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Striped marlin under threat
The long-term sustainability of the Australian striped marlin fishery
is under threat from the practices of commercial longliners and the inability
of the government to manage fish stocks.
The Bureau of Rural Sciences (BRS) report Striped marlin: biology and
fisheries contained many points of interest pertaining to the Australian
fishery, including a recommendation that fisheries' managers collect more
data and consider new management tools in a bid to alleviate conflict
between commercial and recreational striped marlin fishers.
The report revealed:
• between 70 and 90 per cent of marlin are exported to Japan
• striped marlin are not currently regarded as a target species by
Australian fisheries and the commercial sector, but rather as a by-product
catch encountered by longliners fishing for yellowfin tuna, albacore,
big-eye tuna and swordfish.
However, a clear example that striped marlin is indeed being targeted
occurred in 2002 off the southeast coast. Over a 30-day period, in a small
four-degree square, more than 80,000kg of striped marlin was taken by
longliners. This was 4.5 times the total catch of all other targeted species
taken during the same time.
The report states that Australian striped marlin commands prices on the
Japanese sashimi market comparable to those for big-eye, hence there is
a clear financial motivation for taking this species when it is abundant
and of sufficient quality.
As Dean Butler points out in his column (page 28), longliners are not
breaking any laws by fishing for striped marlin. However, management procedures
need to be put in place now to stop the overexploitation of the species
that's occurring while the government works out how to manage the fish
stocks.
If you're concerned or have noticed a decline in striped marlin numbers
or an apparent imbalance between the amount of bait and the predators
eating it, write a letter to the Minister of Fisheries. Address it to:
Senator Ian Macdonald
Minister for Fisheries, Forestry and Conservation
M1 17 Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600
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