TAE for billfish and tuna to be determined by AFMA

The Australian East Coast Tuna and Billfish Fishery's (ETBF) Total Allowable Effort (TAE) workshop was held in Canberra on December 12-13. However, any decision on this crucial aspect of the managament of the fishery will be left up to the AFMA board.

The two-day TAE workshop was attended by government agency representatives, scientists, commercial fishermen, environmentalists and recreational fishers. The gamefishing industry and GFAA-affiliated clubs were represented by the GFAA Research & Development Foundation head and GFAA past president, Bob Lowe.
Dr John Gunn of CSIRO Marine Research was Chairman/Moderator of the meeting.

Dr Robert Campbell, CSIRO Marine Research, presented papers showing catch details for tuna and billfish in the Western Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) and South West Pacific Ocean (SWPO) together with catch and effort information pertaining to Australian longline fishing operations in the ETBF.

Ultimately, Dr Campbell projected a proposed total allowable catch (TAC) to be converted to a TAE for the various species to be fished to a maximum sustainable yield (MSY). The concept of TAC being thus converted to TAE was accepted and on this basis the workshop proceeded.

According the GFAA's Bob Lowe, the only species considered during the workshop were yellowfin and bigeye tunas, and broadbill swordfish. Striped marlin in the ETBF were ignored, much to the shagrin of the gamefishing and recreational fishing reps present.

Mr Lowe told BlueWater: "It was quickly evident that the workshop was not designed to arrive with a consensual recommended TAE. Rather, the Dr Gunn confirmed he would collate a series of submissions from the various attendees and submit them to the Board of AFMA for it to determine the TAE."

"Despite figures showing both localised and wider depletion of swordfish stocks and statistics showing that MSY for yellowfin and bigeye tunas were headed way over precautionary figures, the longline lobby put forward a detailed submission that it should double its catch in the next five years," Lowe revealed.

"Its submission suggested that effort be increased to a total of 25 million hooks - 15 million hooks in the Australian Fishing Zone (AFZ) and 10 million in the high seas," Lowe added.

Via Lowe, the GFAA submitted the following recommendations:
• TAE of eight million hooks in the AFZ and two million in the high seas be set for two years and then be subject to review by all stakeholders. This will reduce the current effort from the unsustainable 11.7 million hooks.
• Allocation of a fair share of the resource to the gamefishing industry and recreational anglers generally, the 'product' of two million hooks to be allocated to the recreational and charter sectors as a Statutory Fishing Right (SFR). This is 25% of the proposed eight million hooks for longliners and would be linked by that percentage to any future increase in their TAE.
• Prevent further localised depletion of striped marlin and ensure a sustainable strike rate for the gamefishing by a spacial closure of the longline fleet in the ETBF inside 2000m depth.
• Baitfish recources to be protected in the inshore fishery by time closures..