POSITION STATEMENT Fishing Our position Fishing is a long-established and important activity in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. While fishing activities are regulated within the Marine Park, some fishing practices continue to have an impact on the Reef. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority seeks to ensure fishing is ecologically sustainable through an ecosystem-based approach and management actions that consider the cumulative impacts of fishing on all species and habitats of the Marine Park. Position snapshot Fishing is an important activity in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park that provides valuable commercial, recreational and cultural benefits. Fishing is a source of income for Queensland coastal communities, and many residents and tourists go fishing for pleasure.1 The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority welcomes sustainable fishing in the Marine Park. The Great Barrier Reef Intergovernmental Agreement 20152 outlines how the Australian and Queensland governments collaborate to ensure fishing in the Marine Park is managed in a way that protects and conserves the Reef, including its World Heritage values. The Australian Government, through the Authority, is responsible for implementing the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan 20033, which identifies where various activities, including fishing, are permitted. Approximately two-thirds of the Marine Park is open to some type of fishing. The Queensland Government has primary responsibility for managing fishing in the Marine Park through its Fisheries Act 1994.4 This includes commercial licencing, setting of total allowable commercial catch, seasonal closures, and limits to the size and number of fish kept by recreational fishers. Compliance with rules and regulations helps to conserve fish stocks for current and future generations. While fishing is regulated, some fishing practices continue to compromise the health and resilience of species and habitats within the Marine Park. Threats identified in the Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2019 include over- fishing, incidental impacts on species of conservation concern, illegal fishing and injury or death of discarded catch.1 Impacts are not fully understood due to a lack of data such as catch across fishing sectors.1,5 Improved information is needed to make timely, evidence-based decisions that address these threats and ensure fishing in the Marine Park is ecologically sustainable. This is critical given the declining health and resilience of the Reef due to pressures such as climate change, poor water quality, coastal development and, indeed, fishing. 1 | GBRMPA - Position Statement - Fishing GBRMPA Document No: 100485 Revision: 0 Date: 21-Aug-2020 The Authority considers the following principles important to improve fishing outcomes in the Marine Park: • an ecosystem-based approach that considers the impacts of all fishing on species and habitats • harvest strategies that achieve long-term ecological sustainability and the recovery of over-fished stocks • improved monitoring data, including independent verification where possible, of commercial and recreational catch • measures that ensure species of conservation concern are not threatened by fishing activities (by- catch mitigation) • adaptive fisheries management that incorporates climate change impacts and other ecosystem changes • a high level of compliance with fishing rules and regulations by commercial and recreational sectors. The Authority values the contribution responsible fishers make to knowledge sharing and as role modelling for sustainable fishing to help protect the health of the Reef and improve the long-term outlook for fisheries. The Authority is managing the Marine Park to be more resilient to the threats it faces, including working with the Queensland Government to improve fisheries management in the Marine Park. Enhancing compliance ©Commonwealth of Australia (GBRMPA), photographer: Th3rd Dimension Media 2 | GBRMPA - Position Statement - Fishing GBRMPA Document No: 100485 Revision: 0 Date: 21-Aug-2020 Fishing in the Great Barrier Reef provides valuable social, economic and cultural benefits Commercial fishing in the Marine Park is an important contributor to Australia’s seafood industry and generates approximately $104 million annually.30 Fishing is also one of the most popular recreational and tourism activities in the Reef. Approximately 90,000 recreational fishing vessels are registered for use in the catchment and recreational fishing (including charter fishing) generates significant economic activity.30,7 It is also an important part of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander customs and traditions. Declines in culturally significant species can affect the Indigenous heritage values of the Reef.1 The Authority acknowledges the rights of Traditional