As highlighted above, flooding in NSW rivers pushes a suite of important species to sea, including mature School Prawn (SP), juvenile Mulloway, and also Eastern King Prawn (EKP). Trawl fishers can enjoy good catches of large/valuable SP following these flood events (which usually occur around March), but the abundant School Prawn is frequently matched by abundant juvenile Mulloway in trawlable areas (Mulloway is overfished in NSW). In recent years, bycatch of juvenile Mulloway has led to spatial closures in the trawl fishery, which mean that inshore trawlers cannot access valuable School Prawn when productivity and demand for product are at their highest.

New South Wales has network of permanent trawling closures along the coast, many of which are present in the inshore areas adjacent to the mouths of estuaries in northern New South Wales. These closures were initiated collaboratively by DPI-Fisheries and industry to improve offshore yields of Eastern King Prawn by limiting harvest on smaller Eastern King Prawn in inshore waters. In the context of the above information, the Professional Fisherman’s Association (PFA) and DPI-Fisheries managers requested an evaluation of these permanent closures, in terms of 1) whether they afford protection for juvenile Mulloway during periods when they are flushed from the river; and 2) whether School Prawn occur in these closure areas (without Mulloway) following floods which could be exploited when other areas are closed. Consequently, managers and fishers are seeking this scientific data to 1) put bycatch levels of juvenile Mulloway into a broader context of potential impact and importance to the stock; and 2) underpin a suite of complementary management arrangements which give regard to both maintaining trawl catches and protecting juvenile Mulloway.