AFMA Submission – EPBC Act Reassessment

Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery

March 2013

This report has been prepared by AFMA for consideration by the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (SEWPaC) in relation to the export approval of the Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).

Contents

Contents 2

Introduction 4

1. Description of the Fishery 5

1.1 Species biology 9

1.2 Target and byproduct species 9

1.3 Management arrangements 9

1.4 International context 12

1.5 Fishing methods 14

1.6 Fishing areas 15

1.7 Allocation between sectors 17

1.8 Governing legislation/fishing authority 17

1.9 Status of export approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 17

2. Socio-economic environment 17

2.1 Value of the fishery 17

2.2 Economic assessment 18

2.3 Quality assurance and control 18

3. Management 18

3.1 Changes to management 18

3.2 Performance of the fishery against objectives, performance indicators and performance measures 20

3.3 Compliance risks present in the fishery and actions taken to reduce these risks 22

3.4 Consultation processes 24

3.5 Description of cross-jurisdictional management arrangements 25

3.6 Compliance with threat abatement plans, recovery plans and domestic and international agreements 25

4. Research and monitoring 26

4.1 Research 26

4.2 Monitoring programs used to gather information on the fishery 26

4.3 Observer program 29

5. Catch data 31

5.1 Total catch of target species 31

5.2 Take of SBT in other fisheries 31

5.3 Total catch of byproduct and bycatch species 31

5.4 Catch by other sectors 32

5.5 Purse seine effort data 33

5.6 Spatial issues/trends 33

6. Status of target stock 33

6.1 Stock assessments and recovery strategies 33

6.2 Stock status 35

7. Interactions with protected species 35

7.1 Frequency and nature of interactions 35

7.2 Management action taken to reduce interactions 37

8. Impacts of the fishery on the ecosystem 37

8.1 Results of the Ecological Risk Assessments 37

8.2 Nature of impacts on the ecosystem 39

8.3 Management action taken to reduce impacts 39

8.4 Ecological Risk Assessment and Management Review 40

9. Progress in implementation of recommendations and conditions resulting from the previous assessment of the fishery 40

10. Attachments 41

Attachment A – Conditions and Recommendations on the declaration of the Harvest Operations of the Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery as an approved Wildlife Trade Operation, October 2010 41

Attachment B – Level 2 SBT Fishery Ecological Risk Assessment 41

Attachment C – SBT Fishery Residual Risk Assessment 41

Attachment D – SBT Fishery Level Three Rapid Qualitative Risk Assessment 41

Attachment E – SBT Fishery Ecological Risk Management strategy 41

Attachment F – Report on the 2010 Trial Release of Live and Vigorous Southern Bluefin Tuna 41

Attachment G – Report on the 2011 Trial Release of Live and Vigorous Southern Bluefin Tuna 41

Attachment H – SBT Fishery Management Plan Amendment 2012 (No.1) 41

Attachment I – Current Scientific Survey summaries 41

Attachment J - Report of Commercial trial of stereo video technology 2011. 41

Introduction

This assessment covers fishing methods in the Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery (the SBT Fishery) for all methods permitted under the Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery Management Plan 1995.

The SBT Fishery was originally declared an approved Wildlife Trade Operation (WTO) under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) on 10 November 2004. Since then, the SBTF has been granted export approval under Part13A of the EPBC Act three times with the current WTO accreditation valid until 24 July 2013.

A copy of the letter to AFMA, including conditions and recommendations can be found at:

http://www.environment.gov.au/coasts/fisheries/commonwealth/southern-bluefin-tuna/index.html

1. Description of the Fishery

A full description of the Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery (SBT fishery) is provided in the table below.

