scholarly journals Fewer eggs from larger size limits: counterintuitive outcomes in a spatially heterogeneous fishery

2014 ◽  
Vol 72 (suppl_1) ◽  
pp. i252-i259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caleb Gardner ◽  
Klaas Hartmann ◽  
André E. Punt ◽  
Eriko Hoshino
Keyword(s):  
Marine Protected Areas ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Slow Growth ◽  
Minimum Length ◽  
Bioeconomic Model ◽  
Rock Lobster ◽  
Total Allowable Catch ◽  
Jasus Edwardsii ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
Size Limits

Abstract The legal minimum length (LML) of female Southern Rock Lobster (Jasus edwardsii) was reduced in the Tasmanian fishery in 1966 for higher sustainable catches. Originally, the LML was to be reduced in slow growth southern areas only; however, the change was implemented across the entire fishery due to lobbying by commercial fishers. The lower LML has been controversial ever since, including during recent years when low recruitment resulted in a lower total allowable catch (TAC). Fishers argued that this could have been prevented with a higher female LML across the jurisdiction. A length- and sex-based bioeconomic model was used to examine probable outcomes of the larger statewide LML. This model showed that management of egg production would be poorly served by raising the statewide LML because of spatial patterns in the stock and fishery. Catch would be displaced from areas where egg production was already high and into the most depleted areas thus reducing production in areas of greatest concern. Spatial variation in biological parameters can have a profound effect on outcomes of management perceived to be conservative, possibly leading to negative impacts. This risk exists wherever catch is displaced, such as with Marine Protected Areas, spatial TACs and gear restrictions.

Contrasting fecundity, size at maturity and reproductive potential of southern rock lobster Jasus edwardsii in two South Australian fishing regions

2008 ◽  
Vol 88 (3) ◽  
pp. 583-589 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.J. Linnane ◽  
S.S. Penny ◽  
T.M. Ward
Keyword(s):  
Egg Production ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Reproductive Potential ◽  
South Australia ◽  
Egg Mass ◽  
Rock Lobster ◽  
Commercial Catch ◽  
Southern Zone ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Jasus Edwardsii

The annual commercial catch from the Southern Zone of the South Australian rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) fishery is ~1900 tonnes, representing ~50% of total landings from south-east Australia. A single minimum legal size (MLS) of 98.5 mm carapace length (CL) exists across the entire zone. Fecundity (F), size at onset of maturity (SOM) and relative reproductive potential (RRP) of female rock lobsters were investigated in two major fishing regions, i.e. the North Southern Zone (NSZ) and South Southern Zone (SSZ) with a view to providing a basis for future fine-scale spatial management of the resource. F ranged from 45,292 to 466,800 eggs per female and increased proportionally with CL according to the relationship: F = 0.0584 × CL3.1642. F was significantly higher in the NSZ compared to the SSZ but was attributed to differences in lobster size between regions. There was no significant difference in the number of eggs · g−1 of egg mass between areas. SOM, estimated as the size at which 50% of females reached sexual maturity (L50) was higher in the NSZ (104.1 mm CL) compared to SSZ (92.3 mm CL). Approximately 20% of lobsters above the MLS in the commercial catch in the NSZ were under the L50 estimate. RRP, as a measure of egg production, was calculated for each size-class from the product of F, SOM and population length–frequency. The modal RRP size-classes in the NSZ were 117.5–122.5 mm CL, while in the SSZ it was 97.5–102.5 mm CL. Only 6% of RRP was contributed by female rock lobsters below the MLS in the NSZ, compared to 34% in the SSZ. Regional differences in SOM and RRP in the Southern Zone of South Australia suggest that different MLSs may be beneficial, particularly if the fishery is to be effectively managed at finer spatial scales.

