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.
  
• Only limited information is available about the impact of climate change on the function and behaviour of reef fishes.
  

What do we know?

Relevant pages from Outlook Online include:

• Increased ocean acidification may also affect the olfactory discrimination and homing ability of marine fish
  
• Impact of ocean acidification on fish abundance and survivorship
  
• Impact of ocean acidification on larval fish development
  
• Effects of CO2 on marine fish: larvae and adults
  
• 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 [400MB]
  
• 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
  
• Vulnerability of Great Barrier Reef fisheries to climate change

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
  
• Australian Government policy on climate change 
• Queensland Government climate change policies and strategies 
• Climate Change Action Plan 2007-2012

Future management requirements

• Biodiversity strategy
  

Defined research questions

• How will changes in sea temperature and pH affect the function and behaviour of reef fishes?
  
• What is the adaptation potential of fish to the predicted impacts of climate change?

Related information

• Current Research and Monitoring