Owners to fish and gather from their Sea Country as recognised in the Native Title Act 1993.31 Issue: impacts from fishing remain Fishing in the Marine Park targets a diversity of species, including fish, sharks, crabs, prawns, rock lobsters, squid, coral and sea cucumbers. Fishers rely on a healthy and resilient marine ecosystem to support their activities. However, habitats and species of the Marine Park are under unprecedented pressure from the cumulative impacts of climate change, land- based run-off, coastal development and fishing.1 The Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2019 identified that fishing continues to negatively affect the health and resilience of the Reef through: • incidental impacts on species of conservation concern • over-fishing of some species • illegal fishing • impacts on discarded catch • damage to habitats.1 Queensland fish stocks are managed according to a set of rules and standards under the Fisheries Act 1994.4 Knowledge gaps in Queensland fisheries management include limited data on the status of some fish stocks and the impacts of fishing on discarded species, a lack of formal harvest strategies with fishery-specific targets, and ad hoc management of fishing impacts on the broader Reef ecosystem.4,5 While there are possession limits, total recreational catch, including discarded catch, is not capped and risks from recreational fishing (including charter fishing) are poorly understood.1 Management of fishing in the Marine Park should, to the greatest extent possible, account for uncertainty in the information used to underpin decision making. Fishing in the Great Keppel Island group ©Tourism and Events Queensland, photographer: Tom Strickland Impact: sustainability concerns Queensland fishing rules and regulations are in place across the Marine Park to conserve fish stocks for current and future generations. However, over-fishing has caused significant population declines of saucer scallop (Amusium balloti), east coast Australian snapper (Pagrus auratus) and pearl perch (Glaucosoma scapulare).6 There are also concerns for the future sustainability of black jewfish7,8 and some species of shark.9,10,11 While the stocks of some fisheries are considered sustainable, the status of many other species is unclear due to limited data.6 Over-fishing and illegal fishing can compromise the long-term sustainability of stocks and impact the resilience of the marine ecosystem.12,13,14 Fishing of spawning aggregations is a concern, for example, spawning aggregations of Spanish mackerel have declined significantly due to targeted fishing.15,16 Loss of spawning aggregations results in declines at the population level through reduced recruitment of new fish into the stock.17,18 Many species that are caught are discarded as they may not meet regulations or have no commercial, recreational or cultural value. Discarded fish are often injured or do not survive.19, 20 Data on the quantity, composition and survival rate of discarded species are limited. Discarded catch in commercial fisheries may be higher than the retained catch, particularly in trawl fisheries.1 Further data is needed to better understand the conservation status of some species, such as deep water skates and rays caught by the eastern king prawn sector of the trawl fishery operating in deep water south from the Swain Reefs.21, 22 3 | GBRMPA - Position Statement - Fishing GBRMPA Document No: 100485 Revision: 0 Date: 21-Aug-2020 Incidental catch of species of conservation concern The Reef is a refuge for many threatened, migratory, iconic and at-risk species. These species of conservation concern include inshore dolphins, whales, dugongs, sawfish, sea snakes, marine turtles and some fish and sharks.1 Species of conservation concern may be injured or killed by fishing activities. For example, the use of large mesh-nets in the East Coast Inshore Fin Fish Fishery is a high risk to species of conservation concern due to potential entanglements and death.32 Impacts may be underestimated even though mandatory reporting is in place.33 Even low levels of mortality may significantly affect the rate of recovery and population status of these species.34,35,36 The Authority considers the incidental catch of species of conservation concern to be the most significant fisheries sustainability issue in the Marine Park. Fishing activities can also cause physical damage to habitats in the Marine Park. For example, anchors and line fishing can directly damage live coral colonies and contribute to increased coral disease.23 Trawling can remove or damage plants and animals on the seabed.22,24 These risks to the biodiversity of the Marine Park have been reduced by zoning and improved trawling techniques. However, further research is required to understand the impacts of fishing on some habitats. For example, the sensitivity of deep water habitats to trawling is a major knowledge gap. Actions and outcomes: