Snapper in decline says report....

[Tacklebags 404]

DETERIORATING snapper stocks in the Spencer Gulf have been highlighted in a new report into Australia's fisheries. While the overall health of our seafood stocks is given a big tick, snapper in the Gulf is rated as "transitional - depleting", indicating that fishing pressure is too high in the zone.The report, the first major overview of the nation's seafood stocks, shows that nearly two-thirds of Australia's fish stocks are sustainable, while only two - bluefin tuna and school shark - are classed as overfished.Another three, including Spencer Gulf snapper, are heading in that direction. The Status of Key Australian Fish Stocks Report examines 49 of our most popular wild-caught seafood species divided into 150 different stocks around the country, and gives them green, yellow and red ratings.Of these, 98 are considered green or sustainable.The report says it is unclear whether overfishing or environmental factors are to blame for depleting Spencer Gulf snapper stocks.Dr Patrick Hone, executive director of the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, said more research was needed into snapper fishing in the state, particularly around why stocks were much stronger in St Vincent Gulf than Spencer."We're putting a lot of work into snapper," he said."It's now the money fish in SA and Victoria."It gets fantastic prices and it's good volume. It's important to protect that stock. We would hope that in two years time in the next report it would be trending back up again (in Spencer Gulf)."Dr Hone said the message for consumers was that they needed to look beyond the more popular species."Australians are eating more fish," he said. "And if that is going to continue growing we can't keep eating snapper and flathead because it is limited. We need to start eating other fish, whether it's gemfish, wahoo, or trevalla, there are a lot of good species ... that are under-utilised."Dr Hone said the report showed Australia was doing better than many other parts of the world in protecting its fish industry."If you were to paint a map of the globe and colour it in based on fish stocks, Australia and New Zealand look green," he said."This report confirms that Australia's fishery stocks are well managed."We have some issues where we are rebuilding but we look very green where other parts of the world are not so well managed."In the case of the two overfished stocks, school sharks are no longer targeted by fishermen and bluefin tuna have new global quotas in place.However, the news was good for lovers of Australian prawns."There has been a perception that because of trawling that prawn fishing isn't a good thing," Dr Hone said. "But the report shows that almost all of them came up as sustainable."For consumers who love prawns they now know they are guilt free, sustainable and Australian. I can't think of a better thing leading up to Christmas."

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/national/spencer-gulf-snapper-in-decline/story-fndo1gb8-1226534888731Two things come to mind here....if he hasn't seen the rise in annual commercial catch since 2005 in SA then he must have his head in the sand when stating 'environmental factors'? :sick: Secondly while ST Vincents gulf has been fairing better overall try catching snapper around Ardrossan like you used to 2 or 3 years back. That place has been hammered in recent years and not worth the trip over from Adelaide regarding snapper.Then there is the garfish and blue crabs that could do with some reduction in fishing pressure as well but nothing mentioned about that in this article?Experts...meh!TB

[snapdragin 2]

Snapper in decline, then its about time they set sustainable yearly quotas for commercials and proffessionals, instead of limiting recreationals further. Recreationals have been dealt with pretty harshly in the overall scheme of things, bag limits, boat limits, and now pssession limits as well as bans etc, and even MPs and NTZs, maybe they should consider these types of limits on the commercial sector before its too late. I dont mind sharing the blame, but I'm sick and tired of being the only one targetted for limits, they take from us (recreationals) and then the commercials just increase there effort and there catches. End result is that the snapper are being caught in greater numbers by them and the limits placed on us is doing absolutly nothing for the snapper stocks.

[Ugly4Life 41]

Snapper in decline' date=' then its about time they set sustainable yearly quotas for commercials and proffessionals,.

I mostly agree here, but the biggest problem that I can see is the short, sharp extraction of fish right before and after the closure. It's sustainable to take (lets say) 3000 tonnes from the fishery over a year, but when you take 3000 tonnes of fish out of the fishery in the course of a single month...? That cannot be good for the entire ecosystem. A yearly quota won't stop that from happening unfortunately.I pretty much agree with everything you say about Recs though.

