Have your say – Draft NSW Mulloway Harvest Strategy and management options
Background
The Draft NSW Mulloway Harvest Strategy has been developed by the NSW Mulloway Harvest Strategy Working Group (HSWG) and applies to the NSW stock of Mulloway (Argyrosomus japonicus).
The draft harvest strategy and information regarding management options for Mulloway are provided for feedback.
View the full Draft NSW Mulloway Harvest Strategy here (PDF, 641.8 KB)
View the Fact Sheet on the Draft NSW Mulloway Harvest Strategy (PDF, 3189.71 KB)
Harvest strategy overview
NSW Mulloway stocks have been depleted for many years, with a recovery program initiated in 2013, and further management changes implemented in 2018 and 2023.
Whilst the latest scientific stock assessment has detected potential improvements in stock health, it is not certain if biomass is either above or below the limit of 20% of the unfished biomass – a critical reference point for management.
The Mulloway Harvest Strategy has been developed to provide a best-practice management framework to support the continued rebuilding of Mulloway stocks, with the overall aim to improve the long-term health of the fishery for all stakeholders.
The harvest strategy is designed to provide a contemporary management framework identifying objectives, monitoring arrangements and decision rules for managing recreational and commercial harvest – which is specifically tailored to continue rebuilding of Mulloway stock biomass to target levels.
The primary purpose of the harvest strategy is to govern the level of harvest that can be taken across all fishing sectors, to achieve the operational objectives defined in the harvest strategy.
The harvest strategy will initially focus on rebuilding biomass of the NSW Mulloway stock to staged rebuilding target levels (Phase 1), with subsequent progression to the long-term biomass target level (Phase 2).
The key elements of the two phases include:
Phase 1: Rebuilding strategy
- Rebuilding biomass to 25% of unfished biomass within 5 years and 30% of unfished biomass within two generations (11 years) under a ‘rebuilding phase’ of the harvest strategy
- A constant harvest limit of 125 tonnes per annum established for the rebuilding phase as a maximum annual harvest level for Mulloway
- Decision rules that will adjust (i.e. reduce) harvest if the rebuilding objectives are scientifically assessed as unlikely to be met.
Phase 2: Post-rebuilding strategy
- Progressing to a future target biomass of 50% of unfished biomass once the rebuilding objectives are achieved
- Decision rules that will adjust total annual harvest in accordance with changes in biomass, aiming to maintain biomass around the target of 50% of unfished biomass in order to support balanced benefits for commercial, recreational and Aboriginal cultural fishers
- A trigger reference point of 30% of unfished biomass, with review of the harvest strategy undertaken should biomass decline from a higher level to below this level
- A limit reference point of 20% of unfished biomass, being the level below which recruitment to the stock may be severely compromised, at which harvest limits will be set at zero until stock health recovers in the absence of fishing.
An equal share of total harvest will be provided to the commercial and recreational (including charter) fishing sectors through annual sector-based limits.
Management actions appropriate to each sector will be established to support consistent adjustment of harvest levels against the sector share of total harvest.
The annual harvest level has been determined taking account of the estimated level of cultural harvest. Application of decision rules for Aboriginal cultural harvest will be determined in consultation with the NSW Aboriginal Fishing Advisory Council and Aboriginal cultural fishers.
Harvest limits will apply to an annual period between 1 March and the end of February each year.
Management options
Different management approaches will be required to manage harvest from the recreational and commercial sectors to the respective shares.
The Department is seeking feedback on the following areas in addition to feedback on the Draft NSW Mulloway Harvest Strategy, also incorporating review of the current management arrangements implemented on 1 September 2023 as an interim measure to finalisation of the harvest strategy:
- Introducing real-time catch reporting for Mulloway by recreational and commercial fishers, focused on improving catch data and effective operation of the harvest strategy in achieving its objectives, and
- Management options to maintain recreational and commercial harvest of Mulloway against catch levels determined under the harvest strategy and its objectives.
Information on mandatory real-time reporting and management options for the recreational and commercial fishing sectors can be found using the following links.
Recreational fishing management options information
Commercial fishing management options information
Have your say!
Submissions are now invited and can be made using the online submission form here until midnight, Sunday 25 May 2025.
More information?
NSW Mulloway Harvest Strategy Working Group
The Status of Australian Fish Stocks Reports: fish.gov.au
