The
Live Fish Fishery and its Management in the Great Barrier Reef Region: Current
Status, Projected Expansion, and
Potential
Environmental Impacts
J. W. A. Robertson[1]
Abstract
The commercial harvesting of
live reef fish has increased dramatically in the Great Barrier Reef Region over
the last two years in response to the export market demand from Hong Kong. Many commercial line-fishing operations have
converted to allow them to take live fish in place of either frozen or whole
fish. The industry has attracted much
criticism during its emergence and because of its notorious reputation in other
regions of Asia and the Pacific. The
industry in the Great Barrier Reef Region has developed within a reasonably
strict fisheries management regime, which limits access to the fishery, imposes
minimum and maximum size limits, prohibits the use of chemicals or destructive
means in the capture of fish, and has set a policy which excludes the use of
fish transport vessels. Concerns still
plague the industry, however, particularly over the concentration of fishing
effort near major ports, the localised overfishing of inshore reefs, increased
fishing pressure because of the uptake of latent effort in the fishery, the
targeting of spawning aggregations, and the increased capture of highly valued
but vulnerable reef fish species and species not traditionally taken for the
frozen fish market. The live fish
industry is set to expand quite considerably over the next few years. Managers are very concerned with the
environmental impacts associated with this potential expansion. The information
requirements and implications for the management of the fishery need to be
quickly realised.
Introduction
The Great Barrier
Reef is a chain of coral reefs that stretches southward from the tip of north
eastern Australia for 2,300 kilometres. It extends seaward from a western
margin of the Queensland coastline for 80 to 200 kilometres and covers a total
area of approximately 348,700 sq. kilometres (Figure 1). The ecological and cultural significance of
the Great Barrier Reef led to the region being nominated as a world heritage
area in 1981. The Great Barrier Reef
World Heritage (GBRWHA) now encompasses the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
(GBRMP) and adjacent Queensland coastal waters.
Fishing, both commercial and recreational, is the major extractive
activity in the GBRWHA. The commercial
fishery consists of about 3,700 professional fishers and 1,400 vessels involved
in a wide range of commercial activities, including about 800 prawn trawlers,
200-300 reef fishing operations and about 300 inshore (net and crab)
operations. The direct economic value
of the commercial fishery in the Great Barrier Reef Region is between AUD $ 150
to AUD $ 200 million annually (Driml, 1995).
The management of
commercial fish stocks in GBRWHA is principally the responsibility of the State
fisheries management agencies. The Great
Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority (GBRMPA), in its aim to protect the natural
qualities of the Great Barrier Reef whilst providing for reasonable use of the
reef region, controls fishing by virtue of the use of management zones which
restrict certain fishing activities in specific areas. GBRMPA recognises the harvesting of fish,
prawns and other living resources as an established reasonable use of the
GBRMP. However, GBRMPA acknowledges
that fishing effects target species, non-target species and the habitat and
hence has the potential for producing ecological effects in both the fished
areas and the reef system as a whole.
Figure 1. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
The Great Barrier Reef
Commercial Reef Line Fishery
The commercial reef line fishery is also a
limited-entry fishery. Restrictions
apply on the number of hooks used, the number of fishing dories attached to
each primary vessel, and minimum size limits on the major species (Plectropomus
spp., Lutjanus spp., and Lethrinus spp.). Use of chemicals or
destructive methods are not allowed in the capture of fish (QFMA, 1996).
Under the zoning plan for the Great
Barrier Reef Marine Park, the GBRMPA permits line fishing in the approximately
83% of the available reef fishing habitat of the Marine Park and makes no
distinction between commercial and recreational operations in this
fishery. Reef closures under the zoning
plan are for conservation purposes only and are not intended to be a fisheries
management tool. The potential for reef
closures to act as harvest refugia for fisheries management has been debated
repeatedly and attempts are being made to incorporate reef closures into the
management of fish stocks in the GBR. Under the GBRMP a provision also exists
to nominate reefs as replenishment areas which enables suspected overfished
reefs to be closed for several years until fish stocks recover.
