Species group report card

bony fsh
Supporting the draft marine bioregional
plan for the South-west Marine Region
prepared under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999
Commonwealth of Australia 2011

Disclaimer
The views and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not
necessarily refect those of the Australian Government or the Minister for Sustainability,
Environment, Water, Population and Communities. The contents of this document have been
compiled using a range of source materials and while reasonable care has been taken in its
compilation, the Australian Government does not accept responsibility for the accuracy or
completeness of the contents of this document and shall not be liable for any loss or damage
that may be occasioned directly or indirectly through the use of or reliance on the contents of
the document.
1
!"#$%#& ()*+" )#"*), $-)./0*12 3%&4

SupporLlng Lhe drafL marlne bloreglonal plan for Lhe SouLh-wesL Marlne
8eglon
prepared under Lhe ovltoomeot ltotectloo ooJ 8loJlvetslty coosetvotloo Act 1999

5#"*), $-).&
1he prlmary ob[ecLlve of Lhe reporL cards ls Lo provlde accesslble and up-Lo-daLe lnformaLlon
on Lhe conservaLlon values found ln CommonwealLh marlne reglons. 1hls lnformaLlon ls
malnLalned by Lhe ueparLmenL of SusLalnablllLy, LnvlronmenL, WaLer, opulaLlon and
CommunlLles and ls avallable onllne Lhrough Lhe deparLmenL's webslLe
(www.envlronmenL.gov.au).
8eflecLlng Lhe caLegorles of conservaLlon values, Lhere are Lhree Lypes of reporL cards:
specles group reporL cards
marlne envlronmenL reporL cards
herlLage places reporL cards.
!"#$%#& ()*+" )#"*), $-).&
Specles group reporL cards are prepared for large Laxonomlc groups LhaL lnclude specles
ldenLlfled as conservaLlon values ln a reglon, LhaL ls, specles LhaL are llsLed under arL 13 of
Lhe ovltoomeot ltotectloo ooJ 8loJlvetslty coosetvotloo Act 1999 (L8C AcL) and llve ln Lhe
CommonwealLh marlne area for all or parL of Lhelr llfecycle. All llsLed LhreaLened, mlgraLory
and marlne specles and all ceLaceans occurrlng ln CommonwealLh waLers are proLecLed
under Lhe L8C AcL and are ldenLlfled ln Lhe relevanL marlne bloreglonal plans as
conservaLlon values.
Specles group reporL cards focus on specles for whlch Lhe reglon ls lmporLanL from a
conservaLlon perspecLlve, for example, specles of whlch a slgnlflcanL proporLlon of Lhe
populaLlon or an lmporLanL llfe sLage occurs ln Lhe reglon's waLers.
lor Lhese specles, Lhe reporL cards:
ouLllne Lhe conservaLlon sLaLus of Lhe specles and Lhe currenL sLaLe of knowledge abouL
lLs ecology ln Lhe reglon
deflne blologlcally lmporLanL areas, LhaL ls, areas where aggregaLlons of lndlvlduals of a
specles dlsplay blologlcally lmporLanL behavlours
assess Lhe level of concern ln relaLlon Lo dlfferenL pressures.
2
!" $%&' ()*+ %( ,+- .%/,+01-*, 234)&- 5-6)%&

ConservaLlon values ln marlne bloreglonal plans lnclude specles llsLed under arL 13 of Lhe ovltoomeot
ltotectloo ooJ 8loJlvetslty coosetvotloo Act 1999 (L8C AcL) LhaL llve ln Lhe CommonwealLh marlne area
or for whlch Lhe CommonwealLh marlne area ls necessary for a parL of Lhe llfecycle. All llsLed LhreaLened,
mlgraLory and marlne specles and all ceLaceans occurrlng ln Lhe SouLh-wesL Marlne 8eglon are ldenLlfled
as conservaLlon values. key ecologlcal feaLures have also been ldenLlfled Lhrough Lhe marlne bloreglonal
plannlng process Lo more preclsely deflne areas and feaLures of lmporLance ln Lhe CommonwealLh marlne
envlronmenL. 1wo key ecologlcal feaLures ldenLlfled ln Lhe SouLh-wesL Marlne 8eglon are groups of bony
flsh. 1hese are small pelaglc flsh and demersal slope flsh communlLles ln Lhe CenLral WesLern rovlnce.
1he marlne envlronmenL reporL card dlscusses Lhe key ecologlcal feaLures LhaL have been ldenLlfled ln Lhe
SouLh-wesL Marlne 8eglon.

1he flsh fauna of Lhe SouLh-wesL Marlne 8eglon ls dlverse, wlLh more Lhan 900 specles occupylng a large
varleLy of hablLaLs. Powever, only Lhree specles of bony flsh known Lo occur ln Lhe reglon are llsLed under
Lhe L8C AcL as LhreaLened or llsLed marlne specles:
orange roughy (noplostetbos otlootlcos), whlch ls llsLed as a LhreaLened specles ln Lhe
conservaLlon dependenL caLegory
souLhern blue fln Luna (1boooos moccoyll), whlch ls llsLed as a LhreaLened specles ln Lhe
conservaLlon dependenL caLegory and
CunLher's plpehorse (5oleqootbos lettleosls/5. qoeotbetl), whlch ls a llsLed marlne specles.

