Description of the fishery

Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery Annual Status Report 2008

For a brief overview of the fishery including information on target species, fishing techniques, number of operators, stock status and management arrangements see Fishery at a glance.

  1. Target and byproduct species
  2. Management arrangements
  3. Fishing methods
  4. Fishing areas
  5. Allocation between sectors
  6. Governing legislation/fishing authority
  7. Status of export approval/accreditation under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

1.1. Target and byproduct species

Under the Fisheries Management Act 2001 and the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Management Plan 2005 (the Plan), target species are tuna and billfish. The majority of targeted effort is at yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna, albacore tuna and broadbill swordfish. A small component of the fishery also takes striped marlin on a seasonal basis. Ray’s bream, dolphin fish and oil fishes are also an important component of the catch. Operators fishing in the ETBF also take Southern Bluefin Tuna (SBT) along the New South Wales (NSW) coast during certain times of the year as a byproduct species. All catch of SBT that is not released in an alive and vigorous state has to be covered by quota under the Southern Bluefin Tuna Management Plan 1995.

An overview of the target and byproduct species can also be found in the Bureau of Rural Sciences (BRS) fisheries status review for the ETBF.

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1.2. Management arrangements

The fishery is continuing to be managed by annual fishing permits (through transitional arrangements under the Plan) which apply conditions and limit the number of boats operating.

Current management arrangements in the ETBF include:

  • A formal mid-year-review of albacore tuna management arrangements, for economic performance, either at the August 2008 Eastern Tuna Resource Assessment Group (ETRAG) meeting or when 2,000 tonnes has been taken by the fishery. Performance indicators examining catch and effort, fish size (length and weight) and catch value will be used to assess albacore with a trigger response.
  • A competitive Total Allowable Catch (TAC) of 1,400 tonnes for broadbill swordfish with monthly trigger limits in response to localised depletion. If a trigger limit is breached it restricts all vessels to a 10 fish per trip bycatch limit. This has been in force since 2006 and effectively reduced catch in 2007 to 1,290 tonnes.
  • Restricted access zones and increased observer requirements on the NSW coast during certain times of the year (around May-November) to control interactions with SBT.
  • Reporting obligations including logbooks, carriage of observers and independently verified catch disposal records (CDRs).
  • Bycatch reduction measures including use of tori lines, weighted lines, thawed baits, ban on the use of wire trace and any offal discharge and bycatch trip limits on sharks.

These arrangements will continue until the allocation of Statutory Fishing Rights (SFRs).

Once the Plan comes into full effect (expected to be late 2008), the ETBF will be managed by input controls via pelagic longline and minor line (trolling, rod and reel and handline or pole) effort statutory fishing rights (SFRs). Input controls regulate fishing activity in a fishery by restricting fishers to use a certain amount or type of gear or a certain amount of fishing time. Pelagic longline and minor line SFRs will allow the holder to expend the level of fishing effort in terms of longline clips deployed(1) attached to those pelagic longline or minor line SFRs as referenced by the total allowable effort (TAE) for both types of effort SFRs.

The TAE in terms of a number of longline clips will be determined at the start of the fishing season and will define the effort units that can be used in the fishery. SFR holders will be allocated individual transferable effort units as a proportion of the TAE. Each longline clip deployed will be decremented from their quota holdings at a rate determined by the location of fishing (sub-area factor).

Effort units expended = longline clips x sub-area factor

Sub-area factors will be set for various geographic divisions of the fishery. These will allow AFMA to control effort spatially. For example, by adjusting the sub-area factor, AFMA may be able to discourage fishing in areas showing signs of localised depletion.

Under the effort management system operators are required to either: install a drum monitor system and pre-nominate the number of clips they will use before commencement of a fishing event or alternatively install an AFMA-approved system on board that will monitor clip numbers. The data from these devices will provide information on the fishing operation.

For further information see Management of the fishery.

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1.3. Fishing methods

The methods used to target tuna and billfish in the ETBF are pelagic longline, trolling, handlining and rod and reel fishing.

Pelagic longline fishing (Figure 1) involves the use of branch lines attached to a mainline. Each branch line is fitted with one or more baited hooks. The longline is set in the sea in such a manner that the mainline, branch lines and hooks are suspended in the water column by floats at the sea surface.

Figure 1: Illustration of a pelagic longline (a longline [baited] hook is attached to each snood and termed a longline clip)
Pelagic longline

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1.4. Fishing areas

To view a map detailing the area of the fishery see Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery map (for more information on where effort is concentrated see Section 5.4: Spatial issues/trends).

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1.5. Allocation between sectors

There are two commercial sectors in the ETBF, the pelagic longline and minor line sector. Under the Plan the operators in each sector will be granted either longline and/or minor line SFRs. For a season, each SFR entitles the holder to expend an equal share of the TAE for the fishery. Longline and Minor Line TAEs will be determined annually by AFMA in accordance with the Plan.

The initial TAE for the longline sector has not been formally determined but the AFMA Board decided in 2006 that in principal it be set as 7.8 million longline clips with each SFR therefore equal to 7.8 longline clips. ETMAC has recommended the minor line TAC be set such that each minor line SFR will be allocated 16 lines with a review occurring if the sector takes greater than 100 tonnes of total catch. This will be formally determined when SFRs are granted.

The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) have been working with the commercial and recreational fishing sectors seeking to reach an equitable agreement on the allocation of resources between the commercial and recreational sectors.

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1.6. Governing legislation/fishing authority

All fisheries are managed under the Fisheries Management Act 1991 and their respective management plan – Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery Management Plan 2005 . The fishery is continuing to be managed by annual fishing permits (through transitional arrangements under the Management Plan) until SFRs are granted sometime in 2008. Australian commitments and obligations under the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) are put in place through the Management Plan and conditions and entitlements.

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1.7. Status of export approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999

The ETBF was granted export approval/accreditation under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) on 28 July 2005 for a period of 3 years and is valid until 20 July 2008. A copy of the letter to AFMA and the conditions and recommendations can be found on the Department of the Environment, Water and Heritage (DEWHA) website.

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(1) A clip is defined as a snood with a longline hook attached