Management Concern: High     Adequacy of Information: Moderate

Summary extracts from Outlook Report 2009

• Only a small proportion of non-commercial fish species are monitored. For most species that are monitored, the populations appear stable. Exceptions may include groups of species that are influenced by decreases in predator numbers and groups of species influenced by the effects of declining water quality.
  
• Information on the state and trends of target fish populations in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park is very limited, with formal stock assessment for only a few species.
• Illegal fishing is a threat to the Great Barrier Reef ecosystem. Incidents detected include incursion of foreign fishing vessels, fishing in zones closed to fishing, and use of fishing equipment or methods in zones where they are not permitted.

What do we know? (relevant pages from Outlook Online)

• Fish diversity in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
• The effects of marine reserve protection on trophic relationships
• Abundance patterns of predatory fishes
• Effects of rezoning on biomass of coral trout
• Concern for grey mackerel and garfish [0.4Mb]
• Australian Institute of Marine Science Long Term Monitoring Program: fish [30Mb]
• Reef fish species richness and abundance  (generated from Australian Institute of Marine Science data)
• e-ATLAS: Fish communities of the Great Barrier Reef - AIMS LTMP data  
• Fisheries: location of operations
• Fisheries: catch information
• Commercial line fishing: spatial distribution of 2007 catch (grids)
• Commercial trawl fishing: spatial distribution of 2007 catch (grids)
• Commercial net fishing: spatial distribution of 2007 catch (grids)
• Commercial crab fishing: spatial distribution of 2007 catch (grids)
• Commercial fishing: regional representation of net, trawl, line, crab catch in 2007 
• Commercial fishing line (combined) catch trends
• Commercial fishing net catch trends
• Participation in recreational fishing
• Recreational fishing - National Survey
• Recreational fishing effort proxy on GBR Coast
• Recreational fishing effort proxy on GBR Coast II
• Recreational fishing estimated GBR area catch
• Recreational fishing use (CapReef)
• Charter fishing regional charter catch
• The national recreational and indigenous fishing survey
• FAO global trends in wild catch
• Effects of line fishing on the Great Barrier Reef
• Fishing catch from the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park
• East coast fin fish fishery independent review 
   
  

Existing policies and management actions

• Queensland Fisheries Strategy 2009-2014
• Queensland Fisheries Policies and Legislation
• Permit conditions for specific activities
  
• Fisheries: legislative management arrangements
  
• Queensland Fisheries monitoring
  
• Queensland Management of Commercial Fisheries
  
• Queensland Management of Recreational Fisheries
  
• Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Zoning Plan
  

Future management requirements

• Draft Queensland Coastal Management Plan
• Incorporation of fishing in Traditional Use Marine Resource Agreements
  
• Biodiversity strategy
  

Defined research questions

• There are currently no defined research questions for this topic. Research questions will be developed, giving priority to interactions/issues that are of most concern to management.

Current Research and Monitoring