1hls reporL card provldes lnformaLlon on Lhese Lhree specles of bony flsh. AnoLher 13 specles of
syngnaLhlds (seahorses, sea dragons, plpeflsh and plpehorses) and solenosLomlds (ghosL plpeflsh) LhaL are
llsLed as marlne specles under Lhe L8C AcL may occur ln parLs of Lhe SouLh-wesL Marlne 8eglon (see
ALLachmenL 1 for a compleLe llsL). Powever, due Lo uncerLalnLy abouL Lhelr occurrence ln Lhe reglon,
Lhese specles have noL been consldered ln Lhls reporL card.
1


Otooqe tooqby
Crange roughy llves ln cold, deep waLers ln Lhe ALlanLlc, aclflc and lndlan oceans. ln AusLralla, orange
roughy ls found across Lhe souLhern half of Lhe conLlnenL, from cenLral new SouLh Wales Lhrough Lo
souLhern WesLern AusLralla, lncludlng 1asmanla. lL also occurs on seamounLs and ocean rldges souLh of
AusLralla and on Lhe SouLh 1asman and Lord Powe rlses. lL ls mosL common aL depLhs of 700-1000 m, buL
has occaslonally been found aL depLhs as shallow as 180 m, and as deep as 1800 m (uSLWaC 2010).
Crange roughy ls known Lo aggregaLe Lo spawn ln areas ln Lhe SouLh-wesL Marlne 8eglon.

5ootbeto bloe flo tooo
SouLhern bluefln Luna are a hlghly mlgraLory specles LhaL occur globally ln waLers beLween 30S and 30S,
Lhough ls malnly found ln Lhe easLern lndlan Ccean and ln Lhe souLh wesLern aclflc Ccean (CCS81,
2009a). SouLhern blue fln Luna are known Lo be among Lhe fasLesL ocean swlmmers ln Lhe world and can
Lravel aL bursLs of up Lo 70km/hr whlle feedlng. 1hey Lend Lo school Lo feed and are carnlvorous, feedlng
on flsh, squld, krlll and salps.

ln AusLrallan waLers, SouLhern bluefln Luna ranges from norLhern WesLern AusLralla, around Lhe souLhern
reglon of Lhe conLlnenL, Lo norLhern new SouLh Wales. lL has a slngle known spawnlng ground ln Lhe
lndlan Ccean beLween !ava and norLhern WesLern AusLralla. 1he souLhernmosL porLlon of Lhe
spawnlng ground lles wlLhln AusLralla's Lxcluslve Lconomlc Zone (hllllps and llndlay, 2008).

1 lor addlLlonal lnformaLlon on bony flsh ln Lhe reglon LhaL are noL addressed ln Lhls reporL card, see Lhe reporL 5ootb-west
Motloe keqloo. ecosystems ooJ key specles qtoops, whlch conLalns separaLe revlews of Lhe lnshore, shelf and slope demersal flsh
specles, syngnaLhlds (seahorses, plpeflsh and sea dragons), and large pelaglc, small pelaglc and mesopelaglc specles. lL ls
avallable onllne aL www.envlronmenL.gov.au/coasLs/mbp/souLh-wesL.

3
!uvenlle souLhern bluefln Lunas Lend Lo move souLh from Lhe spawnlng ground Lo Lhe souLh wesL of
AusLralla ln Lhelr flrsL years of llfe. 1he warm Leeuwln CurrenL whlch beglns near Lhe spawnlng ground
and ls sLrongesL ln Aprll, rlghL afLer Lhe spawnlng perlod, helps sweep Lhe [uvenlle Lunas down Lhe WesL
AusLrallan coasL Lo Lhe CreaL AusLrallan 8lghL and beyond. Surface schoollng [uvenlles are assoclaLed
seasonally wlLh Lhe conLlnenLal shelf reglon of Lhe CreaL AusLrallan 8lghL, buL lL ls noL known whaL
fracLlon of Lhe [uvenlle sLock ls presenL (1SSC 2003).
!uvenlle souLhern blue fln Luna are found ln coasLal waLers off souLhern AusLralla durlng Lhe summer
monLhs (uecember Lo Aprll) and spend wlnLers ln deeper, LemperaLe oceanographlc waLers (8esLley eL al.
2008, CCS81 2009a, hllllps eL al. 2009). AfLer reachlng approxlmaLely flve years of age Lhey are seldom
found ln near shore surface areas.

Cootbets plpebotse
CunLher's plpehorse ls found ln LemperaLe Lo Lroplcal waLers around WesLern AusLralla, Lhe norLhern
1errlLory, Lhe Arafura Sea and lndonesla (ogonoskl, ollard & axLon 2002). arL of lLs known range
exLends lnLo Lhe SouLh-wesL Marlne 8eglon, and lL ls probably resldenL ln Lhe reglon LhroughouL Lhe year.

