Publication Date

9-2003

Series Number

31

Publisher

Department of Fisheries

City

Perth, Western Australia

Abstract

Snapper stocks in the inner gulfs of Shark Bay are in a depleted condition, both in trawled and non-trawled areas, with the main factor contributing to the depletion considered to be recreational fishing for adult snapper, including some mortality of undersized snapper returned to the water. The commercial prawn trawl fishery catches many small fish species, including small juvenile pink snapper, as part of its unintended bycatch. Some members of the local community believe that mortality of juvenile snapper due to trawling has also been a significant factor in depletion of the adult stock in Denham Sound, Shark Bay. While the Department of Fisheries has undertaken extensive research on snapper and prawn fisheries including counting and measuring juvenile snapper in many research trawl surveys since the 1970s and observed commercial trawls since the 1990s, this information alone was insufficient for an assessment on the extent to which snapper stocks in Denham Sound are being affected by the trawl fishery. This bulletin provides the additional detailed information required and combines it with a range of historical data to complete a comprehensive assessment.

Number of Pages

ii, 52

Keywords

Pink snapper, Pagrus auratus, Trawl fisheries, Bycatch, Shark Bay, Western Australia

Disciplines

Aquaculture and Fisheries

Maps

Maps are not included as part of the complete document download. If this report contains a map, it will be available in the individual parts list below.

Download

This file is 4.5 MB. Files over 3MB may be slow to open. For best results, right-click and select "save as..."

Share

COinS