ecologically sustainable fishing practices The Australian and Queensland governments are committed to addressing significant threats to the health and biodiversity of the Reef through the Great Barrier Reef Intergovernmental Agreement 20152, including ensuring fishing practices are sustainable. Under the Fisheries Act 19944, the Queensland Government has direct responsibility for managing fishing in the Marine Park, subject to meeting the long-term protection and conservation objectives of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975.25 All export and Australian Government managed fisheries are also subject to assessments through the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 199926 to ensure fisheries are ecologically sustainable. Two Cairns Marine vessels head out to the Coral Sea ©Cairns Marine Conserving the biodiversity and ecological integrity of the Reef for its long-term protection requires: • identification and management of risks from fishing to all species and habitats of the Marine Park using an ecosystem-based approach • management of fish stocks at biomass levels sufficient to build resilience • total allowable catch limits that account for take from all fishing sectors. Robust data (e.g. catch, effort, incidental catch) is required for effective fisheries management. The Authority has stated that catch limits for key commercial and recreational fish species should aim to achieve 60 per cent unfished biomass.27,28,29 Harvest strategies should guide management responses and take into account the likely impacts of climate change in establishing management arrangements. Effective by-catch mitigation measures help ensure the impact of fishing on the broader ecosystem is sustainable, especially for species of conservation concern. Any high ecological risks must be identified and managed. Approaches may include setting limits for interactions, restrictions on the use of particular fishing gear, and spatial or temporal closures. The Queensland Sustainable Fisheries Strategy 2017 –20275 (Sustainable Fisheries Strategy) proposes reforms to ensure fisheries resources are managed sustainably into the future. The Sustainable Fisheries Strategy aims to deliver key outcomes for the Marine Park and if fully implemented, would help address the fishing related threats identified in the Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2019. Progress is being made with a compliant harvest strategy in place for the the Reef Line Fin Fish Fishery. Harvest strategies are also under development for other fisheries in the Marine Park. 4 | GBRMPA - Position Statement - Fishing GBRMPA Document No: 100485 Revision: 0 Date: 21-Aug-2020 Benefits of zoning and importance of compliance The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan 20033 (Zoning Plan) provides for a range of ecologically sustainable recreational, commercial and research activities and the continuation of cultural practices. The Zoning Plan protects biodiversity in the Marine Park and enhances Reef resilience. No-take (green) zones have healthier ecosystems with less coral disease, fewer outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish, and fish and coral communities recover faster following impacts from cyclones and coral bleaching.38 No-take zones can also contribute significantly to populations of species such as coral trout in areas that are open to fishing, through the export of larvae.38,39 Illegal fishing in no-take zones undermines the effectiveness of zoning and fisheries management controls such as catch limits, which can have flow-on effects for the future sustainability of some stocks. Increased investment in the reef Joint Field Management Program has strengthened enforcement activities through enhanced in-park presence. A Green Zone is a ‘no-take’ area and extractive activities like fishing or collecting are not allowed without a permit. Compliance and stewardship Compliance with fishing rules and regulations in the Marine Park is essential to support sustainable fish stocks. To limit illegal fishing, compliance activities across the Marine Park have been strengthened through increased investment and the implementation of electronic vessel monitoring systems on all commercial fishing vessels. Implementation of new technologies to independently monitor and validate catch and interactions with other species is important. Regulation of fishing together with complementary education and stewardship programs can achieve a balance between voluntary actions and enforcement to ensure fishing in the Marine Park remains ecologically sustainable and viable into the future. The Authority’s Reef Guardian Fishers program recognises commercial fishers who take voluntary actions to minimise the impact of their operations on the Marine Park beyond legislative requirements. The Authority also supports local councils and recreational fishers implementing voluntary codes of