6%*7*(%$-772 %8"*),-1, -)#-&

8lologlcally lmporLanL areas are areas where aggregaLlons of lndlvlduals of a specles dlsplay blologlcally
lmporLanL behavlours. 8ased on avallable lnformaLlon, blologlcally lmporLanL areas have been ldenLlfled
where posslble for llsLed LhreaLened specles and for llsLed marlne specles where Lhe reglon ls consldered
Lo supporL a slgnlflcanL proporLlon of Lhe populaLlon or an lmporLanL llfe hlsLory sLage. 8lologlcally
lmporLanL areas have noL yeL been ldenLlfled for bony flsh ln Lhe SouLh-wesL Marlne 8eglon.

7" 8/9&-43:)9),)-* 3&; <4-**/4-*
voloetobllltles
Crange roughy ls belleved Lo be one of Lhe longesL llved flsh specles, examlnaLlons of Lhelr oLollLhs (ear
bones) suggesL maxlmum ages of 123-136 years. lLs longevlLy means LhaL Lhe specles ls very slow growlng
and does noL reach sexual maLurlLy for many years. Crange roughy also has relaLlvely low fecundlLy. As a
resulL of Lhese llfe hlsLory characLerlsLlcs, Lhe specles has very low reslllence Lo flshlng, because Lhe
llkellhood of a flsh belng caughL before lL has reproduced ls sLaLlsLlcally much hlgher Lhan for oLher
specles (uSLWaC 2010).

1he llfe hlsLory characLerlsLlcs of Lhe souLhern blue fln Luna also make lL vulnerable Lo over flshlng. lL ls a
long llved specles (up Lo 40+ years), slow growlng, laLe maLurlng (approxlmaLely 12 years) and hlghly
mlgraLory wlLh only one known spawnlng ground. 1hls slngle spawnlng area and lLs laLe sexual maLurlLy
means [uvenlles are vulnerable Lo over explolLaLlon. Commerclal flshlng of [uvenlle and pre-adulLs for
grow-ouL aquaculLure farmlng harvesL of wlld caughL [uvenlles (prlmarlly ln SouLh AusLralla) mean LhaL
Lhese flsh are caughL before Lhey have been able Lo reproduce. Also, due Lo Lhe hlghly mlgraLory naLure
of Lhe specles, lL ls LargeLed by flshlng fleeLs from a number of naLlons, boLh on Lhe hlgh seas and ln Lhe
Lxcluslve Lconomlc Zones of AusLralla, new Zealand, lndonesla and SouLh Afrlca 1he sLock ls slow Lo
recover from depleLlon relaLlve Lo oLher shorLer-llved flsh specles, lncludlng mosL oLher specles of Luna
(SLWaC 2010).

lurLher research ls needed for CunLher's plpehorse Lo provlde lnformaLlon on baslc blologlcal and
populaLlon dynamlcs characLerlsLlcs, and accuraLe dlsLrlbuLlon and depLh daLa Lo ldenLlfy key hablLaLs
(uSLWaC 2010). Powever, lL ls known LhaL some groups of syngnaLhlds have parLlcular mlcrohablLaL
preferences, malnly occupylng Lhe edges of parLlcular hablLaL Lypes (e.g. seagrass, sand or reef, or sand
lnLerfaces). SyngnaLhlds feed ln Lhe waLer column, on or near Lhe subsLraLe. MosL eaL small lnverLebraLes,
4
such as myslds ln Lhe zooplankLon and small amphlpods on surfaces. A few specles also eaL oLher
lnverLebraLes (e.g. shrlmp), and larval flshes (8aker 2007).

Many of Lhe llfe hlsLory characLerlsLlcs of syngnaLhlds make Lhem suscepLlble Lo lmpacLs and vulnerable
Lo populaLlon decllne. MosL syngnaLhlds have low populaLlon denslLles, wlLh relaLlvely low reproducLlve
poLenLlal (8aker 2007). 8ased on Lhelr hablLaL preferences, populaLlon dynamlcs and llmlLlng llfe hlsLory
characLerlsLlcs, syngnaLhld populaLlons can be vulnerable Lo slLe-speclflc lmpacLs. naLural vulnerablllLy ls
exacerbaLed by a number of anLhropogenlc lmpacLs.

Assessmeot of ptessotes
Cn Lhe basls of currenL lnformaLlon, pressures have been assessed for Lhree specles of bony flsh ln Lhe
reglon: orange roughy, souLhern bluefln Luna and CunLher's plpehorse.

A descrlpLlon of Lhe pressure assessmenL process, lncludlng Lhe deflnlLlon of subsLanLlal lmpacL used ln
Lhls assessmenL, ls provlded ln Lhe Ovetvlew of motloe bloteqloool ploos avallable aL
999:#1;%)*18#1,:(*;:-+<$*-&,&<80"<%1.#=:4,87.

A summary of Lhe pressure assessmenL for bony flsh ls provlded ln llgure 1. Cnly pressures ldenLlfled as
of cooceto or of poteotlol cooceto are dlscussed ln furLher deLall below.





