*

Pipi are common on sandy beaches from southern QLD to the mouth of the Murray River in SA. Pipis have been harvested by Indigenous people for 10,000 years. Pipi is a sustainable stock in SA and NSW, and undefined stock in VIC.

Pipi is common on high-energy sandy beaches from southern Queensland to the mouth of the Murray River in South Australia [Murray-Jones and Ayre 1997] and the distribution may extend further westwards. High genetic variation between populations on either side of Bass Strait indicates at least two biological stocks, with the East Australian and South Australian Currents acting as key drivers of gene flow on the east and south coasts of Australia respectively [Miller et al. 2013]. A study of Pipi from Fraser Island, Queensland, to southern New South Wales, indicated a single biological stock over this area, with genetic mixing driven by ocean currents associated with the East Australian Current [Murray-Jones and Ayre 1997]. For locations west of Bass Strait in South Australia and western Victoria, no evidence of genetic structuring has been detected [Miller et al. 2013]. The degree of larval mixing is thought to be related to spawning and larval duration, although these are poorly understood [King 1976, Ferguson 2013; Gluis and Li 2014; Miller et al. 2013]. Although no genetic differences were detected among Pipi populations on beaches along the east coast of Australia, in any given year, most recruits are likely to be self-seeded or to come from nearby, adjacent beaches [Murray-Jones and Ayre 1997]. This is also likely the case for the fisheries located to the west of Bass Strait. Despite the work outlined above, the biological stock delineation of Pipi remains unclear.

Here, assessment of stock status is presented at the jurisdictional level—New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia.

Victoria

In Victoria, Pipi support commercial, recreational and Indigenous fisheries. Pipi shells present in middens along the Victorian coastline suggest that they have been harvested by indigenous communities for the past 10,000 years [Godfrey, 1989].

The commercial fishery has operated since 1990 and transitioned to quota management in April 2020 with an annual total allowable commercial catch (TACC) for each of three management zones and a specific Pipi Fishery Access Licence required for fishers. From 2020, a Pipi fishery-specific catch/effort logbook was introduced, and fishing has been limited to two fishers per licence per day.

Commercial catches remained low from the early 1990s until 2010, then increased seven-fold in 2011 as the fishery transitioned from bait to human consumption markets, with most catches originating from Discovery Bay [Gorfine and Talman, 2023]. In 2013–14, the commercial Pipi catch increased to 86 t, then declined to 54 t in 2019–20. The TACC for the 2021–22 season was set at 10 t in Discovery Bay Western Zone, 40 t in Discovery Bay Eastern Zone and 2 t in the Venus Bay Commercial Zone.

Commercial catch rates (CPUE) provide the only available spatio-temporal index of relative abundance for Pipi. Uncertainty exists around CPUE as an index of abundance due to changes in fishing practices and reporting over time, but this may be reduced in future with improved logbook reporting [Gorfine and Talman 2023]. 

Recreational fishers harvest Pipi for food and bait, primarily in the summer months, with the impacts of recreational harvesting thought to be localised around beach access points [Lewis et al. 2012]. Although recreational Pipi fishing occurs throughout the State, most occurs in Venus Bay, and the magnitude of catches is currently unknown [Bell et al. 2023]. Anecdotal information suggests that increased recreational fishing has occurred at Discovery Bay and elsewhere. A recent fishery-independent survey of Venus Bay provided information on abundances and sizes of Pipi and found that fishing pressure across 2015–18 impacted biomass in summer and autumn, but not in the remaining seasons, with a further meta-analysis across 2009–17 suggesting that variable biomass among summers was likely due to a combination of effort, environmental conditions, growth and survival [Morrongiello, 2021].

For Pipi in Victoria, there is limited knowledge of recruitment, temporal and spatial trends in harvestable biomass, and no formal harvest strategy with defined target and limit reference points. As such, TACC have remained unchanged since their relatively recent introduction, and there is insufficient information available to classify the status of this stock.

On the basis of the evidence provided above, Pipi in Victoria is classified as an undefined stock.

Pipi biology [King 1976; Murray-Jones 1999; Ferguson 2013; Ferguson et al. 2021]

Distribution of reported commercial catch of Pipi

Active Vessels.  Pipi are collected from beaches and ‘vessels’ are not used. Hence, numbers of licences and fishers are presented here instead of vessel numbers. Licences refer to the number of licence holders with an endorsement to take Pipi for sale.

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.

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

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

South Australia and Victoria - Commercial (Catch). Catches from the MSF in South Australia, and the BF and OF in Victoria cannot be reported separately for confidentiality reasons as there are fewer than five licences.

South Australia – Indigenous (Management Methods). In South Australia, regulations for managing recreational fishing may not apply to fishing activities by Indigenous people. South Australian traditional owners may have rights under the Commonwealth's Native Title Act 1993 to hunt, fish, gather and conduct other cultural activities for their personal, domestic or non-commercial communal needs without the need to obtain a licence.

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.

Commercial catch of Pipi - note confidential catch not shown

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