Where have all our mackerel gone?
It's pretty common knowledge among inshore recreational mackerel fishers the length of the Queensland coast, that stocks of School, Grey and Spotted mackerel have plummeted to dangerously low levels over the past 20 years in most areas. The blame for this decline has been squarely laid at the significant increase seen during this time in commercial mackerel netting. The reported commercial landings of mackerel have doubled in the past 20 years and every year sees more operators gearing up and traveling the state with mechanical haulers and 600-1200m of net chasing inshore mackerel.
The QRFN believes the only long term solution to saving our inshore mackerel stocks (if it isn't already too late) is to immediately declare all mackerel species line caught only! That would still allow for sustainable commercial line fishing for mackerel to continue as always used to be the case until about the 1980's. Following is the QRFN policy statement about mackerel netting:
There must be a total commercial netting ban on all species of mackerel introduced as a matter of extreme urgency – sustainable commercial line fishing for mackerel is acceptable
UPDATE: It is looking like we might end up with a netting ban on all mackerel species in GBR waters if the proposed removal of all large mesh nets is achieved under the current UNESCO driven plan. But, that won't apply to SEQ waters, so the battle is far from over. Sadly, we reckon you can expect see a significant increase in netting of mackerel in SEQ waters if the northern waters are closed.
Below is a summary of the issues compiled by the QRFN in respect to commercial mackerel netting on the east coast of Queensland
Ø Declare all mackerel species along the east coast of Queensland as “line-caught” only
Ø Threats posed by the inshore commercial net fishery to the sustainability of key fish species along the east coast of Queensland, especially the lesser mackerels in the immediate term, must be acknowledged.
Ø The unacceptable risk of mortality of rare and endangered marine mega-fauna resulting from the use of long mechanically hauled nets within the declared World Heritage Area along the east coast of Queensland should not be tolerated and must be better monitored and reported on.
Ø Existing environmental legislative requirements are not being met by the east coast offshore net fishery and this breach should be raised with agencies responsible for administering the EPBC Act.
Ø Priority resource use should be allocated to the recreational sector so they can confidently catch fish again for the family table.
The QRFN believes the only long term solution to saving our inshore mackerel stocks (if it isn't already too late) is to immediately declare all mackerel species line caught only! That would still allow for sustainable commercial line fishing for mackerel to continue as always used to be the case until about the 1980's. Following is the QRFN policy statement about mackerel netting:
There must be a total commercial netting ban on all species of mackerel introduced as a matter of extreme urgency – sustainable commercial line fishing for mackerel is acceptable
UPDATE: It is looking like we might end up with a netting ban on all mackerel species in GBR waters if the proposed removal of all large mesh nets is achieved under the current UNESCO driven plan. But, that won't apply to SEQ waters, so the battle is far from over. Sadly, we reckon you can expect see a significant increase in netting of mackerel in SEQ waters if the northern waters are closed.
Below is a summary of the issues compiled by the QRFN in respect to commercial mackerel netting on the east coast of Queensland
- Commercial netting for mackerel species off the east coast of Queensland is a relatively recent element of the traditional inshore and estuarine net fishery, having really only accounted for significant tonnages of the various mackerel species since about the mid 1970’s, and even then, only in fairly geographically confined areas of the coast.
- There is currently a noticeable shift in effort occurring in the inshore commercial net fishery away from estuary and foreshore set netting, to netting described in the Fisheries Regulations as “offshore” netting – the use of 600m nets in waters deeper than 2m at low tide using mechanical hauling devices. This effort shift is predominantly as a result of serious and serially depleted stocks of species including barramundi, King and Blue threadfin in the inshore fishery and commercial net fishers seeking alternative species in an effort to maintain income.
- The netting of Spanish mackerel has been banned in Queensland for decades, and more recently the ring netting of Spotted mackerel has also been banned in recognition of the potential threat of over-fishing of this species posed by commercial netting. Commercial landings of Grey and School mackerel, officially and unofficially, by commercial net fishers along the east coast of Queensland are increasing alarmingly as a result of the shift in targeted effort by fishers. Confirmed landings by individual operators of between 3-13 tonnes have been reported, while reliable but unofficial landings up to 50 tonnes have been made. The total reported commercial catch of all mackerals (line and net) has increased from about 600 tonnes/year in the early 1990’s to around 1,200 tonnes/year currently. All reliable estimates indicate the risk of “recruitment over-fishing” (catching more than the population can naturally replace through spawning) is likely to be already occurring in many locations.