Pressures
Bony fish
species
Sealevel rise
Changesin
sea
temperature
Changein
oceanography
Ocean
acidification
Chemical
pollutionor
contaminants
Nutrient
pollution
Changesin
turbidity
Marinedebris
Noise
pollution
Light pollution
Physical
habitat
modification
Human
presenceat
sensitivesites
Nuisance
species
Extractionof
living
resources
Bycatch Oil pollution
Collisionswith
vessels
Collisionor
entanglement
with
infrastructure
Disease
Invasive
species
Gnthers
pipehorse



Orange
roughy



Southern
bluefintuna



Figure 1 Assessment of the level of concern associated with the effects of pressures on selected bony fish species of the South-west Marine Region
Legend of concern of potential concern of less or no concern

6
!"#$%&' )*%+,' -)*%+,'. #+ .'% &'$/'0%&10'2
Changes ln sea LemperaLure are assessed as belng of poteotlol cooceto for orange roughy, souLhern
bluefln Luna and CunLher's plpehorse.

Modelllng sLudles predlcL LhaL sea surface LemperaLures around AusLralla wlll lncrease by 1-2 C by 2030
and 2-3 C by 2070, slmllarly, Lhe LemperaLure of AusLralla's oceans aL 300 m depLh are predlcLed Lo
lncrease by up Lo 1 C by 2070 (Pobday eL al. 2006).

Whlle orange roughy mosL commonly occurs aL depLhs of 700-1000 m (McClaLchle eL al. 2006), lL ls
known Lo lnhablL waLers as shallow as 180 m. SeawaLer warmlng aL depLh ls expecLed Lo have slgnlflcanL
lmpllcaLlons for benLhlc and demersal flsh (such as orange roughy). Whlle Lhe specles ln Lhe SouLh-wesL
Marlne 8eglon has noL experlenced sLock decllne and collapse as ln Lhe souLh-easL reglon, Lhls pressure ls
of poteotlol cooceto for Lhls specles, glven lLs conservaLlon dependenL sLaLus and vulnerablllLy lnherenL ln
lLs llfe hlsLory LralLs.

uue Lo Lhe very low sLock of souLhern blue fln Luna lL ls consldered hlghly suscepLlble Lo envlronmenLal
varlablllLy. 1emperaLure of Lhe ocean sLrongly lnfluence Lhe dlsLrlbuLlon of pelaglc flsh specles, lncludlng
souLhern bluefln Luna (8eddy eL al. 1993). Pence changes ln sea LemperaLure, oceanography and
lncreaslng acldlflcaLlon of Lhe oceans have been assessed as of poteotlol cooceto. Plgh sea LemperaLures
aL Lhe spawnlng grounds of Lhe souLhern blue fln Luna ln Lhe norLh-easL lndlan Ccean may be of parLlcular
concern as furLher lncreases ln LemperaLures are predlcLed ln Lhese waLers over Lhe nexL 30 years.

SyngnaLhlds Lend Lo have speclflc hablLaL preferences wlLhln small home ranges (McClaLchle eL al. 2006).
opulaLlons can be vulnerable Lo slLe-speclflc lmpacLs, and Lhe exlsLence of sulLable hablLaL may
deLermlne Lhelr abundance wlLhln Lhelr geographlc ranges. Clven predlcLed lmpacLs resulLlng from
cllmaLe change syngnaLhlds are suscepLlble as Lhey have low moblllLy, whlch may llmlL Lhelr ablllLy Lo flnd
and adapL Lo new hablLaLs.

!"#$%&' )*%+,' -)*%+,'. #+ 3)'%+3,0%/*42
Changes ln oceanography are assessed as of poteotlol cooceto for orange roughy, CunLher's plpehorse
and souLhern blue fln Luna. 1he sLrengLh of Lhe Leeuwln CurrenL has decreased sllghLly slnce Lhe 1970s.
1hls weakenlng ls expecLed Lo conLlnue, alLhough Lhls predlcLlon currenLly has low confldence (leng,
Weller & Plll 2009). 1he weakenlng of Lhe Leeuwln CurrenL ls llkely Lo have lmpllcaLlons for Lhe
producLlvlLy of Lhe reglon, wlLh uncerLaln and yeL poLenLlally slgnlflcanL effecLs on a broad range of
specles (leng, Weller & Plll 2009).
CunLher's plpehorse has a dleL of small crusLaceans and larval flsh, Lhe specles mlghL be affecLed by
cllmaLe-relaLed changes Lo Lhe reglon's producLlvlLy and Lrophlc processes. Whlle lL appears more
common ln waLers off Albany, Lhere ls uncerLalnLy abouL Lhe specles' dlsLrlbuLlon ln Lhe reglon and lLs use
of Lhe reglon's hablLaLs. Crange roughy mlghL also be affecLed by Lhe cllmaLe-relaLed effecLs on Lhe
reglon's producLlvlLy and Lrophlc dynamlcs. Changes ln producLlvlLy are llkely also Lo affecL Lhe pelaglc
ecosysLems and Lhe harvesLed specles aL Lhe Lop of Lhe food chaln. 1he lmpacL of cllmaLe change on Lhe
wlnLer souLhern bluefln Luna feedlng grounds ln Lhe souLhern ocean may be slgnlflcanL (SarmlenLo eL al.
2004 clLed ln Pobday eL al 2008).

