Black jewfish stock assessment
Chart of Queensland east coast stock assessment biomass estimates and key management actions for black jewfish
© Queensland Government
Why did we assess Queensland east coast black jewfish?
In 2022, Fisheries Queensland completed the first stock assessment of Queensland east coast black jewfish. This baseline assessment was important for understanding how recent change in fishing pressure may have impacted the stock and to inform long-term sustainable catch levels in line with the Sustainable Fisheries Strategy 2017—2027.
The assessment used the most current biological data, provided through a recent FRDC funded research project, as well as commercial and recreational catch data to:
- Determine the sustainability of the stock
- Inform management decisions through the existing East Coast Inshore Fishery Harvest Strategy
What did we find?
The assessment estimated the black jewfish stock level to be between 56% and 99% with a median estimate of 79%. Despite high uncertainty around the exact level of biomass, the model outputs provide confidence that the biomass is at or above the target reference point of 60% unfished biomass.
How was the stock assessment conducted?
The 2022 assessment used an integrated, age-structured population dynamic model, implemented in the software Stock Synthesis. Stock Synthesis is widely used to analyse fisheries in North America, Europe and the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and is used by CSIRO for Federally managed fisheries in Australia.
Next steps for fishery management
Under Queensland’s Sustainable Fisheries Strategy 2017—2027, harvest strategies are applied to keep stocks at a target reference point which aims to achieve Maximum Economic Yield for the fishery.
The East coast inshore fishery working group provides advice on the operational aspects of the management of the fishery. The working group includes representatives from commercial, recreational and charter fishing sectors, seafood processors and wholesalers, Indigenous representatives, and the conservation and environment sectors.
More information
Access the report of Stock assessment of Queensland east coast black jewfish (Protonibea diacanthus), Australia, with data to December 2021.