Principal Species: / Southern Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus maccoyii)
No of SFR Owners at start of the SBT fishing Season / 2009/10: 95
2010/11: 95
2011/12: 94
Estimated catch (fishing season) and value (financial year) / 2009/10 / TAC – 8,030 tonnes (total for 2009-11 season)
Catch: 4,091 tonnes
GVP: $24,221,000
Farm gate value: $102,200,000
2010/11 / TAC – 8,030 tonnes (total for 2009-11 season)
Catch: 3,958 tonnes
GVP: $30,551,000
Farm gate value: $115,300,000
2011/12 / TAC – 4,528 tonnes
Catch: 4,543 tonnes
GVP: $40,603,000
Farm gate value: Not available
Fishing Season: / The standard Southern Bluefin Tuna (SBT) fishing season runs from 1 December to 30 November in the following year.
Between 1 December 2009 and 30 November 2011, the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) implemented a 24 month fishing season. From 1 December 2011 the SBT fishing season reverted back to the standard 12 month fishing season.
The majority of fishing by purse seine for grow out ranching occurs from December – March. Longlining for SBT occurs primarily in winter months off southern NSW by boats operating concurrently in the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery.
Main markets: / Japan. Small markets in the United States of America, European Union and Republic of Korea.
Fishing techniques: / Around 96% of Australia’s SBT quota is taken by about 5 purse seine vessels fishing in the Great Australian Bight, for SBT weighing between 13 and 25 kg. These are towed alive back to static grow out pontoons off Port Lincoln and grown out for up to 6 months before being harvested and exported, predominantly to Japan. SBT is also a valuable and largely incidental catch for longline vessels operating in southern Australian waters. They are also taken in small amounts by pole and line, and trolling.
International Management: / Australia is a member of the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT), which is responsible for the international management of the global SBT stock. The objectives of the CCSBT are to ensure through appropriate management, the conservation and optimum utilisation of the global SBT fishery. Management arrangements agreed at the CCSBT are implemented in the domestic fishery through the SBT Plan and associated legislative instruments.
The CCSBT member countries are engaged in a Scientific Research Program (SRP). The core components of the SRP are catch characterisation, Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) standardisation, scientific observers and conventional tagging, although the Australian tagging program was suspended in 2007.
At the Eighteenth Annual Extended Commission Meeting of the CCSBT in 2011, a Management Procedure was adopted that outlines a rebuilding strategy for the SBT stock. The Management Procedure will be used to guide the setting of the SBT global Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for 2012 and beyond, according to the following parameters:
·  The Management Procedure is tuned to a 70% probability of rebuilding the stock to the interim rebuilding target reference point of 20% of the original spawning stock biomass by 2035;
·  The minimum TAC change (increase or decrease) is 100 tonnes;
·  The maximum TAC change (increase or decrease) is 3,000 tonnes; and
·  The TAC will be set for three-year periods, subject to paragraph 7 of the Resolution on Adoption of a Management Procedure (PDF 33Kb).
Based on the outcome of the Management Procedure, Australia’s national allocation for the 2012/13 season is 4,698 tonnes out of a global TAC of 10,949 tonnes.
Management Plan: / The Southern Bluefin Tuna Management Plan 1995 (the SBT Plan) is the instrument through which Australia implements the resolutions of the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) in the domestic fishery.
The SBT Plan underwent amendments in 2012/13 to accommodate changes to monitoring arrangements within the fishery and to allow AFMA the ability to implement decisions of the CCSBT such as undercatch arrangements. The Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery Plan Amendment 2012 (No1) has been determined by the AFMA Commission and is currently with the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry for acceptance.
Ecological Risk Management / The Ecological Risk Management (ERM) strategy for the SBT fishery outlines management measures to monitor and mitigate risk to all aspects of the marine ecosystem.
The ERM strategy has been developed through the Ecological Risk Management Framework that involves a hierarchical ecological risk assessment (ERA) process. This process progresses from a comprehensive but largely qualitative analysis at Level 1, to a full quantitative analysis at Level 3. Results of the full ERA analysis identified no species at high risk in the SBT fishery. The priority for the ERM strategy is to maintain monitoring of the fishery and respond to any interactions with protected species that occur. Further details of the ERM framework are included in section 8.
A separate bycatch and discards workplan has been developed under the ETBF ERM strategy for all Australian pelagic longline fisheries, which includes mitigation measures relevant to longlining for SBT.
Management Method: / The Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery (SBTF) is managed through a system of output controls in the form of individually transferrable quotas which are allocated as Statutory Fishing Rights (SFRs) under the SBT Plan. Prior to the commencement of each season (1 December to 30 November), AFMA determines a TAC of SBT for the domestic fishery based upon Australia’s national allocation from the CCSBT. Each SFR entitles the holder to receive an equal portion of the TAC set by AFMA for this period.
Stock Status: / The 2011 SBT stock assessment was conducted by the CCSBT Scientific Committee. The results suggested that the SBT spawning biomass is at a very low fraction of its original biomass as well as below the level that could produce maximum sustainable yield. Rebuilding the spawning stock biomass would almost certainly increase sustainable yield and provide security against unforeseen environmental impacts. The current Total Allowable Catch (TAC) has been set using the management procedure adopted in 2011, which has a 70% probability of rebuilding to the interim target biomass level by 2035.
Stock prognosis
There is a positive outlook for the SBT stock based on the 2011 assessment including:
·  a continued reduction in the total reported global catch;
·  the current fishing mortality has reduced to below Fmsy; and
·  Stock is expected to increase at current catch levels, and future catch levels determined by the Management Procedure (MP).
Summary of indicators
There have been mixed signals from the indicators in 2012, including:
·  longline CPUE has an increasing trend since 2007; and
·  a decrease in the aerial survey index in 2012 to a low level (also seen in the Surface Abundance Per Unit Effort (SAPUE) and troll survey results). In relation to this, the CCSBT Extended Scientific Committee (ESC) has identified the need to further examine the factors that may have impacted on the 2012 aerial survey at its 2013 meeting, which will also have the full results of the 2013 survey. The raw data results of the 2013 aerial survey indicate a return to the higher levels seen in 2009 to 2011.
Major management issues over the next 12 months: / Following the completion of a commercial trial of stereo video based monitoring in 2011, AFMA agreed to implement stereo video as the monitoring method in the SBT fishery from 1 December 2012.
Following the outcome of an open tender process AFMA did not have sufficient funding to implement stereo video monitoring for the fishing season starting 1 December 2012 and decided to delay the implementation of the technology until 1 December 2013.
For the season starting 1 December 2012, AFMA has improved the statistical quality of the sampling regime by increasing the sample size from the current 40 fish (≥10kg) to 100 fish (≥10kg).
AFMA signed a contract on 5 October 2012 with Protec Marine Pty Ltd, to supply monitoring services to the Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery for the next four years, with the option of a further two year extension. The first year of the contract will be to provide services based on a 100 fish sample and the following three years will to be to provide stereo video monitoring. The cost of the monitoring is approximately $2,905,618 (4 years) with the optional additional 2 years costing $1,324,534.
Australia will continue to collect vital data through the SBT aerial survey to support the Management Procedure adopted in 2011. This includes providing relevant data to the CCSBT for consideration by the ESC and the Extended Commission.
Through operation of the Management Procedure, global TACs and national allocations have been established for the 2012 and 2013 seasons. Figures for the 2014 season are provisional and subject to review by the Extended Scientific Committee in September 2013.

