Publication Date

10-2026

Series Number

12

Publisher

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia

City

Perth

ISBN

978-1-925415-62-9 (Print) 978-1-925415-61-2 (Online)

ISSN

3083-5380 (Online) 3083-5399 (Print)

Abstract

Executive Summary

The North Coast Demersal Scalefish Resource (NCDSR) comprises ecological suites of tropical demersal fish species that occur predominantly in inshore (20–250 m deep) and offshore (> 250 m deep) waters of the North Coast Bioregion (NCB). More than 60 demersal species are landed by fisheries operating in the Kimberley and Pilbara regions of the NCB each year, including higher-valued species, such as red emperor (Lutjanus sebae), goldband snapper (Pristipomoides multidens), rankin cod (Epinephelus rankini), and ruby snapper (Etelis boweni), and lower-valued species, such as bluespotted emperor (Lethrinus punctulatus).

The Pilbara Demersal Scalefish Resource (PDSR) is harvested by the commercial sector, (including the Pilbara Fish Trawl (Interim) Managed Fishery (PFTIMF), Pilbara Trap Managed Fishery (PTMF), and the Pilbara Line Fishery (PLF)), and the recreational fishing sector (including charter and licensed boat-based recreational fishers). Since 2016, annual commercial catches have exceeded 2,000 t (all species), with commercial fisheries taking a higher catch share (~95%) than charter and recreational fisheries (~5%), although catch shares vary by species and areas within the Pilbara region.

In accordance with the NCDSR Harvest Strategy, the resource is monitored through annual reviews of harvest and catch rate trends for indicator species, as well as periodic (typically every 4–5 years) integrated model-based stock assessments of indicator species, and lower-level stock assessments of some non-indicator species (DPIRD, 2017). The assessment and harvest strategies of these species are primarily based on estimates of spawning stock biomass (or an appropriate proxy for biomass), relative to target, threshold, and limit reference levels.

Number of Pages

118

Keywords

North Coast Demersal Scalefish Resource, Pilbara Red emperor 2026 Assessment, dpird

Disciplines

Aquaculture and Fisheries | Environmental Monitoring

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