Assessment of the

Tasmanian Marine Aquarium Fishery

August 2005

© Commonwealth of Australia 2005

This work is copyright. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproduced by any process without prior written permission from the Commonwealth, available from the Department of the Environment and Heritage. Requests and inquiries concerning reproduction and rights should be addressed to:

Assistant Secretary
Wildlife Trade and Sustainable Fisheries Branch
Department of the Environment and Heritage
GPO Box 787
Canberra ACT 2601

ISBN: 0 642 55150 2

Disclaimer

This document is an assessment carried out by the Department of the Environment and Heritage of a commercial fishery against the Australian Government Guidelines for the Ecologically Sustainable Management of Fisheries. It forms part of the advice provided to the Minister for the Environment and Heritage on the fishery in relation to decisions under Parts 10, 13 and 13A of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of the Minister for the Environment and Heritage or the Australian Government.

While reasonable efforts have been made to ensure that the contents of this report are factually correct, the Australian Government does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the contents, and shall not be liable for any loss or damage that may be occasioned directly or indirectly through the use of, or reliance on, the contents of this report. You should not rely solely on the information presented in the report when making a commercial or other decision.

Assessment of the ecological sustainability of management arrangements for the Tasmanian Marine Aquarium Fishery

TABLE OF CONTENTS

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Background

Overall assessment

Recommendations

Conditions on the declaration of the Tasmanian Marine Aquarium Fishery as an

Approved Wildlife Trade Operation

Conclusion

Part II – Guidelines for the ecologically sustainable management of fisheries

Stock Status and Recovery

Maintain ecologically viable stocks

Information requirements

Assessment

Management response

Conclusion

Promote recovery to ecologically viable stock levels

Conclusion

Ecosystem impacts

Bycatch protection

Conclusion

Protected species and threatened ecological community protection

Conclusion

Minimising ecological impacts of fishing operations

Information requirements

Assessment

Management response

Conclusion

References

List of acronyms

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Background

The Department of Primary Industries, Water and Environment (DPIWE) has submitted documents for assessment of the Tasmanian Marine Aquarium Fishery (TMAF) under Part 13A of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act). The draft document: Application for Declaration as an Approved Wildlife Trade Operation under the EPBC Act 1999 – Export of Marine Aquarium Fish from Tasmanian Waters (the submission) was received by the Department of Environment and Heritage (DEH) in May 2005. The documents were released for a thirty-day public comment period that expired on 4 July 2005. One public comment was received. DPIWE provided a response to the issues raised and amended the submission where necessary. A final submission for assessment was received in July 2005.

The submission reports on the TMAF against the Terms of Reference, including the Australian Government Guidelines for the Ecologically Sustainable Management of Fisheries. The DEH assessment considers the submission, associated documents, public comments and DPIWE’s response to the comments.

Table 1: Summary of the TMAF

Area / All State waters, excluding protected areas and research areas.
Fishery status / Unknown, however the target species are considered underfished.
Target Species / The fishery targets a diverse range of 49 species of fish and 50 species of invertebratesincluding small ornamental fish, hydroids, anemones, decorative crabs and shrimps, starfish and crinoids.
By-product Species / No byproduct species are permitted in the fishery.
Gear / Non-mechanical fishing methods, such as hand nets, slurp guns, bait traps and barrier nets. This is achieved through diving, wading or by hand.
Season / Year round, however current permit holder/s only occasionally collect specimens. Harvest is dependent on market demand and weather conditions.
Commercial harvest 2003/04 / 1,219 specimens.
Value of commercial harvest 2004 / Uncertain.
Recreational harvest / No catch or effort information available, although thought to be minimal.
Commercial licences issued / Two marine aquarium permits have been issued,
although at present, only one permit holder is active. The Tasmanian Minister approved that not more than a total of 5 permits may be issued for taking aquarium species at this stage. Approximately 55 commercial dive licences presently exist, however they do not currently target aquarium species and are limited to hand collection.
Management arrangements / Input and output controls including:
  • limited entry (no more than 5 permit holders);
  • monthly and annual catch limits on numbers of each fish species collected;
  • limits on fishing apparatus used, including restrictions on the dimension of barrier nets;
  • area and temporal restrictions;
  • block limits;
  • permit holders must complete the aquarium fishery logbook for each dive collection;
  • fish species that can be collected are limited to those listed on the aquarium permit;
  • fishers must hold a fishing license (personal) to collect fish specimens;
  • Marine Police must be notified 24 hours prior to any collection activities;
  • participants must follow the terms and conditions stated on their permits; and
  • recreational bag, size and possession limits apply for some scalefish species.

Export / Exported live to overseas distributors and/or aquariums. Countries include the United States of America and parts of Europe.
Bycatch / Bycatch is considered minimal due to the highly selective nature of harvest. Any bycatch is usually limited to epifaunal and/or epifloral organisms.
Interaction with Threatened Species / Considered nil. At present, there has been no interaction between the fishery and any threatened species.