practice across the Reef. For example, in Rockhampton, recreational fishers pledged to maintain healthy fish stocks through sustainable fishing practices as part of the Rockhampton Recreational Fishing Voluntary Code of Practice. At a time when the Reef is under increasing pressure, reducing the impacts of fishing and ensuring the long-term ecologically sustainable use of the Marine Park is crucial. There are actions that everyone can take to help ‘protect your patch’. In summary Fishing is a major activity in the Marine Park that provides important social, economic and cultural benefits. However, there are fishing related impacts that continue to negatively affect the Reef and its values. The Reef is under unprecedented pressure and its health and resilience is predicted to decline further. The Authority supports improved fisheries management through an ecosystem-based approach, complementary educational programs and environmental stewardship to reduce risks from fishing to the Marine Park. This position statement is endorsed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority Board. For the evidence underpinning this position statement, refer to the Great Barrier Reef Outlook Reports 2019 and supporting references. 5 | GBRMPA - Position Statement - Fishing GBRMPA Document No: 100485 Revision: 0 Date: 21-Aug-2020 References 1. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority 2019, Great Barrier Reef Outlook Report 2019, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville. 2. Commonwealth of Australia and State of Queensland 2015, Great Barrier Reef Intergovernmental Agreement, Commonwealth of Australia and State of Queensland, Canberra and Brisbane. 3. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority 2004, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan 2003, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville. 4. Fisheries Act 1994 (Qld). 5. Department of Agriculture and Fisheries 2017, Queensland Sustainable Fisheries Strategy 2017-2027, State of Queensland, . 6. Department of Agriculture and Fisheries 2019, Queensland stock status results, The State of Queensland, Brisbane, < https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/business-priorities/fisheries/ monitoring-compliance/data/sustainability-reporting/stock- status-assessment/queensland-stock-status-results>. 7. Department of Agriculture and Fisheries 2018, Communique 4-5 December 2018: East Coast Inshore Fishery Working Group, Queensland Government, . 8. Department of Agriculture and Fisheries 2019, Management changes for black jewfish, State of Queensland, . 9. Tobin, A., Harry, A., Smart, J., Saunders, R. and Simpfendorfer, C. 2014, Estimating fishing mortality of major target species and species of conservation interest in the Queensland east coast shark fishery, Fisheries Research and Development Corporation. 10. Harry, A.V., Saunders, R.J., Smart, J., J.S., Yates, P.M., Simpfendorfer, C.A. and Tobin, A.J. 2016, Assessment of a data-limited, multi-species shark fishery in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park and south-east Queensland, Fisheries Research 177: 104-115. 11. Simpfendorfer, C. 2014, Information for the Development of Non Detriment Findings for CITES Listed Sharks: report to the Department of the Environment, Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture & School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, James Cook University, Queensland. 12. Rasher, D.B., Hoey, A.S. and Hay, M.E. 2013, Consumer diversity interacts with prey defenses to drive ecosystem function, Ecology 94(6): 1347-1358. 13. Rizzari, J.R., Frisch, A.J., Hoey, A.S. and McCormick, M.I. 2014, Not worth the risk: apex predators suppress herbivory on coral reefs, Oikos 123(7): 829-836. 14. Boaden, A.E. and Kingsford, M.J. 2015, Predators drive community structure in coral reef fish assemblages, Ecosphere 6(4): art46. 15. Tobin, A.,Heupel, M., Simpfendorfer, C., Pandolfi, J., Thurstan, R. and Buckley, S. 2014, Utilising innovative technology to better understand Spanish mackerel spawning aggregations and the protection offered by marine protected areas, FRDC Project No 2010/007, Fisheries Research and Development Corporation. 16. Buckley, S.M., Thurstan, R.H., Tobin, A. and Pandolfi, J.M. 2017, Historical spatial reconstruction of a spawning- aggregation fishery, Conservation Biology 31(6): 1322-1332. 17. de Mitcheson, Y.S. 2016, Mainstreaming fish spawning aggregations into fishery management calls for a precautionary approach, Bioscience 66(4): 295-306. 18. Russell, M. 2001, Spawning aggregations of reef fishes on the Great Barrier Reef: Implications for Management, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville < http://hdl.handle. net/11017/351>. 19. Ellis, J.R., McCully Phillips, S.R. and Poisson, F. 2017, A review of capture and post-release mortality of elasmobranchs, Journal of Fish Biology 90(3): 653-722. 