[snapdragin 2]

@ Ugly4Life, I agree, decimating the stocks when the ban comes off is a huge problem, one that the government have created because the commercials cant fish for a month, the same as us (although we still have limits). They want to make up for the loss of a months income in a short time and still be able to get that months income as well. What they dont seem to be able to work out is that they dont earn as much because they flood the market and get $3 a kilo, so then they have to catch more! Quadrupling the effort and the catch only returns about twenty to twenty five percent for that effort ? just seems rediculous to me (work four times as hard for a quarter of the money). A simple solution would be to catch so much a week or month, and get great returns, which add up to a yearly quota, and just fish normally after the ban to maintain that return. Unfortunately greed gets the better of them when the snapper are there for the taking and they are allowed to do it. The big question is, How much snapper do they need to catch to maintain public supply and good returns all year and not decimate the stocks after the ban. As I said its a simple way to look at it, and I know that there are other factors which need to be considered, license fees, fuel, equipment costs, bait and registrations etc, but surely there must be a solution that works for them and for us.

[urhookedfish 12]

Its becoming abundtantly clear that PIRSA's mis-management over the last two years has done serious damage to the fishery!I just cant believe they have left it too late, and now all sectors are paying for the commercial sectors crazy greed!

[Just Me 0]

Are just who are this research mob?"The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) is a co-funded partnership between its two stakeholders, the Australian Government and the fishing industry. It was formed as a statutory corporation on 2nd July 1991, under the provisions of the Primary Industries and Energy Research and Development Act 1989 (the PIERD Act 1989) and is responsible to the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.The FRDC’s role is to plan and invest in fisheries research, development and extension (RD&E) activities in Australia. This includes providing leadership and coordination of the monitoring, evaluating and reporting on RD&E activities, facilitating dissemination, extension and commercialisation. The FRDC achieves this through coordinating government and industry investment, including stakeholders to establish and address RD&E priorities. In addition the FRDC monitors and evaluates the adoption of RD&E to inform future decisions."facilitating dissemination, extension and commercialisation.BUY MORE PRAWNSThat article is no different to the REISA articles wrapped up as a news story.

[Cal 480]

I know it cant be done... but in some dream world .. get rid of the pros altogether, leave the reccos quota as is...then do the same study in 5 years , BE TOTALLY DIFFERENT .It doesnt take a scientist who is managing the fishery now to see that.WTF honestly , training people to get a degree and pay heaps of them top dollar to confirm what a wino down the parklands could do if given the facts.Sheeez

[pauly s 426]

if only snapper tasted like a stongy and realesed like a salmon. i wish there was no damand for them. would there be any chance of them farming snapper to supplie a percentage of the seafood market and cutting down quotas? i know it would put fisherman out of work but i think thats better then what is gnna happen to the numbers of fish. i think 1 big fish and 2 ruggers would be a good bag limit for rec's also.im a dreamer but how good would it be.pauly.

[Tacklebags 404]

It's not neccessary to get rid of the commercial fishers many of whom do the right thing.I helped a pro handline fisher off the north coast back in the 90's who had a whiting licence and he was more aware of his impact than most reccies back then. He never fished a spot for more than 5 mins and never fished the same grounds consecutive days of the week. I was impressed with his ability to limit/spread his pressure on the stock.Problem was the trawlers made him unviable for 6 weeks every time they netted his grounds. I still remember the big meetings over the issue back then on KI.I see a similar thing here with handline snapper pro's against the increasing longlining effort nearly 20 years later. In combination with everyone else including reccies who love targeting snapper such longlining effort as we have seen is just not environmentally possible.It's these methods that catch PIRSA/SARDI out because they rely on being reactive in monitoring effort. The gaps in stock assessments are too far apart to cope with the capability of increased longlining effort to extract over short, sharp timeframes.We all have an impact whether pro or rec but you just cannot have fast extraction tonnages over only few week periods on top of existing handline/rod methods for such a species.The only reason we all suffer both pro and rec fisher is because of the greed...this is the greed that see's snapper sold wholesale for as little as $2.00 a kilo but retailed at shop fronts for $35.00 dollars a kilo.Its those who have their cashed up eyes on the prize of 'markups' for stuff all work and use that influence on Government who need to share a part of the blame for this decline in snapper. MPA's will not address demand for the resource and protect snapper, only sound fisheries management will.All is not lost yet and lets hope PIRSA's measures find the right balance fast!TB

[Fishie 98]

Its becoming abundtantly clear that PIRSA's mis-management over the last two years has done serious damage to the fishery!I just cant believe they have left it too late' date=' and now all sectors are paying for the commercial sectors crazy greed! [/quote']I've been quite vocal for the past three years since i first started noticing a decline but PIRSA and others just keep on telling me I'm wrong and that the science has it right and no problems..... All under control .... Thank you very much! :c

[Fishie 98]

Looks like someone's science got this fishery wrong also and toyaly stuffed ithttp://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/fishery-closure-means-gulf-st-vincent-prawns-off-christmas-menu/story-e6frea83-1226536444222

[snapdragin 2]

Looks like Australia has become the victim of brain drain, all our best brains have gone overseas, and this is the mob we are now left with, just barely passed desk nerds that cant get a real job. Its bad enough having a mob of half wits running this country and they are getting advice from OUR scientists. LOL

[Tacklebags 404]

From Fishie's link above the commercials agreed this was the best outcome for the prawn fishery.