The area of the TMAF includes all State waters, excluding marine nature reserves, national parks, research areas, shark refuge areas or marine resources protected areas (see Figure 1). Areas mainly fished include inshore areas, sections of the east coast including Bicheno and St Helens and the Tamar River. No part of this fishery occurs in Commonwealth waters. The entire fishery is managed by the Government of Tasmania.

The TMAF targets approximately 100 species of aquarium fish and invertebrates, including small ornamental reef fish, hydroids, anemones, decorative crabs and shrimps, starfish and crinoids (Appendix 1). Numbers taken are extremely low and require specialised handling. Targeted vertebrate species include annual limits of sharks, rays, eels, scorpionfishes, seaperches, cling fishes, leatherjackets, weedfishes, cales, senator wrasses and blue-spotted goatfish. Targeted invertebrate species include annual limits of anemones, hydrozoans, jellyfish, crustaceans, echinoderms, asteroids, basket stars, gastropods and cephalopods. No byproduct species are taken in the TMAF and it does not currently harvest any species listed on the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES).

As the TMAF targets such a large range of species, it is not possible to provide biological information on each species. A brief overview of the mainfinfish and scalefish taxa targeted by the fishery, as well as information on invertebrates is included in Appendix 1. The bulk of marine aquarium specimens that are collected occur in estuarine, inshore and coastal waters.

Figure 1: Map of permit holder harvesting areas by blocks around Tasmanian Coastline

In 2003/04, one permit holder collected 1,219 specimens for sale locally and overseas and for display in national and international aquaria. A major proportion of the specimens collected in 2003/04 were Pagurixus handrecki, a tiny but very common hermit crab. The value of the fishery is unknown because of its developmental nature and details on the domestic market are difficult to obtain. However, the value of the fishery and demand for aquarium specimens is currently considered low.

Marine aquarium fish have been hand collected under the authority of permits since 1997. Historically, the TMAF has existed at an extremely low level with minimal management controls as a bycatch of either the Commercial Dive Fishery (CDF) or scalefish sectors and as a recreational activity (DPIWE, 2005). None of the above included using specialised gear to target aquarium fish. Over time, steady commercial interest has been shown in developing a specialist aquarium fishery as a result of increased demand for marine aquaria species from large national aquariums and aquarium suppliers. This increased demand, however, is currently in low levels and not an indication of current trends.

The commercial dive management arrangements are presently being reviewed, including reviewing the future of the aquarium fishery. Therefore, it has not been practical to progress the development of the TMAF beyond a scientific permit stage until management plans for other major fisheries have been put into place, particularly the CDF and scalefish fishery. An overlap of species taken and gear used to take aquarium species meant progress towards formal management arrangements was previously not possible.

Harvest in the TMAF is restricted to non-mechanical fishing methods. Aquarium fish permit holders are limited to using hand nets, slurp guns, bait traps and barrier nets. No more than two barrier nets can be used at any one time. Barrier nets must not exceed 10 metres in length (total) or 2 metres deep, and must be used within 50 metres of the permit holder. Slurp guns, which look and work like a large eyedropper, are used by divers to suck up the fish ( Holders of a fishing licence in the CDF can take aquarium fish by hand by diving only, however none currently target the TMAF species. Collectors in the CDF can not use any specialised gear.

To assist with collecting the specimens, permit holders may use hookah or Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA) equipment, or alternatively can collect by wading or by hand. No more than three persons may assist the permit holder in taking marine aquaria species under the authority of the permit and no fish are to be released back into State waters once collected.

Due to the highly selective nature of harvest, bycatch in the fishery is limited to epifaunal and/or epifloral (commensal) organisms living on or within target species, such as invertebrates. The impact of the TMAF on bycatch species is likely to be minimal due to the small scale of harvest and management measures limiting the take of specimens likely to provide habitat for commensal organisms. At this stage, there has been no interaction between this fishery and any known endangered, threatened or protected species. This is further discussed under Principle Two of this report.

Take of aquarium species by the indigenous and recreational sectors around the state is believed to be at a very low level. Recreational fishers are subject to a range of bag, size and possession limits for a range of scalefish species. These limits also apply to indigenous fishers, unless they apply for a special permit for a particular cultural event. Recreational and indigenous harvest is further assessed under Part I and Principle One of this report.

Indications from police prosecutions are that levels of illegal fishing for marine aquarium fish are negligible.

The TMAF is managed under the TasmanianLiving Marine Resources Management Act 1995 (the LMRM Act). The Minister administering the LMRM Act is the Tasmanian Minister for Primary Industries and Water, and the responsible Department is DPIWE. There is currently no formal management plan for the fishery due to its small size, exploratory nature and low value.

Overall assessment

The material submitted by DPIWE demonstrates that the management arrangements for the TMAF meet most of the requirements of the Australian Government Guidelines for the Ecologically Sustainable Management of Fisheries.

