Customary and recreational fishing pressure: large-bodied fish assemblages in a tropical, intermittent Australian river
Paul G. Close A C , Rebecca J. Dobbs A , David J. Tunbridge A , Peter C. Speldewinde A , Danielle M. Warfe A , Sandy Toussaint A B and Peter M. Davies A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Centre of Excellence in Natural Resource Management, The University of Western Australia, PO Box 5771, Albany, WA 6330, Australia.
B School of Social and Cultural Studies, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: paul.close@uwa.edu.au
Marine and Freshwater Research 65(5) 466-474 https://doi.org/10.1071/MF13042
Submitted: 13 February 2013 Accepted: 13 September 2013 Published: 28 January 2014
Abstract
Permanent waterholes in intermittent rivers of northern Australia support a diverse piscifauna and are popular areas for customary and recreational fishing. The present preliminary study explored the perception that fishing reduces the abundance of targeted, large-bodied species that become restricted to disconnected waterholes during the distinct dry season. River sites in the Fitzroy River catchment, Western Australia, could be clearly classified as experiencing either high or low fishing pressure by using metrics of human ‘accessibility’. The abundance of Hephaestus jenkinsi and Lates calcarifer, targeted by both recreational and customary fishers was highly correlated with accessibility and showed a negative relationship with fishing pressure. Non-target species showed no discernible trend. We estimated that 38% of river length remains subject to relatively low fishing pressure. These preliminary relationships suggest that fish harvest can potentially alter the structure of fish assemblages in disconnected habitats. The potential impact of fishing on the sustainability of fish populations is, most likely, greatest for non-diadromous species and will become more apparent with increasing distance from recolonisation sources. Combining management techniques that maintain recolonisation and recruitment potential with traditional fisheries management strategies (e.g. bag and size limits) presents a suitable approach to mitigate the effects of fish harvesting from tropical intermittent rivers.
Additional keywords: fishing, fisheries management, Kimberley, refugia, waterholes.
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