Richard Hillary, Ann Preece and Campbell Davies

Session 5, Talk 4, 19/1/16 @ 0900 hrs

In 2006, the status of southern bluefin tuna (SBT) was estimated to be low (ca. 3-5% of the unfished state). Revelations of large unreported catches, at that time, generated unquantifiable uncertainty in the primary abundance index (longline CPUE) used in the operating model, which meant the recently adopted Management Procedure (MP) was not implemented. Since then, the CCSBT has done a number of important things: (i) acted to verify member catch and effort data, (ii) transitioned from negotiated annual advice on global TAC, based on stock assessments, to adopting and implementing a fully evaluated Management Procedure (2011), and (iii) supported and adopted novel methods for monitoring abundance that do not rely on fisheries dependent CPUE. In this talk we outline how the historical dynamics, data and outcomes shaped the present management regime for SBT; why current changes across all bluefin fisheries will likely mean we have to adapt to using alternative data and management approaches in the near term; and, for SBT, how we are developing a long-term monitoring and management regime to provide the basis to measure the effectiveness of the rebuilding plan.

Contact: R. Hillary, CSIRO Marine Laboratories, Hobart, Tasmania, 7000, Australia, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.