5)'%+ %)#6#7#)%&#3+
Ccean acldlflcaLlon has been assessed as of poteotlol cooceto for orange roughy, CunLher's plpehorse and
souLhern blue fln Luna. Ccean acldlflcaLlon ls consldered of poteotlol cooceto for all specles assessed.
Ccean acldlLy has lncreased by 30 per cenL across all oceans slnce Lhe laLe 18Lh cenLury (pP of open ocean
waLers has decreased from 8.2 Lo 8.1) and Lhe raLe of Lhls lncrease ls esLlmaLed Lo be 100 Llmes fasLer
Lhan any change ln acldlLy experlenced by marlne organlsms for aL leasL Lhe pasL 20 mllllon years (Crr
eL al. 2009). ro[ecLed changes ln AusLralla's marlne envlronmenL by 2070 lnclude a decllne ln pP of 0.2
7
unlLs (Lawrence, 8ldley & LunLy 2007).1he poLenLlal effecLs of lncreased ocean acldlLy on flsh specles are
noL well undersLood. lL ls belleved LhaL for some lnverLebraLes and flsh, accumulaLlon of CC
2
ln Lhe body
may resulL ln morphologlcal changes, and lmpacL meLabollc sLaLe, physlcal acLlvlLy and reproducLlon (Crr
eL al. 2009). LffecLs on phyLoplankLon and zooplankLon are also llkely Lo dlsrupL Lrophlc dynamlcs and
affecL flsh specles and communlLles (Pobday eL al. 2006), whlch are lmporLanL food resources for flsh.

83#.' 93""1&#3+
nolse polluLlon has been assessed as of poteotlol cooceto for souLhern blue fln Luna. 8esearch on Lhe
effecLs of nolse dlsLurbance on flsh ls llmlLed and mosLly conflned Lo physlologlcal lmpacLs. 8ehavloural
responses observed Lo daLe range from no overL response Lo subsLanLlal avoldance movemenLs LhaL may
dlsplace flsh from Lhelr normal locaLlon (opper and PasLlngs 2009, opper, McCauley & lewLrell 2002).
1wo Lo four year old souLhern bluefln Luna are known Lo feed regularly durlng sprlng and summer ln Lhe
waLers of Lhe CreaL AusLrallan 8lghL, durlng Lhls Llme, Lhey grow aL a fasLer raLe Lhan wlnLer, presumably
due Lo a comblnaLlon of warmer waLers and abundanL food. SusLalned nolse dlsLurbance off Lhe waLers of
Lhe CreaL AusLrallan 8lghL durlng Lhelr feedlng season has Lhe poLenLlal, Lo lmpacL on growLh and,
lndlrecLly, survlvorshlp on Lhose year classes exposed Lo Lhe dlsLurbance (C uavles, CSl8C, pers. comm.,
28 March 2011). 1here are currenLly no managemenL measures speclflcally almed aL assesslng and
mlLlgaLlng effecLs of nolse on flsh.

:;&0%)&#3+ 37 "#<#+, 0'.310)'.
LxLracLlon of llvlng resources has been assessed as a pressure of cooceto for Lhe souLhern blue fln Luna.
!uvenlle souLhern bluefln Luna are harvesLed ln Lhe CreaL AusLrallan 8lghL by AusLrallan purse selne
flshlng vessels. SouLhern bluefln Luna was llsLed ln 2010 as conservaLlon dependenL under Lhe L8C AcL,
because of Lhe decllne ln Lhe slze of Lhe spawnlng sLock slnce Lhe 1990s. 1he decllne ln souLhern blue fln
Luna has occurred beLween Lhe laLe 1930s and Lhe mld 1990s and Lhe sLock has remalned aL very low
levels slnce (1SSC 2010).
1he specles ls LargeLed by flshlng fleeLs from a number of naLlons, boLh on Lhe hlgh seas and ln Lhe
Lxcluslve Lconomlc Zones of AusLralla, new Zealand, lndonesla and SouLh Afrlca. 1he flshery ls managed
globally by Lhe lnLernaLlonal Commlsslon for Lhe ConservaLlon of SouLhern 8luefln 1una, whlch has
already esLabllshed measures Lo ensure rebulldlng of Lhe spawnlng sLock. 1he Commlsslon wlll conLlnue
Lo assess Lhe effecLlveness of lLs managemenL measures and lmplemenL furLher measures as requlred.
SouLhern bluefln Luna was llsLed as conservaLlon dependenL under Lhe L8C AcL on Lhe advlce of Lhe
1hreaLened Specles SclenLlflc CommlLLee (1SSC). 1he 1SSC's compleLe conservaLlon assessmenL for Lhe
souLhern blue fln ls avallable aL:
www.env|ronment.gov.au]b|od|vers|ty]threatened]spec|es]pubs]69402-||st|ng-adv|ce.pdf

