A number of introductory stock assessment and monitoring programmes funded by FRDC will be completed within the next financial year. Most of this work has been done with little peer review. There is a need for an external and highly competent stock assessment consultant to review present research and assessment procedures used for fisheries in southern Queensland, and to identify the direction of future research and monitoring. It is expected that future monitoring programmes will be resourced through an industry based cost-recovery program. As a result, a narrowing of objectives and species is needed.
There is a need to look closely at the simulation models being developed by scientists for management use in south-east Queensland. For example, the State's only output-controlled fishery is subject to a TAC which is set from sustainable yield estimates derived from models which are rapidly becoming outdated. Several monitoring programmes, experiments and simulation models have been attempted with varying success. This work needs to be exposed to peer review as this fishery moves (probably) to an ITQ management system. These models should be updated and the present status of the resource needs to be examined, particularly in light of the situation in northern NSW as it is a shared resource.
There are a number of data sets on south Queensland fisheries which may be extensive enough to warrant further in-depth assessment. There is a opportunity for this work to be completed at the workshop while the expertise is available.
All the MAC’s are seeking information on the status of major fish resources for which they have management responsibilities. They are becoming increasingly aware of the need for objective and scientifically based assessment work and are slowly becoming aware of the costs and resource requirements associated with assessments. The supply of initial assessment reports from the proposed workshop will reinforce the move towards objective assessment and associated management recommendations.
Fisheries management in Queensland will be based upon Fishery Management Plans. There is a need to incorporate into these Plans much more robust and well-conceived monitoring and assessment strategies and decision rules than is occurring at present.
Stock assessment skills are scarce within south-east Queensland. An intensive workshop of most major species will include the majority of fisheries scientists and technicians within the region. This will expose them to stock assessment methods and their data requirements.
Final report
A three day stock assessment course was presented by Dr Malcolm Haddon of the Australian Maritime College and Dr James Scandol of the Quantitative Training Unit for Fisheries. Techniques such as biomass dynamic and age based modelling were covered.
Thereafter, a Stock Assessment Review Workshop, funded by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC), Department of Primary Industry, Queensland (DPI) and the Queensland Fisheries Management Authority (QFMA), was held in August at the Southern Fisheries Centre, Deception Bay, Queensland. It was convened by stock assessment scientist Ms Cathy Dichmont ofDPI, and facilitated by Dr Malcolm Haddon from the Australian Maritime College (AMC). Commercial fishers, recreational fishers, managers and scientists were all represented at the workshop. It should be noted that the workshop only reviewed, analysed and commented on some of the major fishery resources of southeast Queensland. The resources chosen for review were determined through a series of Resource Priority Workshops held within DPI. Those workshops concluded that the primary southeast Queensland resources are spanner crabs (Ranina ranina), eastern king prawns (Penaeus plebejus), saucer scallops (Amusium japonicum balloti), sea mullet (Mugil cephalops), tailor (Pomatomus saltatrix) and an inshore finfish component of bream (Acanthopagrus spp), whiting (Siliago spp.) (excluding the trawled stout whiting) and dusky flathead (Platycephalus fuscus).