Summary

The east-coast recreational gamefish fishery is a multi-species, multi-gear fishery that targets billfish, tuna, sharks and 'other' gamefish in coastal waters, predominantly off Queensland, NSW and Victoria. This study focuses on the club-based recreational fishery for gamefish species along the east coast of Australia.

The population of anglers in this fishery is larger and more diffuse than commercial fishers. Targeted cooperative programs are required to assess potential impact on fish stocks accurately and contribute to debates about resource allocation between recreational and commercial fisheries. The collection of catch and effort data from anglers requires a distinctly different approach to collecting data from commercial fishers.

NSW Fisheries works closely with the recreational gamefish sector through the Gamefish Tournament Monitoring Program (GTMP) as part of a strategic approach to assess the catch and effort associated with principal gamefish species. This report summarises the results of the GTMP from 1994-2000 detailing trends in fishing effort, success rates of anglers and spatial and temporal distribution of catches. A cooperative approach with anglers working with the NSW Fisheries through the Gamefish Tournament Monitoring Program (GTMP) is essential to provide the necessary coverage with the available resources.

Data from the GTMP provides fisheries managers with information on the status of the recreational gamefish fishing industry and the relative well-being of tuna and billfish resources. In conjunction with similar information from the commercial sector, these data will facilitate the implementation of appropriate management regimes for these sectors. Catch and effort data allows management agencies to answer questions regarding resource sustainability and the allocation of fishing opportunities. This project satisfies the sustainability and monitoring research priorities nominated by the Eastern Tuna Management Advisory Committee for the Tuna and Billfish Fishery.

The GTMP is popular with gamefishers and sportfishers who regard the continuation of the program as integral to the long-term existence of their sport. Since its inception, the program has expanded both geographically and in terms of the numbers of tournaments monitored. Most of the large saltwater sportfishing tournaments held in Australia have a strong component of tag-and-release fishing within them. This 'release them alive' ethic has spread throughout the sportfishing community and is largely due to a combination of the GTMP working in conjunction with the Gamefish Tagging Program, also administered by NSW Fisheries.