Deepwater snapperTowards improved stock assessments

and management

Outline

• Background• Work plan• Progress to date• Considerations

Background

• Deepwater snapper are an important fisheries resource in many PICTs

• Declines in catches in some PICTs have raised concerns about sustainability

• Quantitative assessments are limited by lack of adequate biological and fisheries data

Background

• At previous 3 HoF meetings, SPC members requested assistance with deepwater snapper management

• At 2011 HoF meeting, members endorsed SPC efforts to seek funding to support deepwater snapper project

• SPC obtained funding from:– AusAID (2012-2015) - Vanuatu, Samoa, Tonga, and the

Marshall Islands – French Pacific Fund (2011-2013) - New Caledonia – French Development Agency (2012-2013) - New Caledonia

Deepwater snapper workshop

• Deepwater snapper workshop held at SPC in July 2011• Identify priority information and training needs

• Participants from 12 PICTs • The agreed outcomes from the workshop included a work plan for

SPC’s deepwater snapper activities

Work Plan

There are 4 priority work areas:

1. Fisheries data collection2. Improving biological knowledge3. Fisheries assessment and management4. Capacity development

Fisheries Data Collection

Aim is to develop a standardised approach to fisheries data collection across the Pacific region – many advantages:

1. Facilitates the development and maintenance of a common database system, which minimises development and maintenance costs;

2. Provides consistency in how and what data are collected and how they are analysed; and

3. Facilitates comparisons of fisheries among countries

Fisheries Data Collection

Activities

• Support development of fisheries monitoring programs in-country (e.g. logsheets and port sampling)

• Utilise existing logsheets where feasible, to maintain familiarity in data reporting

• Otherwise utilise existing artisanal data forms• Modify existing artisanal fisheries database (TUF-ART)

to accommodate deepwater snapper fisheries data

Improving Biological Knowledge

• A large number of species are captured in deepwater fisheries• Generally assumed that most species are long-lived, slow

growing and late to mature• Limited biological information available; longevity, growth and

maturity is unknown for many species

Improving Biological Knowledge

Activities

1. Fisheries independent surveys2. Fisheries dependent collections (e.g. port sampling)

• Estimate longevity, growth rates, maturity schedules and spawning seasons for key species

• Examine genetic stock structure to identify management units

Fisheries assessment and management

• A lack of data has prevented traditional stock assessments for deepwater snapper

• A long time series of precise catch and effort data is required

• The cost of such data collection would most likely exceed the value of deepwater fisheries in most PICTs.

• Is it appropriate to allocate significant resources to support stock assessments for deepwater snapper?

Fisheries assessment and management

• Depletion experiments used to estimate Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) in 80/90’s

• MSY may not be most suitable reference point for deepwater snapper, because:

1. Estimates of MSY are usually very uncertain

2. MSY assumes that the environment does not vary

3. Fishing at MSY levels may produce undesirable effects for deepwater snapper fisheries– e.g. while catches at MSY may be sustainable, catch rates may decline

to levels that are not economically viable

Fisheries assessment and management

• Need to develop alternative management indicators and reference points for deepwater snapper

• Indicators need to be easy to monitor – e.g. fish size• Indicators and reference points need to be integrated into a formal

management framework• Management Procedures (MP) is a useful framework, and is used

successfully in other deepwater fisheries • MPs specify the management action(s) that will be taken when

indicators reach certain threshold reference points– E.g reduce effort by X% when average fish size is < Ycm

Fisheries assessment and management

Activities

• Characterise deepwater snapper fisheries in each PICT to identify trends and critical data limitations

• Develop species distribution models and provide maps of potential habitat for the major target species

• Develop indicators and reference points suitable for application within a MP framework

Capacity development

• Aim to enhance capacity for deepwater snapper management and assessment in home country

• Opportunities for Pacific Island Fisheries Officers to complete post-graduate studies

• Long-term attachments to SPC to focus on developing skills in data analysis and assessment

Progress to date

Scientific Cruises

Cruises in Fiji, Samoa, Wallis & Futuna, and Tonga

Fished 24 seamounts

Scientific Cruises

• Detailed catch and effort data from lightly exploited populations - useful baseline information for assessments

• Biological samples collected from 970 individuals from 16 species

Data collection

• Supporting deepwater snapper fisheries data collection programs – Tonga, Vanuatu, Samoa

• Implemented and supporting biological sampling – Tonga, New Caledonia (>1000 samples)

Capacity development

AusAID funding provides support for 4 Pacific Island Fisheries Officers to complete postgraduate degrees– Scholarships• Vanuatu – Jeremie Kaltavara (MSc, Australian Maritime College)• Samoa – Ueta Fa’asili Jr (MSc, University of Wollongong)

– Attachments, samples and analytical support• Tonga – Hau Halafihi (PhD, University of Canterbury)• Tuvalu – Etuati Poulasi (MSc, Australian Maritime College)

Species identification• Collaboration with Genetics lab at University of Hawaii• Identified new species (Etelis marshi) previously thought to be

Etelis carbunclus (ruby snapper)

Etelis carbunculus

Etelis marshi

Etelis carbunculus

Etelis carbunculus

Etelis marshi

Etelis marshi

Identification cards

• Waterproof species identification cards for fishers

• Distributed to Fiji, Marshall Islands, New Caledonia, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu

Considerations

• Heads of Fisheries are invited to:– Note progress that has been made to date– Note that SPC will be providing in-country support

to establish fisheries data collection programs, but– Acknowledge that success of the project will be

dependent on support from Fisheries Departments

– Consider the need for funding beyond the life of this project (2015)

Questions?