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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 60(5)

Rock lobster movement patterns and population structure within a Tasmanian Marine Protected Area inform fishery and conservation management

Neville Barrett A B , Colin Buxton A and Caleb Gardner A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute, Locked Bag 49, Hobart, Tas. 7001, Australia.

B Corresponding author. Email: neville.barrett@utas.edu.au

Marine and Freshwater Research 60(5) 417-425 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF07154
Submitted: 23 August 2007  Accepted: 11 November 2008   Published: 25 May 2009

Abstract

As reference sites to better understand characteristics such as movement patterns, depletion of natural resources and ecosystem interactions, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are crucial in fishery and conservation management. The southern rock lobster (Jasus edwardsii) is an important reef predator in temperate Australasia and subject to heavy exploitation. In a Tasmanian MPA, 90% of individuals were recaptured less than 200 m from the point of release over weekly to annual time scales, regardless of size or sex. This lack of movement resulted in a substantial build-up of biomass and of large mature individuals in the MPA relative to adjacent fished locations. Although there was little spillover of individuals to the fishery, a 4-fold increase in female fecundity potentially enhanced larval export. Comparison of fished and unfished biomass of legal-sized animals suggested that exploitation had reduced biomass in the adjacent fishery to <10% of natural values. Overall, the demographic and movement patterns illustrate the extent of depletion of stocks in the absence of historical baseline data and the potential need for spatial management resulting from limited movement. Our data indicate that within MPAs, this predator can potentially recover in abundance to natural levels despite adjacent fishing pressure.

Additional keywords: demography, exploitation, Jasus edwardsii, marine reserve, spatial management.


Acknowledgements

Data presented here were collected through the efforts of numerous people including the crew of FRV Challenger, Alastair Morton and Cath Samson. The fishery data was provided by the Rock Lobster Program of TAFI and we acknowledge the contribution of Bob Kennedy and Stewart Frusher for establishing and continuing this stock monitoring program. The Tasmanian Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries (DPIF), the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute and the Australian Fisheries Research and Development Corporation supported this work. We also thank DPIW and the Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service for providing the necessary permits for undertaking this research, and the referees for the significant contribution they made to improvement of this manuscript.


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