Queensland’s Rocky Reef Fishery Working Group will be asked to identify options to rebuild the snapper stock, which continues to be considered overfished.
Agriculture Minister Mark Furner said the newly-appointed working group would provide advice to the government on managing fisheries including snapper, pearl perch, teraglin jew, yellowtail kingfish, cobia and mahi mahi.
Mr Furner said the Sustainable Fisheries Expert Panel had considered the latest snapper stock assessment, including an independent review and agreed with the findings.
“Snapper is an iconic species and it is important that management arrangements ensure Queenslanders can continue to catch and eat a snapper into the future,” Mr Furner said.
“The new Rocky Reef Fishery Working Group will now review all the information as a priority and recommend options to rebuild snapper stocks through development of a harvest strategy for the fishery.”
Mr Furner said changes to size and possession limits introduced in 2011 had not been sufficient to improve stocks since the previous assessment nine years ago.
“The latest scientific advice is that the biomass of the east coast snapper stock is 10-45 per cent of the original biomass,” Mr Furner said.
“The Queensland part of the stock, which has been considered overfished for the last six years, is potentially lower at 10-23 per cent of the original biomass and anywhere below 20 per cent is cause for concern.”
Sustainable Fisheries Expert Panel chairman Associate Professor Ian Tibbetts said despite uncertainty about the exact biomass level, there were signs snapper stocks were in poor condition.
This included declining catches from the commercial and recreational sector, fewer older fish in the population and declining numbers of juvenile fish in Moreton Bay surveys, particularly since 2013.
“Snapper has been classified as overfished for many years and there are no signs of recovery despite management interventions, marine park closures and bycatch reduction in Moreton Bay,” Professor Tibbetts said.
“There may be some environmental factors such as water temperature affecting the stock, however, local action still needs to be taken.
The Rocky Reef Fishery Working Group made up of commercial, recreational and charter fishers and science/conservation representatives, will meet next month to consider the assessment and options to rebuild stock.
The group will also develop a harvest strategy for pearl perch.
As part of the Queensland Government’s Sustainable Fisheries Strategy, biomass targets have been set and harvest strategies are to be in place for all fisheries by 2020.
The assessment of east coast snapper is online at era.daf.qld.gov.au/6341