1.1 Species biology

Southern Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) are found in the southern hemisphere, mainly in waters between 30° and 50° S, but only rarely in the eastern Pacific. The only known spawning area is in the Indian Ocean, south-east of Java, Indonesia. Spawning takes place from September to April in warm waters south of Java and juvenile SBT migrate south down the west coast of Australia. During the summer months (December-April), they tend to congregate near the surface in the coastal waters off the southern coast of Australia and spend their winters in deeper, temperate oceanic waters. Results from recaptured conventional and archival tags show that young SBT migrate seasonally between the south coast of Australia and the central Indian Ocean. After age 5 SBT are seldom found in nearshore surface waters, and their distribution extends over the southern circumpolar area throughout the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans.

SBT can attain a length of over 2m and a weight of over 200kg. Direct ageing using otoliths indicates that a significant number of fish larger than 160cm are older than 25 years, and the maximum age obtained from otolith readings has been 42 years. Analysis of tag returns and otoliths indicate that, in comparison with the 1960s, growth rate has increased since about 1980 as the stock has been reduced. There is some uncertainty about the size and age when SBT mature, but available data indicate that SBT do not generally mature younger than 8 years (155cm fork length), and perhaps as old as 15 years. SBT exhibit age-specific natural mortality, with M being higher for young fish and lower for old fish, increasing again prior to senescence. Given that SBT have only one known spawning ground, and that no morphological differences have been found between fish from different areas, SBT are considered to constitute a single stock for management purposes.