- A significant proportion of the commercial net-caught mackerel harvest is not sold on local markets, but sent interstate and overseas, which provides minimal economic benefit to local communities. The local market in mid 2010 was glutted by the amount of net-caught mackerel and prices plummeted from about $13.50/kg down to an uneconomic $5/kg, yet operators were still out there harvesting.
- The flesh from net-caught mackerel is of dubious quality compared to line-caught mackerel because the fish are not bled prior to processing and may be in the net in warm tropical waters for many hours before being landed. This is not the best economic use of this dwindling resource.
- Communities the length of the Queensland east coast are expressing concern at the increase in mackerel netting they are witnessing and are almost universally anecdotally reporting diminishing recreational catches of mackerel species compared to even 10 years ago in most cases.
- Serious depletion of inshore mackerel populations are negatively affecting the winter tourism market in many coastal locations, as southern visitors who traditionally planned their holidays to coastal Queensland around fishing for mackerel, are no longer staying for extending periods in coastal centres like Yeppoon, Bowen, Mackay and Port Douglas, to mention a few, because they can no longer confidently catch themselves a feed of mackerel.
- Levels of bycatch mortality of rare and endangered charismatic marine mega-fauna, including dugongs, dolphins and turtles are believed to be quite high in long 600-1200m nets set in inshore waters, particularly when set overnight as is common practice. Confirmed instances of mortality due to being entangled in commercial nets have highlighted this unacceptable ecological risk and resulted in broad community outrage at what is being allowed to happen under current Queensland fisheries laws.
- The negative economic, environmental and social impacts of inshore mackerel netting can no longer be justified or defended in 21st century society. The value-adding element of commercially line caught mackerel is many-fold compared to inferior net-caught product and more than meets the stated mission of fisheries managers of “ensuring a profitable commercial fishery”.
- Recent research has confirmed that Grey mackerel do not migrate over large distances and return to areas where they were spawned each year (philopatry), making them very predicable and susceptible to netting and hyperstability as a result of over-fishing.
- Though very limited research has been conducted on School mackerel, it is considered that they too are philopatric (remaining a fairly restricted spatial area and returning t the same area to spawn).
- There is no Total Allowable Catch (TAC) in place for School mackerel and there is a high risk still of serial area depletion of Greys despite there being a very generous 250 tonne TAC on that species because netters are progressively fishing out local stocks and moving to the next area along the coast and repeating the practice.
- This fishery has received export approval under the EPBC Act, but close analysis of the Act’s requirements clearly are not being met to any real degree by this fishery and State and Federal governments who have provided the approvals.
- Since the introduction of the Net Free Area in Keppel Bay in Central Queensland in 2015, a steady increase in numbers of School (Doggie) mackerel showing up at previously prolific aggregation sites along this stretch of coast is evident. Fish numbers are by no means anywhere near what they were as recently as the 1980's in Keppel Bay, but each subsequent year, recreational mackerel catches are improving..So here is a positive example of how School mackerel stocks can start to rebuild once netting is removed from an area.
Ø Declare all mackerel species along the east coast of Queensland as “line-caught” only
Ø Threats posed by the inshore commercial net fishery to the sustainability of key fish species along the east coast of Queensland, especially the lesser mackerels in the immediate term, must be acknowledged.
Ø The unacceptable risk of mortality of rare and endangered marine mega-fauna resulting from the use of long mechanically hauled nets within the declared World Heritage Area along the east coast of Queensland should not be tolerated and must be better monitored and reported on.
Ø Existing environmental legislative requirements are not being met by the east coast offshore net fishery and this breach should be raised with agencies responsible for administering the EPBC Act.
Ø Priority resource use should be allocated to the recreational sector so they can confidently catch fish again for the family table.
Here is a very informative and pretty scary paper dealing with netting for Grey mackerel in particular in Far North Queensland, authored by fisheries scientist David Cook with input from some QRFN members. We recommend you read this to really understand this destructive form of offshore netting.
Some disturbing data on Spotted mackerel
Check this out! Here is independently analyzed commercial catch and effort data for Spotted mackerel from Fisheries Qld. It is pretty clear from this graphed data, that Spotted mackerel haven't miraculously rebounded from the pummeling they have taken when ring netting was condoned. This unequivocally supports our call for a total ban on commercial netting of all mackerel species.
Some disturbing data on Spotted mackerel
Check this out! Here is independently analyzed commercial catch and effort data for Spotted mackerel from Fisheries Qld. It is pretty clear from this graphed data, that Spotted mackerel haven't miraculously rebounded from the pummeling they have taken when ring netting was condoned. This unequivocally supports our call for a total ban on commercial netting of all mackerel species.
