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Impacts of recreational fishing in Australia: historical declines, self-regulation and evidence of an early warning system

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 March 2014

MATTHEW A. L. YOUNG*
Affiliation:
Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, and School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia
SIMON FOALE
Affiliation:
Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, and School of Arts and Social Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia
DAVID R. BELLWOOD
Affiliation:
Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, and School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland, 4811, Australia
*
*Corresponding author: Matthew A. L. Young Tel: +61 7 4781 4823 e-mail: matt.young@jcu.edu.au
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Summary

Overfishing is a mounting threat to marine ecosystems and food security worldwide. Recreational fisheries are poorly understood and pose governance challenges due to the scarcity of monitoring data. The impact of recreational spearfishing on eastern blue groper (Achoerodus viridis) and grey nurse shark (Carcharias taurus) in Australia was analysed by assessing a chronology of spearfishing publications for historical, ecological and social data. Reported captures of blue groper declined by 90% from 1952–1967. Grey nurse shark captures also declined. Interestingly, early warnings of declines for both species emerged from the spearfishing community 17 and 19 years, respectively, before protection. While recreational fishers may have serious impacts on vulnerable fish species, they could also play a vital role in conservation and advocacy. This highlights the importance of reciprocal communication between fishers, scientists and governments for managing and detecting declines in vulnerable species.

Information

Type
Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 2014 
Figure 0

Figure 1 Eastern blue groper (Achoerodus viridis) as a proportion of total fish reported in spearfishing publications through time. Each point denotes a sample issue. Numerals above dashed lines indicate a selection of key early warnings voiced by prominent members of the spearfishing community. (1) Plea to spearfishers to only take enough blue groper for their needs and allow others to breed, and first suggestion of imposing a bag limit as a means of self-regulation. (2) Concerned spearfishing groups approach the NSW government and request a bag limit on the capture of blue groper. (3) Due to further declines in groper and concern for ecological implications, spearfishers suggest a one fish bag limit. (4) The demise of eastern blue groper is considered symbolic of the folly of spearfishing, and alternative activities to reduce spearfishing pressure are discussed (also Appendix 2, Table S2, see supplementary material at Journals.cambridge.org/ENC).

Figure 1

Figure 2 Weight (kg) of speared eastern blue groper (Achoerodus viridis) through time. Also indicated are approximate ages at weight (Gillanders 1999).

Figure 2

Figure 3 The number of grey nurse sharks (Carcharias taurus) reported in spearfishing publications through time (closed symbols). Each count represents a total of the four magazine issues sampled per year. Annual counts of grey nurse sharks captured in the New South Wales beach meshing programme (open symbols). Numerals above dashed lines indicate a selection of key early warnings voiced by prominent members of the spearfishing community. (1) Author highlights that grey nurse sharks are not man eaters and their populations are at risk of extinction. (2) It is acknowledged that the killing of grey nurse sharks is quickly wiping out the species and that neither the public nor fisheries department are interested in shark conservation. (3) The misconceptions about sharks and media sensationalism (coinciding with the release of the movie Jaws) are highlighted as major setbacks for any potential shark conservation measures. (4) The devastating impact of powerheads on shark populations is discussed (Appendix 2, Table S3, see supplementary material at Journals.cambridge.org/ENC). Grey shading from 1970 indicates the period prior to protection that Skindiving in Australia magazine voluntarily supported a ban on divers killing grey nurse sharks and refrained from publishing reports on their capture.

Figure 3

Figure 4 Length (cm) of speared grey nurse sharks through time. Dashed lines indicate average length at age for reproductively mature sharks (Goldman et al. 2006).

Supplementary material: File

Young Supplementary Material

Appendix 1

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