=4)%&)*
8ycaLch ls assessed as of poteotlol cooceto for orange roughy and CunLher's plpehorse. uue Lo orange
roughy's conservaLlon dependenL sLaLus, long llfe and low recrulLmenL, bycaLch ls a pressure of poteotlol
cooceto for Lhe specles. ln 2009, Lhe LoLal allowable caLch for orange roughy remalned aL bycaLch levels
(30 L) for Lhe Albany/Lsperance zone ln Lhe CreaL AusLrallan 8lghL 1rawl SecLor of Lhe SouLhern and
LasLern Scaleflsh and Shark flshery, and a zero commerclal caLch was reporLed (Wllson, CurLoLLl & 8egg
2010). A deepwaLer managemenL sLraLegy has been lmplemenLed Lo address Lhe requlremenLs for Lhe
Crange 8oughy ConservaLlon rogram. Clven Lhe low caLch levels and Lhe deepwaLer managemenL
sLraLegy, orange roughy remalns assessed as noL sub[ecL Lo overflshlng. 1here has been no LargeLlng of
orange roughy ln Lhe WesLern ueepwaLer 1rawl llshery slnce 2003-06. 1he sLaLus of Lhe sLock ls
uncerLaln as Lhere are no currenL esLlmaLes of blomass (Wllson, CurLoLLl & 8egg 2010). 8ycaLch mlLlgaLlon
measures are parL of Lhe Crange 8oughy ConservaLlon rogram, buL some level of bycaLch remalns
8
unavoldable Lhrough Lhe operaLlon of Lhe flsherles (AlMA 2006). 8ycaLch ls of poteotlol cooceto due Lo
Lhe uncerLalnLy LhaL remalns abouL Lhe effecLlveness of managemenL.

LlLLle ls known abouL Lhe blology, ecology, behavlour, populaLlon dynamlcs, crlLlcal hablLaLs, full
dlsLrlbuLlon (geographlcal and depLh range) and relaLlve abundance of souLhern AusLrallan plpehorses.
lnformaLlon on Lhe level of bycaLch ls llmlLed, parLlcularly aL Lhe specles level, for plpehorses and oLher
syngnaLhlds. Powever, syngnaLhlds are llkely Lo be suscepLlble Lo effecLs from flshlng due Lo Lhelr llfe
hlsLory characLerlsLlcs (8aker 2007), and bycaLch ls of poteotlol cooceto for CunLher's plpehorse.
CunLher's plpehorse ls caughL accldenLally ln Lrawl neLs. uue Lo Lhe level of uncerLalnLy abouL Lhe
populaLlon levels, lL ls dlfflculL Lo assess Lhe effecLs of bycaLch morLallLy.

3. Current protection measures
1he orange roughy and Lhe souLhern blue fln Luna are llsLed as LhreaLened specles ln Lhe conservaLlon
dependenL caLegory under secLlon 179 of Lhe L8C AcL. 1he CunLher's plpehorse ls llsLed as a marlne
specles under secLlon 248 of Lhe L8C AcL.
Alongslde Lhe L8C AcL, a broad range of secLor-speclflc managemenL measures Lo address
envlronmenLal lssues and mlLlgaLe lmpacLs apply Lo acLlvlLles LhaL Lake place ln CommonwealLh marlne
areas. 1hese measures glve effecL Lo regulaLory and admlnlsLraLlve requlremenLs under CommonwealLh
and sLaLe leglslaLlon for acLlvlLles such as commerclal and recreaLlonal flshlng, oll and gas exploraLlon and
producLlon, porLs acLlvlLles and marlLlme LransporL. ln some lnsLances, as ln Lhe case of shlpplng, Lhese
measures also fulfll AusLralla's obllgaLlons under a number of lnLernaLlonal convenLlons for Lhe proLecLlon
of Lhe marlne envlronmenL from polluLlon and envlronmenLal harm.
SecLlon 179 of Lhe L8C AcL speclfles LhaL specles of flsh llsLed ln Lhe conservaLlon dependenL caLegory
musL be Lhe focus of a plan of managemenL ln force under a law of Lhe CommonwealLh or of a SLaLe or
1errlLory LhaL provldes for managemenL acLlons necessary Lo sLop Lhe decllne of, and supporL Lhe
recovery of, Lhe specles so LhaL lLs chances of long Lerm survlval ln naLure are maxlmlsed. ln Lhe case of
Lhe orange roughy and Lhe souLhern blue fln Luna Lhe plans ln force Lo sLop Lhe decllne of, and supporL
Lhe recovery of, Lhese specles are:
Crange 8oughy ConservaLlon rogram (AlMA 2006)
SouLhern 8luefln 1una llshery ManagemenL lan 1993 (CommonwealLh of AusLralla 2010)

lotetootloool oqteemeots
ConvenLlon for Lhe ConservaLlon of SouLhern 8luefln 1una 1994
www.ccsbL.org/docs/pdf/abouL_Lhe_commlsslon/convenLlon.pdf

lor more lnformaLlon on conservaLlon llsLlngs under Lhe L8C AcL and relaLed managemenL ob[ecLlves
and proLecLlon measures, vlslL Lhe followlng slLes:
www.envlronmenL.gov.au/coasLs/specles/marlne-specles-llsL.hLml (llsLed marlne)
www.envlronmenL.gov.au/epbc/proLecL/specles-communlLles.hLml (llsLed LhreaLened).