While the fishery is relatively well managed, DEH has identified a number of risks that must be managed to ensure that their impacts are minimised:

  • lack of performance indicators, performance measures, timelines, strategies or management measures;
  • the biology and ecology of targeted aquarium species is not well known; and
  • fishery is still in an exploratory / developmental stage.

Conditions and recommendations to address these issues have been developed to ensure that the risk of impact is minimised in the longer term. Through the implementation of the conditions and recommendations and the continuation of a responsible attitude to the management of the fishery, management arrangements are likely to be sufficiently precautionary and capable of controlling, monitoring and enforcing the level of take from the fishery while ensuring the stocks are fished sustainably.

The TMAF has been in a developmental stage and has made considerable progress in developing sound management arrangements for the current level of effort. The management regime aims to ensure that fishing is conducted in a manner that does not lead to over-fishing and for fishing operations to be managed to minimise their impact on the structure, productivity, function and biological diversity of the ecosystem. On balance, the fishery is being managed in an ecologically sustainable manner and is working to address existing problems and minimise environmental risks.

The operation of the fishery is consistent with the objects of Part 13A of the EPBC Act. Given the small scale of the fishery and DPIWE’s commitment to address the above risks through the implementation of the conditions and recommendations contained in this report, DEH considers that the fishery will not be detrimental to the survival or conservation status of the taxa to which it relates in the short term. Similarly, it is not likely to threaten any relevant ecosystem in the short term. DEH therefore recommends that the fishery be declared an approved Wildlife Trade Operation (WTO) with the actions specified in the recommendations to be undertaken by DPIWE to contain the environmental risks in the long term. DEH considers that the fishery, as managed in accordance with the management regime is not likely to cause serious or irreversible ecological damage over the period of the export decision. Specifically, the WTO declaration would allow the export of product from the fishery for a period of 3 years. The WTO declaration will require annual reporting on the progress of implementing the recommendations of this report and other managerial commitments. The implementation of the conditions and recommendations and other commitments made by DPIWE in the submission will be monitored and reviewed as part of the next DEH review of the fishery in 3 years time.

Recommendations

Recommendation 1: DPIWE to develop and implement precautionary reference points and a clear timetable for the implementation of corresponding management responses, sufficient to trigger a response to major changes in harvest of the target species.

Recommendation 2:Within one year, DPIWE to develop a timeline for the implementation of proposed changes to the management regime for the TMAF, as outlined in the DPIWE submission.

Recommendation 3:DPIWE to conduct an ecological risk assessment appropriate to the scale of the fishery within 1 year of all 5 permit holders becoming active or when catch levels increase substantially for key target species (as indicated by the precautionary reference points to be developed for the fishery). DPIWE to develop appropriate responses to any high risks identified.

In addition to the above recommendations, the following conditions must be met as part of the Wildlife Trade Operation for the TMAF.

Conditions on the declaration of the Tasmanian Marine Aquarium Fishery as an
Approved Wildlife Trade Operation

Condition 1: Operation of the fishery is to be carried out in accordance with the current Tasmanian Marine Aquarium Fishery management regime, which is managed by the Tasmanian Living Marine Resources Management Act 1995.

Condition 2: DPIWE to advise DEH of any material change to the Tasmanian Marine Aquarium Fishery legislated management regime and/or arrangements that could affect the criteria on which EPBC decisions are based, within three months of that change being made.

Condition 3: DPIWE to report annually to DEH on:

  1. The extent to which the performance criteria of the Tasmanian Marine Aquarium Fishery management regime were met in the year; and
  2. The progress of DPIWE in implementing the recommendations for the Tasmanian Marine Aquarium Fishery.

Part I - Management Arrangements

The TMAF is managed by the DPIWE.

The management regime is described in the following documents, all of which are, or will be publicly available:

  • the submission;
  • the Marine Resources Division of the Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries;
  • the Tasmanian Recreational Sea Fishing Guide;
  • the LMRM Act; and
  • relevant Gazetted notices and licence conditions.

A number of other documents, including research reports, scientific literature and discussion papers are integral to the management of the fishery.

DEH considers it important that management arrangements remain flexible to ensure timely and appropriate managerial decisions. Due to the importance of the management regime and documents referred to above to DEH’s assessment of the fishery, an amendment could change the outcomes of the assessment and decisions stemming from it. Decisions resulting from this assessment relate to the arrangements in force at the time of the decision. In order to ensure that these decisions remain valid, DEH needs to be advised of any changes that are made to the management regime and make an assessment that the new arrangements are equivalent or better, in terms of ecological sustainability, than those in place at the time of the original decision. This is particularly important for the TMAF, as the CDF, which has access to marine aquarium species, is currently being reviewed, which may potentially impact on the TMAF management arrangements.

As the TMAF is still in an exploratory research stage, no formal management advisory committee (MAC) has been established. A small scientific advisory committee (SAC) comprising of representatives from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), University of Tasmania and the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery advise on catch rates, area restrictions and requests for species to be added or removed from the permit schedule list. DEH notes that these meetings are not held regularly.