EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
A two-week pilot survey of recreational fishing in Karumba was conducted during August, 2002. Anglers from 434 fishing trips were interviewed at “The Point” and “Town” boat ramps. Thirty-nine percent (39%) of fishers came from Qld, 29% from NSW, 26%% from Victoria , with the remaining minority (6%), from South Australia , Tasmania , and Western Australia . The majority of fishers (52%) were highly experienced fishing in Karumba, having visited for greater than 5 years.
The total recreational fishing effort in Karumba for August, 2002, was 15716 ( ± 1637 SE) vessel hours, or 3926 ( ± 617 SE) fishing trips at an average of 4 hours per fishing trip. The majority (>90%) of fishing trips involved an aluminium dinghy of 3.5 – 4.5 m in length crewed by two people. Not all legal sized fishes were retained; for example, anglers kept only 38% of legal-sized barramundi, 75% of legal-sized grunter, and 88% of legal-sized blue salmon.
The total recreational fishing catch (fish retained by anglers) in Karumba for August 2002 was estimated to be 6.4 tonnes, although taking into account the sampling variability, could be as high as 12 tonnes. The most common species kept (by numbers) was blue salmon ( Eleutheronema tetradactylum – 3051 ± 6101 SE), Grunter Bream ( Pomadysus kaakan 975 ± 2750 SE) and Pikey (Black) Bream ( Acanthopagrus palmaris; 569 ± 3238 SE). These estimates are preliminary and need to be viewed with caution, taking into account the large standard errors.
Power analysis revealed that a minimum sample size (number of fishing trips sampled) capable of detecting a 20% reduction in catch rates of all species was 1000. Given that the pilot study achieved a sample size of 434 from 11 days of sampling, data from 1000 fishing trips is achievable within an entire fishing season. To ensure that all species fished during the entire season (February-August) are adequately represented, separate sampling trips would have to be made during the main fishing months (March-Aprill; May-June; July-August).
Specific recommendations on the nature and logistics of an on-going recreational fisheries monitoring program are provided in the report. However, a monitoring program can only be of use if the outcomes (i.e. trends detected) have “management teeth”, i.e. can lead directly to management actions. This can be achieved by explicit definition of baseline standards, trigger points, and management response. Such definitions must consider input from all stakeholders. The current situation provides an opportunity to involve the Karumba angling community, which is unique and committed to the fishery, in the process of managing their stocks effectively. Suggestions on how this may proceed are provided. |