The principal species caught is the common coral trout, Plectropomus leopardus, comprising approximately 60 to 75% of the total catch for the fishery. The next most important species is the red throat sweetlip, Lethrinus miniatus, which makes up 12 to 20% of the total catch. The total catch for both common coral trout and red throat sweetlip has fluctuated slightly since 1988 yet the CPUE has remained quite constant (Figures 2 a & b). A stable catch rate may indicate a sustainable level has been reached however concerns over localised depletions of inshore reefs and smaller fish sizes on fished reefs compared to protected reefs, suggest that when considered regionally fishing may not be sustainable regionally (QFMA, 1996).
Figures 2a and b. Total catch and CPUE of the common coral trout (P. leopardus) and red throat sweetlip (L. miniatus) on the Great Barrier Reef.
The Live Fishery
The live fish industry has developed dramatically in the last two years
in response to export market demand mainly from Hong Kong. Prior to this, it operated at relatively low
levels. In response to prices of live coral trout ranging from between AUS $ 20
to AUS $ 46, which can be more than double the price paid for frozen products,
the majority of the dedicated commercial reef line-fishing operations have now
converted their operations to allow them to take live fish in place of either
frozen or whole fish.
The development of the live fish fishery has not been
without considerable controversy, both in terms of the perceived undesirable
impact on fish stocks and the social question of catch share arrangements
amongst the many and varied multi-uses of the resources of the reef. Early in its history, the live fish industry
gained a notorious reputation, principally through the operations of the one
international company utilising a 29-metre vessel to tranship live fish to Hong
Kong. The vessel was apprehended
several times for having undersized fish and there are rumours that many
capture fish died in transport. The
operation, however, did draw attention to the live fish trade and prompted many
Australian fishermen to convert their operations to retain live fishes.
The use of Live Fish
Transport Vessels (FTVs) and sea-cages was cited as the principal incentive to
the localised operations of vessels targeting live fish and therefore was
prohibited. It was suggested that the
vessels would operate in close proximity to FTVs and/or sea-cages leading to
elevated levels of depletion. The ban
on FTV means that fishing boats must retain the fish onboard following capture
and bring them in individually to port.
The live fish are then trucked from outlying ports to large fish holding
facilities operated by the processing and exporting companies that are located
near large international airports, principally Cairns. Post-capture survival is been very good and
handling of the live fish has been remarkably efficient and hence product
quality is of a high standard.
After a number of such breaches for taking and possessing undersized
fish, the live industry developed a code of practice to improve co-operation
between exporters, management and enforcement interests. Since its introduction compliance has
improved greatly. A number of processors have now developed facilities for
servicing domestic and export live markets.
Marketeers are utilising air transport for the live export of premium
species, particularly coral trout.
Estimates of landings for 1994 and for 1995 are 54 tonnes and 90 tonnes,
respectively. Since July 1995, the
export of coral trout has increased dramatically where it was reaching 50
tonnes exported in June and July 1996 (Figure 3). The level of exports declined in August 1996 due to the
prohibition of specialised live fish air transport containers that incorporated
an oxygen bottle inside the container.
Live fish exporters have been restricted to styrofoam containers until
the airline dispute over the carriage of oxygen cylinders aboard aircraft is
resolved. The dispute has curtailed
temporarily the export of live fish from Australia.
The live fish industry
is seen by the fishing industry and managers as an opportunity to “value add”
to product previously provided in frozen fillets form will provide additional
avenues for both commercial fishers and exporters which may lead to increased
demand for live fish. Some scope also exists for the export of freshly chilled
fish, that is, maintained live until immediately prior to
export.
Figure 3. The export of live coral trout, Plectropomus leopardus, since July 1995 to September 1996.
The
Potential Environmental Impacts of the Fish Fishery on the Great Barrier Reef
The live fish fishery does also bring with it a number
of new environmental and ecological concerns that need to be addressed for the
industry to be considered as ecologically sustainable. The key environmental impacts that the Great
Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority is concerned about are as follows:
- Concentration of
fishing effort: Because keeping
fish alive places limits on the number of days a fishing vessel can be at
sea, fishing is mostly restricted to within a limited range of the major
fishing ports. Consequently, fishing effort that would have commonly be
conducted over the entire length of the Great Barrier Reef for the frozen
fish market now tends to be concentrated in a smaller area. This will subsequently place greater
fishing pressure on the reefs in a distance of 80 to 100 kilometres of the
major ports of Cairns, Innisfail, Townsville, Bowen, Mackay, and
Gladstone.