20. Campbell, M.J., McLennan, M.F., Courtney, A.J. and Simpfendorfer, C.A. 2018, Post-release survival of two elasmobranchs, the eastern shovelnose ray (Aptychotrema rostrata) and the common stingaree (Trygonoptera testacea), discarded from a prawn trawl fishery in southern Queensland, Australia, Marine and Freshwater Research 69(4): 551-561. 21. Rigby, C. and Simpfendorfer, C.A. 2015, Patterns in life history traits of deep-water chondrichthyans, Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 115: 30-40. 22. Pitcher, C.R., Rochester, W., Dunning, M., Courtney, T., Broadhurst, M., Noell, C., Tanner, J., Kangas, M., Newman, S., Semmens, J., Rigby, C., Saunders, T., Martin, J. and Lussier, W. 2018, Putting Potential Environmental Risk of Australia’s Trawl Fisheries in Landscape Perspective: Exposure of Seabed Assemblages to Trawling, and Inclusion in Closures and Reserves, CSIRO Oceans & Atmosphere, Brisbane, Queensland. 23. Lamb, J.B., Williamson, D.H., Russ, G.R. and Willis, B.L. 2015, Protected areas mitigate diseases of reef-building corals by reducing damage from fishing, Ecology 96(9): 2555-2567. 24. Pears, R.J., Morison, A.K., Jebreen, E.J., Dunning, M.C., Pitcher, C.R., Courtney, A.J., Houlden, B. and Jacobsen, I.P. 2012, Ecological risk assessment of the East Coast Otter Trawl Fishery in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park: Technical report, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville. 25. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 (Cwlth). 26. Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cwlth). 27. 27. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority 2016, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority submission on the green paper on fisheries management reform in Queensland July 2016, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville 28. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority 2019, Submission regarding proposed amendments to the Fisheries Regulations 2008, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville 6 | GBRMPA - Position Statement - Fishing GBRMPA Document No: 100485 Revision: 0 Date: 21-Aug-2020 References continued 29. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority 2014, Submission by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority to MRAG Asia Pacific on the review of fisheries arrangements in Queensland 2015, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, Townsville 30. Deloitte Access Economics 2017, At What Price? The Economic, Social and Icon Value of the Great Barrier Reef, Deloitte Access Economics, Brisbane. 31. Native Title Act 1993 (Cwlth). 32. Wilson, S.M., Raby, G.D., Burnett, N.J., Hinch, S.G. and Cooke, S.J. 2014, Looking beyond the mortality of bycatch: sublethal effects of incidental capture on marine animals, Biological Conservation 171: 61-72. 33. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority and Queensland Government 2013, ‘Suspicious dugong strandings: Townsville 2010 to 2013’, Unpublished report. 34. Dulvy, N.K., Davidson, L.N.K., Kyne, P.M., Simpfendorfer, C.A., Harrison, L.R., Carlson, J.K. and Fordham, S.V. 2016, Ghosts of the coast: global extinction risk and conservation of sawfishes, Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 26(1): 134-153. 35. Cagnazzi, D. 2010, Conservation Status of Australian Snubfin Dolphin, Orcaella heinsohni, and Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphin, Sousa chinensis, in the Capricorn Coast, Central Queensland, Australia, Phd, Thesis, Southern Cross University, NSW. 36. Marsh, H. and Sobtzick, S. 2015, Dugong dugon, The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, . 37. Mellin, C., MacNeil, M.A., Cheal, A.J., Emslie, M.J. and Caley, M.J. 2016, Marine protected areas increase resilience among coral reef communities, Ecology Letters 19(6): 629-637. 38. Harrison, H.B., Williamson, D.H., Evans, R.D., Almany, G.R., Thorrold, S.R., Russ, G.R., Feldheim, K.A., van Herwerden, L., Planes, S., Srinivasan, M., Berumen, M.L. and Jones, G.P. 2012, Larval export from marine reserves and the recruitment benefit for fish and fisheries, Current Biology 22(11): 1023- 1028. 39. Williamson, D.H., Harrison, H.B., Almany, G.R., Berumen, M.L., Bode, M., Bonin, M.C., Choukroun, S., Doherty, P.J., Frisch, A.J., Saenz-Agudelo, P. and Jones, G.P. 2016, Large- scale, multidirectional larval connectivity among coral reef fish populations in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Molecular Ecology 25(24): 6039-6054. Further information Director, Strategic Advice Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority PO Box 1379 Townsville Qld 4810 Australia Phone: + 61 7 4750 0700 Email: info@gbrmpa.gov.au www.gbrmpa.gov.au Document Control Information Approved by: Great Barrier Marine Park Authority Board Last reviewed: 21-Aug-2020 Next review: 21-Aug-2025 Created: 21-Aug-2020 Document custodian: Director, Strategic Advice Replaces: New