Size-structured population modelling and risk assessment of the Victorian southern rock lobster, Jasus edwardsii, fishery

2001 ◽  
Vol 52 (8) ◽  
pp. 1495 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Hobday ◽  
André E. Punt
Keyword(s):  
Egg Production ◽  
Stock Assessment ◽  
Reference Points ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Data Series ◽  
Population Modelling ◽  
Rock Lobster ◽  
Southeastern Australia ◽  
Jasus Edwardsii ◽  
Catch Rates

Current annual landings of southern rock lobster, Jasus edwardsii, from southeastern Australia are around 5000 tonnes valued at A$140 million. The Victorian component of this catch during the 1998-99 fishing season was 550 t, valued at A$18 million. During the past 20 years catch rates have declined from 0.8 kg per pot lift to 0.6 and 0.3 kg per pot lift in the western and eastern management zones respectively. The fishery has been managed with input controls during this period, but at the time of writing, the direction of future management is not clear. A size-structured model was developed to assess risk associated with both effort (input) and catch (output) controlled harvest strategies in each zone. The stock-assessment model was fitted to historical catch data (in weight and by number) from 1951, catch rates, and the length-frequency by sex. The uncertainty associated with the estimates of exploitable biomass and egg production was assessed according to Bayesian methods. The output of the assessment formed the basis for projections intended to determine the risk associated with different future levels of effort and catch. Reference points based on estimated biomass and egg production relative to the start of the data series in 1951 were considered.

Population modelling of Tasmanian rock lobster, Jasus edwardsii, resources

1997 ◽  
Vol 48 (8) ◽  
pp. 967 ◽  
Author(s):  
André E. Punt ◽  
Robert B. Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Stock Assessment ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
High Yield ◽  
Population Modelling ◽  
Rock Lobster ◽  
Jasus Edwardsii ◽  
Northern Regions ◽  
Catch Rates

From 1980 to 1995, annual catch rates of southern rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) in Tasmanian waters declined from 1·6 to 0·9 kg per pot lift. From March 1998, the Tasmanian government intends to base management of this fishery on output controls using individual transferable catch quotas. This has necessitated the development of a stock assessment model that can be used to evaluate the relative merits of a variety of alternative catch limits in terms of the trade-off between protecting the rock lobster resource and achieving a high yield. Each of eight regions around Tasmania is assessed separately because of spatial heterogeneity between regions in lobster growth, size at maturity and catch rates. The stock assessment model is size-structured and is fitted to catch, effort and length–frequency data as well as to estimates of exploitation rate from experimental data. A Bayesian estimation framework is employed to estimate the quantities needed for risk analysis. Egg production differs markedly among the eight regions: from as low as 6% of the unexploited equilibrium level in the northern regions, where the growth rate is fast, to more than 80% in the south-west, where the growth rate is slowest.

Estimating the duration of the pelagic phyllosoma phase of the southern rock lobster, Jasus edwardsii (Hutton)

2015 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 213 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. Bradford ◽  
D. Griffin ◽  
B. D. Bruce
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Larval Dispersal ◽  
Settlement Patterns ◽  
Rock Lobster ◽  
Planktonic Larva ◽  
New Model ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Biophysical Models ◽  
Jasus Edwardsii

The phyllosoma larva of the southern rock lobster, Jasus edwardsii, is thought to be among the longest larval phases of any planktonic larva, with estimates in the literature ranging from 12 to 24 months. In the present study, we have used an extensive archive of samples (over 2800 samples with 680 phyllosoma) to refine the estimate of the duration of the pelagic phase. The distribution through the year of larval stages suggested that larvae from two separate spawning events were present in any 12-month period. Using regression analysis, we have estimated the duration of the phyllosoma phase to be 547±47.5 days (~18.2±1.6 months). A new model of J. edwardsii phyllosoma development is presented and compared with data on known hatching and settlement patterns. The new model will improve the paramiterisation of stage-specific biophysical models of larval dispersal and regional connectivity, to better inform management of the southern rock lobster fisheries.

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