At a glance

Southern Bluefin Tuna (SBT) is a highly migratory species and is widely distributed throughout waters of the southern oceans, including the Australian Fishing Zone (AFZ).

The key areas where SBT is caught are the Great Australian Bight and waters off south eastern Australia.

At a glance
Principal Species Southern Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus maccoyii)
No. of Statutory Fishing Right (SFR) owners as at 21 July  2010 97
Estimated Catch 2008-09 = 5,062 tonnes
2007-08 = 5,234 tonnes
2006-07 = 5,234 tonnes
Estimated Value of Production 2008-09 = $45.3 million
2007-08 = $44.6 million
2006-07 = $42.4 million
Fishing Seasons For this period the SBT fishing season runs from 1 December 2009 to 30 November 2011. For the purse seine fishery, fishing for grow out ranching occurs from December – March. Longlining for SBT occurs primarily in winter months off Southern NSW.
Main Markets Japan. Small markets in USA, EU and Republic of Korea.
Fishing Techniques Around 98% of Australia’s SBT quota is taken by 5-10 purse seine vessels fishing in the GAB for 13-25 kg SBT. These are towed alive back to static grow out pontoons off Port Lincoln and grown out for up to 6 months before harvest and export largely to Japan. SBT is also a valuable and partly incidental catch for longline vessels operating in southern Australian waters. They are also taken in small amounts by pole and line, and trolling.
Stock Status At its Sixteenth annual meeting, the CCSBT agreed that the status of the SBT stock was of concern and that a meaningful reduction in the TAC was necessary in order to recover the stock and work toward reaching an interim rebuilding target reference point of 20% of the original spawning stock. Consequently, the CCSBT reduced the SBT global TAC for 2010 and 2011 to an average level over the two years of 80% of the previously allocated global TAC of 11,810 tonnes. Accordingly, the average global TAC for each of the 2010 and 2011 fishing seasons was set at 9,449 tonnes.
Management Plan The SBT Management Plan 1995 (as amended) is in place and was reviewed in 2008 to ensure reflection of current fishing practices and best risk management strategies.

The SBT Management Plan 1995 is the instrument through which Australia implements the resolutions of CCSBT in the domestic fishery.
Management Method Output controls comprising Individual Transferable Quotas (ITQs). National catch allocations for member countries were determined and set by the CCSBT at its October 2009 meeting. Australia received a combined allocation for the 2010 and 2011 seasons of 8030t. The AFMA Commission met on 30 October 2009 and agreed to set a single TAC of 8,030 tonnes for the 2010 and 2011 seasons, of which a maximum of 5,265 tonnes can be taken in the first year.  This represents a 23.7 % reduction on the previous season’s total allowable catch reflecting CCSBT catch allocations.
International Management CCSBT member countries are engaged in a Scientific Research Program (SRP). The core components of SRP are catch characterisation, CPUE standardisation, scientific observers and conventional tagging. Member countries are continuing efforts to ensure membership of the Commission includes all countries that catch SBT in significant quantities.

In October 2009 the CCSBT reduced the average global TAC for each of the 2010 and 2011 fishing seasons to 9,449 tonnes. CCSBT also decided that it would work toward implementing a management procedure (MP) in 2011 as the basis for TAC setting in 2012 and beyond.
Bycatch and Discard The Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery Management Plan 1995 states that AFMA must implement a Bycatch Action Plan/s for the SBTF. For the purse seine sector of the SBTF AFMA will be utilising the Ecological Risk Management (ERM) report to implement the Management Plan requirement for Bycatch Action Plan/s. The ERM report details the species that have been classified through the Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) process as being at ecological risk to the effects of fishing and the strategies AFMA will be taking to manage these risks. A separate bycatch and discarding workplan has been developed for all Australian pelagic longline fisheries which will apply to longlining for SBT.
Major Management Issues over the next 12 months AFMA will be working with DAFF, SBTMAC, industry and relevant suppliers to deliver the 10 % commercial trial of stereo video in 2011 season as agreed by CCSBT in 2009.  This will include amendments to the Southern Bluefin Tuna (SBT) Fishery Management Plan 1995 to remove the prescribed procedures for undertaking a verified count (section 22B.2) and to allow AFMA to prescribe the verified count procedures in a notice which may be varied from time to time. This will allow AFMA the flexibility to investigate the use of stereo video cameras or other new technologies to complement or replace the 40 fish sample and meet recommendation 2 of the wildlife trade operation to investigate technology for improving catch monitoring procedures.

A review of the recently introduced CCSBT Catch Documentation Scheme is also scheduled to ensure the new arrangements match logistical realities of the fishery and compliance with the new system is maximized.