Mr MacDonald said the move, effective immediately, was in response to requests from licence holders, who are unanimous in their support.

From the FRDC report yesterday it stated the following?????

However, the news was good for lovers of Australian prawns."There has been a perception that because of trawling that prawn fishing isn't a good thing," Dr Hone said. "But the report shows that almost all of them came up as sustainable."For consumers who love prawns they now know they are guilt free, sustainable and Australian. I can't think of a better thing leading up to Christmas."

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/national/spencer-gulf-snapper-in-decline/story-fndo1gb8-1226534888731Sounds like a bad case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing? The scary part is the FRDC advise our Ministers on said matters go figure?TB

[Cal 480]

That prawn story is one of the most terrible things I've read in ages...not good.

[Tacklebags 404]

That prawn story is one of the most terrible things I've read in ages...not good.

Cal,I have been given some advise regarding the prawn fishery in Gulf St Vincent. Apparently Spencer Gulf and out West are far more productive prawn areas. There has been only one trawler fishing Gulf St Vincent for a while now and it has closed before because it has never been very productive from the start in comparison.Just what I was told?TB

[urhookedfish 12]

I've been giving some thought as to why Gulf St Vincent Snapper catches have been on the improve and why spencer gulf snapper fishing is in decline. Obviously commercial fishing pressure plays a LARGE part but also I think food sources and diet must play some role. Most people tend to think that snapper mainly feed on crustaceans such as crabs and prawns and also scallops and mussels. But although this is true they also feed on live mackerel and Pigmy leatherjackets. Gulf st Vincent is now starting to get large schools of these fish and I believe Snapper are eating more and more of these species as prawn numbers decline and mussel beds decline in our gulf. If the Spencer Gulf prawn fishery is steadily taking more prawns then this will gradually force them over time to transition into Gulf st Vincent.I think PIRSA may need to undertake more research on what food both Snapper populations are feeding on.PIRSA have published before that Snapper at a certain age for unknown reasons leave Spencer Gulf and travel to St Vincent's Gulf. Maybe food sources and diet could be a significant factor?

[Guest]

A fisheries officer in coffin bay told me a couple months back that the spencer gulf snapper fishery is healthy.Sounds odd i know but spencer gulf snapper may well be in decline but still cuurently in sufficient numbers to be a healthy population.If that is the case then measures implemented now to reverse this decline such as commercial trip limits will hopefully see a stop in the decline and no damage done.At the other end of the spectrum i heard that bluefin tuna are still endangered but their numbers are on the increase due to better management practices.The overall key is to stop declines before a species such as spencer gulf snapper become endangered.Bluefin numbers are apparently increasing now but its a shame they got to the endangered stage before real meaningful action was taken.

[Tacklebags 404]

I've been giving some thought as to why Gulf St Vincent Snapper catches have been on the improve and why spencer gulf snapper fishing is in decline. Obviously commercial fishing pressure plays a LARGE part but also I think food sources and diet must play some role. Most people tend to think that snapper mainly feed on crustaceans such as crabs and prawns and also scallops and mussels. But although this is true they also feed on live mackerel and Pigmy leatherjackets. Gulf st Vincent is now starting to get large schools of these fish and I believe Snapper are eating more and more of these species as prawn numbers decline and mussel beds decline in our gulf. If the Spencer Gulf prawn fishery is steadily taking more prawns then this will gradually force them over time to transition into Gulf st Vincent.I think PIRSA may need to undertake more research on what food both Snapper populations are feeding on.PIRSA have published before that Snapper at a certain age for unknown reasons leave Spencer Gulf and travel to St Vincent's Gulf. Maybe food sources and diet could be a significant factor?

Anyone who dives and has ever seen tonnes of snapper pass through a reef system knows that they leave litte behind. Reefs get absolutely stripped of life by them sometimes.I have seen photos of leafy sea dragons, locusts and a dragon fly removed from the guts of large snapper. TB