9
>? @'7'0'+)'.
AlMA (AusLrallan llsherles ManagemenL AuLhorlLy) 2006, Otooqe kooqby coosetvotloo ltoqtomme,
AlMA, Canberra, vlewed lebruary 2011, <www.afma.gov.au/wp-
conLenL/uploads/2010/07/n20061207.pdf>.
CommonwealLh of AusLralla 2010, 5ootbeto 8loeflo 1ooo llsbety Moooqemeot lloo 1995 os omeoJeJ,
vlewed March 2011, <www.comlaw.gov.au/ueLalls/l2010C00716>
8aker, !L 2007, 'SyngnaLhlds', ln S McLaLchle, ! MlddleLon, C aLLlaraLchl, u uurrle & C kendrlck (eds), 1be
5ootb-west Motloe keqloo. ecosystems ooJ key specles qtoops, reporL for Lhe ueparLmenL of Lhe
LnvlronmenL and WaLer 8esources, PobarL, pp. 47-319, vlewed lebruary 2011,
<www.envlronmenL.gov.au/coasLs/mbp/publlcaLlons/souLh-wesL/sw-ecosysLems.hLml>.
8esLley S, aLLerson 1A, Plndell MA and Cunn !S 2008, leedlng ecology of wlld mlgraLory Lunas revealed
by archlval Lag records of vlsceral warmlng. Iootool of Aolmol coloqy 2008, 77: 1223-1233.
CCS81 (Commlsslon for Lhe ConservaLlon of SouLhern 8luefln 1una) 2009a, kepott of tbe xteoJeJ
commlssloo of tbe 5lxteeotb Aooool Meetloq of tbe commlssloo, 20-23 CcLober 2009, 8epubllc of korea,
CCS81.

uSLWaC (ueparLmenL of SusLalnablllLy, LnvlronmenL, WaLer, opulaLlon and CommunlLles) 2010,
Specles proflle and LhreaLs daLabase, uSLWaC, Canberra, vlewed 13 SepLember 2010,
<www.envlronmenL.gov.au/cgl-bln/spraL/publlc/spraL.pl>.

leng, M, Weller, L & Plll, k 2009, '1he Leeuwln CurrenL', ln LS oloczanska, A! Pobday & A! 8lchardson
(eds), A motloe cllmote cbooqe lmpocts ooJ oJoptotloo tepott cotJ fot Aosttollo 2009, naLlonal CllmaLe
Change AdapLaLlon 8esearch laclllLy, vlewed 9 March 2011, <www.oceancllmaLechange.org.au>.

Pobday, A!, Ckey, 1A, oloczanska, LS, 8lchardson, A! & kunz, 1! 2006, lmpocts of cllmote cbooqe oo
Aosttolloo motloe llfe, reporL Lo Lhe AusLrallan Creenhouse Cfflce, Canberra.

McClaLchle, S, MlddleLon, !, aLLlaraLchl, C, uurrle, u & kendrlck, C 2006, 1be 5ootb-west Motloe keqloo.
ecosystems ooJ key specles qtoops, reporL for Lhe ueparLmenL of Lhe LnvlronmenL and WaLer 8esources,
PobarL, vlewed lebruary 2011, <www.envlronmenL.gov.au/coasLs/mbp/publlcaLlons/souLh-wesL/sw-
ecosysLems.hLml>.

Crr, !C, Caldelra, k , labry, v, CaLLuso, !, Paugan, , Lehodey, , anLo[a, S, rLner, PC, 8lebesell, u,
1rull, 1, Pood, M, urban, L and 8roadgaLe, W 2009, keseotcb ltlotltles fot Oceoo AclJlflcotloo, reporL
from Lhe Second Symposlum on Lhe Ccean ln a Plgh-CC World, Monaco, CcLober 6-9, 2008, convened by
SCC8, unLSCC-lCC, lALA, and lC8, 23 pp., (avallable aL
hLLp://loc3.unesco.org/oaneL/PlghCC2World.hLml )

hllllps k and llndlay ! 2008, 'SouLhern 8luefln 1una llshery', pp. 93-102. ln: Larcombe ! and 8egg C (eds)
2008, llshery sLaLus reporLs 2007: sLaLus of flsh sLocks managed by Lhe AusLrallan CovernmenL, 8ureau of
8ural Sclences, Canberra.

hllllps k, 8egg C and CurLoLLl 8 2009, 'SouLhern 8luefln 1una llshery', pp 314-323. ln: Wllson u, CurLoLLl
8, 8egg C and hllllps k (eds) 2009 llshery SLaLus 8eporLs 2008: sLaLus of flsh sLocks and flsherles
managed by Lhe AusLrallan CovernmenL, 8ureau of 8ural Sclences & AusLrallan 8ureau of AgrlculLural and
8esource Lconomlcs, Canberra.