- Localised
depletion of nearshore reefs:
Localised depletion of nearshore fishing grounds given the enhanced
profitability associated with the live fish industry. The increased returns from operating in
the live fish industry allows commercial operators to remain on fishing
grounds in close proximity to export infrastructure when capture rates
decline significantly. This method
of operation may encourage fishers to remain on the grounds, as current
operations do not readily allow movement of vessels.
- The uptake of
latent fishing effort: Latent
fishing effort may be described as fishing effort which may be utilised in
the fishery which previously has not been expended. Within the reef line fishery there is a
considerable amount of latent effort that is being taken up rapidly because
of the interest in the financial rewards to be gained from the live fish
trade. Although the fishery is
limited entry the immobilisation of the latent effort increases the
fishing effort significant placing much more pressure on potentially fully
exploited fish stocks.
- The targeting of
fish spawning aggregations:.
Most reef fish species aggregate to spawn at particular times of year in
very specific locations. Fishermen
are knowledgeable of these aggregations and can maximise their profits by
targeting aggregation sites. For
species that have few but very important key spawning aggregation sites
such as the blue spot trout, Plectropomus laevis, and the maori
wrasse, Cheilinus undulatus, intensive fishing of such key sites
can be devastating for local populations.
5. Absence of minimum size limits for some species. The live fish market, as a general rule, prefers smaller fish specimens. Most popular angling species are subject to a minimum size limit. However, some fish, particularly cod, which has no minimum size limit, are sought after. Among these species are barramundi cod, flowery cod, trout cod, maori cod and other cods. While large quantities of these cods are not yet landed, it may be prudent to set size limits based on the size at first sexual maturity principle (where known), in anticipation of a potential problem. With barramundi cod, some immediate concerns are held for their status and those concerns have been addressed.
Required Management Action
The Queensland reef line fishing industry has developed within a reasonably
strict fisheries management regime, however, given the recent emergence of the
live fish fishery, regulation as it currently stands can not ensure the
sustainability of the industry. The projected increase in the live fish
industry is expected to be considerable suggesting that prompt action is
required to ensure the concerns raised above are addressed. Hampering urgent management action is the
paucity of data on relevant biological parameters and total catch rates are
insufficient for the purpose. Contributing to the difficulty of ensuring
sustainability is a large, competing recreational coral trout fishery, which is
hard to monitor accurately. Relevant
management action is as follows:
1. collecting information on relevant biological
parameters of new species targeted and setting of minimum size limits;
2. monitoring spatial and temporal distribution and
composition of catch and effort;
3. understanding the fleet dynamics and fishing behaviour
including targeting of spawning aggregations;
4. tracking the uptake in latent effort and mechanisms to
reduce total effort; and
5. protecting key spawning aggregations and seasons of
vulnerable species.
Australia is, nevertheless, well ahead of most other
exporting countries in terms of regulating its live reef food fishery for
sustainability and efficiency.
Conclusions
The live fish fishery is an important ‘value added’
component of the reef line fishery on the Great Barrier Reef. Its current level and expected rapid future
expansion however has raised concerns that the management will not be in place
to ensure the sustainability of the fishery and address the ecological and
environmental concerns that many fear the fishery may impose on the Great
Barrier Reef. Monitoring schemes of the
fishery, understanding fishing behaviour and the biology of many of the
exploited species, and protecting key spawning sites for vulnerable species are
urgently required for the management of the fishery.
Literature Cited
Driml, S. (1995). Economic and Financial
values of protected areas. Report to Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.
QFMA, (1996). Queensland Tropical Coral Reef Fish Species: Discussion Paper No. 2. Queensland Fisheries Management Authority. Brisbane. Australia. 68pp.