, CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere, Hobart.
  25. 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. NSW DPI – Fisheries Final Report Series No. 149.

Downloadable reports

Click the links below to view reports from other years for this fish.