10
ogonoskl, !!, ollard, uA & axLon, !8 2002, coosetvotloo ovetvlew ooJ octloo ploo fot Aosttolloo
tbteoteoeJ ooJ poteotlolly tbteoteoeJ motloe ooJ estootloe flsbes, LnvlronmenL AusLralla, Canberra,
vlewed lebruary 2011, <www.envlronmenL.gov.au/coasLs/publlcaLlons/marlne-flsh-acLlon/pubs/marlne-
flsh.pdf>.

8eddy, 8., Lyne, v., Cray, 8., LasLon, A., Clarke, S. 1993, 'An appllcaLlon of saLelllLe-derlved sea surface
LemperaLures Lo souLhern Luna and albacore off 1asmanla, AusLralla'. SclenLla Marlna. 39(3/4). 443-434

1SSC (1hreaLened Specles SclenLlflc CommlLLee) 2003 Advlce Lo Lhe MlnlsLer for Lhe LnvlronmenL and
PerlLage from Lhe 1hreaLened Specles SclenLlflc CommlLLee (1SSC) on AmendmenLs Lo Lhe llsL of
1hreaLened Specles under Lhe ovltoomeot ltotectloo ooJ 8loJlvetslty coosetvotloo Act 1999 (L8C AcL),
vlewed March 2011, www.envlronmenL.gov.au/blodlverslLy/LhreaLened/specles/souLhern-bluefln-
Luna.hLml#conLexL

1SSC (1hreaLened Specles SclenLlflc CommlLLee) 2010, AJvlce to tbe Mlolstet fot 5ostolooblllty,
ovltoomeot, wotet, lopolotloo ooJ commooltles ftom tbe 1bteoteoeJ 5pecles 5cleotlflc commlttee (tbe
commlttee) oo AmeoJmeot to tbe llst of 1bteoteoeJ 5pecles ooJet tbe ovltoomeot ltotectloo ooJ
8loJlvetslty coosetvotloo Act 1999 (l8c Act), vleweJ lebtooty 2011,
<www.eovltoomeot.qov.oo/bloJlvetslty/tbteoteoeJ/specles/pobs/69402-llstloq-oJvlce.pJf>.

Wllson, u1, CurLoLLl, 8 & 8egg, CA (eds) 2010, llsbety stotos tepotts 2009. stotos of flsb stocks ooJ
flsbetles moooqeJ by tbe Aosttolloo Covetomeot, ueparLmenL of AgrlculLure, llsherles and loresLry &
AusLrallan 8ureau of AgrlculLural and 8esource Lconomlcs - 8ureau of 8ural Sclences, Canberra.
11
Attachment 1 L|sted bony f|sh |n the South-west Mar|ne keg|on

Spec|es (common name]sc|ent|f|c name) Conservat|on status
Crange roughy (noplostetbos otlootlcos) ConservaLlon dependenL
SouLhern blue fln Luna (1boooos moccoyll) ConservaLlon dependenL
CunLher's plpehorse, lndoneslan plpehorse
(5oleqootbos lettleosls/5oleqootbos qoeotbetl)
Marlne

CLher specles of syngnaLhld LhaL may occur ln parLs of Lhe SouLh-wesL Marlne 8eglon lnclude:
robusL splny plpehorse, robusL plpehorse (5oleqootbos tobostos)
shaggy plpeflsh, prlckly plpeflsh (nypseloqootbos bottlJos)
leafy sea dragon (lbycoJotos epoes)
weedy sea dragon, common sea dragon (lbylloptetyx toeololotos)
Cale's plpeflsh (complcbtbys qolel)
8rock's plpeflsh (nollcompos btockl)
benLsLlck plpeflsh, bendsLlck plpeflsh, shorL-Lalled plpeflsh (1tocbytbompbos blcootctotos)
orL hllllp plpeflsh (vooocompos pbllllpl)
wlde-body plpeflsh (5tlqmotopoto olqto)
bony-headed plpeflsh (Noooocompos sobosseos)
WesL AusLrallan seahorse (nlppocompos sobelooqotos)
wesLern splny seahorse, narrow-bellled seahorse (nlppocompos ooqostos)
shorL-headed seahorse, shorL-snouLed seahorse (nlppocompos btevlceps)
souLhern poLbelly seahorse, poLbelly seahorse, poL-bellled seahorse (souLhern form of nlppocompos
obJomloolls = 'nlppocompos bleeketl').

1here ls only one specles of Lhe famlly SolenosLomldae (ghosL plpeflsh) LhaL may occur ln Lhe reglon. 1hls
ls Lhe blue-flnned ghosL plpeflsh or robusL ghosL plpeflsh (5oleoostomos cyoooptetos).