The Southern Squid Jig Fishery at a glance

The Southern Squid Jig Fishery includes Commonwealth waters adjacent to NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and Queensland up to Sandy Cape (adjacent to Fraser Island).

The major fishing grounds of the Southern Squid Jig Fishery are off the south east corner of Australia.

Squid jig catches are mainly taken between Queenscliff and Portland, off the Victorian coastline, and south of Kangaroo Island off the South Australian coast with some historical activity reported from the waters around Tasmania.

At a glance
Principal species:	The main species targeted is arrow squid, (Nototodarus gouldi) and is also taken as bycatch in the South East and Great Australian Bight Trawl fisheries.
No. of Fishing Permits:	As at January 2007, there were 6400 Commonwealth Statutory Fishing Rights in the fishery. However, only 21 vessels actually fished during the previous year.
Estimated catch 2003-2004	1587 tonnes Southern Squid Jig Fishery Data Summary 2002-2003 Southern Squid Jig Fishery Data Summary 2001-2002
Main markets:	Domestic and export
Fishing methods:	Squid jigging. Most of the jig catch is taken between January and June each year, with the highest catches concentrated in March and April. Trawl catches of squid remain at a relatively constant level throughout the year.
State of the Resource	There has been very little research undertaken on arrow squid stocks of the Southern Squid Jig Fishery. However, arrow squid are known to reach a maximum age of 12 months with environmental changes thought to have an impact on recruitment levels.
Fishery specific objectives	The management objectives for the Fishery are to: control fishing effort to a level which is consistent with the current state of knowledge of the stock collect further scientific data so management decisions can be based on a sound understanding of the biological and operational characteristics of the Fishery minimise the adverse impact of the Fishery on the marine environment facilitate participants to maximise their return from harvesting the resource by removing unnecessary restrictions on their fishing activities.
Management arrangements	See Management of the fishery Southern Squid Jig Fishery, Five Year Strategic Research Plan 2001 - 2006
Consultation and communication	The Squid Management Advisory Committee (SquidMAC) was appointed in April 1998

Southern Squid Jig Fishery

At a glance