Trawl Whiting Harvest Strategy

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The NSW Trawl Whiting Harvest Strategy is the first harvest strategy for the Trawl Whiting Fishery to be developed for NSW. The Harvest Strategy was developed by the Trawl Whiting Harvest Strategy Working Group, a sub-committee of CommFish NSW, with support from DPI Fisheries staff.

The Harvest Strategy applies to the NSW components of stocks of Eastern School Whiting (Sillago flindersi), which NSW shares with the Commonwealth, and Stout Whiting (Sillago robusta), which NSW shares with Queensland.

The Goal of the Trawl Whiting Harvest Strategy is ‘To contribute, in cooperation with other jurisdictions, to maintaining robust, sustainable stocks of Eastern School Whiting and Stout Whiting to support a profitable commercial fishery, with social, cultural and economic benefits to the community.’

The NSW Trawl Whiting harvest strategy has the following key elements:

* A Goal and Strategic Objectives that link the strategy to relevant legislation and policy

* Operational Objectives including:

a Target Reference Point set at 48% of the unfished spawning stock biomass of each species;
a Trigger Reference Point set at 35% of the unfished spawning stock biomass for Eastern School Whiting;
Limit Reference Points set at 20% of the unfished spawning stock biomass of each species;
a requirement to develop a Rebuilding Strategy if the spawning stock biomass of either stock falls to, or below, 25%, and implementation of that strategy if the spawning stock biomass of either stock falls to, or below, 20%.

* Decision rules that progressively reduce the recommended catch for each species to zero if its spawning stock biomass falls toward the limit

* Decision rules for Eastern School Whiting and Stout Whiting that are compatible with the Commonwealth and Queensland, respectively, with whom NSW shares each stock

* Strategic management options and research priorities that allow for future improvement.

The NSW Trawl Whiting Harvest Strategy, together with all other relevant information, will inform the Secretary of the Department of Regional NSW or Total Allowable Fishing Committee (TAFC) in making Total Allowable Catch determinations for Trawl Whiting.