AFMA reports that at the start of the commercial Southern Bluefin Tuna fishing season on 1 December the most recent scientific assessment showed that the species is rebuilding well.
The 2012-13 season catch limit has been increased by 3% from last season to 4,698 tonnes following advice from the international Southern Bluefin Tuna commission that the stock is improving.
The Australian Fisheries Management Authority is introducing new monitoring arrangements for Southern Bluefin Tuna catches this season to measure operators’ catches against quota. A greater sample size (100 fish larger than 10 kilograms) will be used to calculate the total catch. In coming years new high-tech video technology will be used to further improve catch monitoring.
AFMA CEO Dr James Findlay said that it was great to see the stock rebuilding following cooperative efforts by government, the fishing industry, scientists, recreational fishers and environmental organisations.
“We’ve all put a lot of work into this and it’s really positive to see that our cooperation is paying off and we’re seeing real improvements in the tuna population,” Dr Findlay said.
AFMA also reports that research into tuna farming practices appears to be paying off with Southern Bluefin Tuna survival rates increasing. There has been a 10% drop in farmed tuna deaths which has already saved the industry close to 20 million dollars over the past 12 months. It is hoped that recent research into offshore farming will lead to further improvements in results.
