Estimated Catch: 474.8 tonnes

Stock Status of Target Species

Source: Patterson, H, Williams, A, Woodhams, J and Curtotti, R 2019, Fishery status reports 2019, Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, Canberra. CC BY 4.0.

MANAGEMENT PLANS/ARRANGEMENTS

The Macquarie Island Toothfish Fishery is managed in accordance with the Macquarie Island Toothfish Fishery Management Plan 2006. It is managed through a system of output controls in the form of individually transferable quotas, which are allocated as statutory fishing rights under the management plan. All operations conducted in the fishery were compliant with the performance criteria outlined in the management plan. As at June 2019, one boat had operated in the fishery during the 2018-19 fishing season.

There were no changes to the Macquarie Island Toothfish Fishery Management Plan 2006 during the 2018-19 fishing period.

ANALYSIS OF PERFORMANCE

Performance status of fish stocks

In November 2017, the AFMA Commission set the Macquarie Island Toothfish Fishery total allowable catch for Patagonian toothfish at 450 tonnes.

The Macquarie Island Toothfish Fishery has been divided into three regions, noting that the toothfish within these three regions are considered to be a single stock. Industry agreed to, as far as possible, adopt a fishing strategy endorsed by the Sub-Antarctic Fisheries Resource Assessment Group, which spreads fishing effort across the three regions. The voluntary strategy allows more tags to be deployed in the Northern Macquarie Region where the Sub-Antarctic Fisheries Resource Assessment Group agreed tagging would be most beneficial in improving scientific knowledge and reducing uncertainty in the stock assessment.

Performance status of bycatch

Bycatch is generally low in the Macquarie Island Toothfish Fishery. Catch limits of 50 tonnes for any one species were set for 2018-19, consistent with previous years. These catch limits were not exceeded in 2018-19, and have never been exceeded for any one species in a season.

EXTERNAL REVIEWS

There has been no external review of the fishery in 2018-19.