Deepwater snapper
Towards improved stock assessments
and management
Outline
•
•
•
•
Background
Work plan
Progress to date
Considerations
Background
• Deepwater snapper are an important fisheries
resource in many PICTs
• Declines in catches in some PICTs have raised
concerns about sustainability
• Quantitative assessments are limited by lack of
adequate biological and fisheries data
Background
• At previous 3 HoF meetings, SPC members requested
assistance with deepwater snapper management
• At 2011 HoF meeting, members endorsed SPC efforts
to seek funding to support deepwater snapper project
• SPC obtained funding from:
– AusAID (2012-2015) - Vanuatu, Samoa, Tonga, and the
Marshall Islands
– French Pacific Fund (2011-2013) - New Caledonia
– French Development Agency (2012-2013) - New Caledonia
Deepwater snapper workshop
•
•
•
•
Deepwater snapper workshop held at SPC in July 2011
Identify priority information and training needs
Participants from 12 PICTs
The agreed outcomes from the workshop included a work
plan for SPC’s deepwater snapper activities
Work Plan
There are 4 priority work areas:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Fisheries data collection
Improving biological knowledge
Fisheries assessment and management
Capacity development
Fisheries Data Collection
Aim is to develop a standardised approach to fisheries
data collection across the Pacific region – many
advantages:
1. Facilitates the development and maintenance of a
common database system, which minimises
development and maintenance costs;
2. Provides consistency in how and what data are
collected and how they are analysed; and
3. Facilitates comparisons of fisheries among countries
Fisheries Data Collection
Activities
• Support development of fisheries monitoring programs
in-country (e.g. logsheets and port sampling)
• Utilise existing logsheets where feasible, to maintain
familiarity in data reporting
• Otherwise utilise existing artisanal data forms
• Modify existing artisanal fisheries database (TUF-ART)
to accommodate deepwater snapper fisheries data
Improving Biological Knowledge
• A large number of species are captured in deepwater fisheries
• Generally assumed that most species are long-lived, slow
growing and late to mature
• Limited biological information available; longevity, growth and
maturity is unknown for many species
Improving Biological Knowledge
Activities
1. Fisheries independent surveys
2. Fisheries dependent collections (e.g. port sampling)
• Estimate longevity, growth rates, maturity schedules
and spawning seasons for key species
• Examine genetic stock structure to identify
management units
Fisheries assessment and management
• A lack of data has prevented traditional stock
assessments for deepwater snapper
• A long time series of precise catch and effort data is
required
• The cost of such data collection would most likely
exceed the value of deepwater fisheries in most PICTs.
• Is it appropriate to allocate significant resources to
support stock assessments for deepwater snapper?
Fisheries assessment and management
• Depletion experiments used to estimate Maximum
Sustainable Yield (MSY) in 80/90’s
• MSY may not be most suitable reference point for
deepwater snapper, because:
1. Estimates of MSY are usually very uncertain
2. MSY assumes that the environment does not vary
3. Fishing at MSY levels may produce undesirable effects
for deepwater snapper fisheries
– e.g. while catches at MSY may be sustainable, catch rates
may decline to levels that are not economically viable
Fisheries assessment and management
• Need to develop alternative management indicators and
reference points for deepwater snapper
• Indicators need to be easy to monitor – e.g. fish size
• Indicators and reference points need to be integrated into a
formal management framework
• Management Procedures (MP) is a useful framework, and is
used successfully in other deepwater fisheries
• MPs specify the management action(s) that will be taken
when indicators reach certain threshold reference points
– E.g reduce effort by X% when average fish size is < Ycm
Fisheries assessment and management
Activities
• Characterise deepwater snapper fisheries in each
PICT to identify trends and critical data limitations
• Develop species distribution models and provide
maps of potential habitat for the major target
species
• Develop indicators and reference points suitable
for application within a MP framework
Capacity development
• Aim to enhance capacity for deepwater snapper
management and assessment in home country
• Opportunities for Pacific Island Fisheries Officers
to complete post-graduate studies
• Long-term attachments to SPC to focus on
developing skills in data analysis and assessment
Progress to date
Scientific Cruises
Cruises in Fiji, Samoa, Wallis & Futuna, and Tonga
Fished 24 seamounts
Scientific Cruises
• Detailed catch and effort data from lightly exploited
populations - useful baseline information for
assessments
• Biological samples collected from 970 individuals from
16 species
Data collection
• Supporting deepwater snapper fisheries data collection
programs – Tonga, Vanuatu, Samoa
• Implemented and supporting biological sampling –
Tonga, New Caledonia (>1000 samples)
Capacity development
AusAID funding provides support for 4 Pacific Island
Fisheries Officers to complete postgraduate degrees
– Scholarships
• Vanuatu – Jeremie Kaltavara (MSc, Australian Maritime College)
• Samoa – Ueta Fa’asili Jr (MSc, University of Wollongong)
– Attachments, samples and analytical support
• Tonga – Hau Halafihi (PhD, University of Canterbury)
• Tuvalu – Etuati Poulasi (MSc, Australian Maritime College)
Species identification
• Collaboration with Genetics lab at University of Hawaii
• Identified new species (Etelis marshi) previously thought to be
Etelis carbunclus (ruby snapper)
Etelis carbunculus
Etelis marshi
Etelis carbunculus
Etelis carbunculus
Etelis marshi
Etelis marshi
Identification cards
• Waterproof species identification cards
for fishers
• Distributed to Fiji, Marshall Islands,
New Caledonia, PNG, Samoa, Solomon
Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu
Considerations
• Heads of Fisheries are invited to:
– Note progress that has been made to date
– Note that SPC will be providing in-country support
to establish fisheries data collection programs, but
– Acknowledge that success of the project will be
dependent on support from Fisheries
Departments
– Consider the need for funding beyond the life of
this project (2015)
Questions?