Come winter and tailor-focused fishing survey starts up and down the south east Queensland coastline, says Fisheries Queensland scientist Dr Lenore Litherland. He informed that these surveys rely heavily on information from the recreational and commercial fishing sectors, as well as seafood wholesalers and retailers, through the donation of fish frame samples.
According to him the tailor fishery in Queensland is important socially and economically for both the commercial and recreational sectors. Dr Litherland told that at this time of year, scientists from Fisheries Queensland would be sampling commercially-caught tailor from ocean beaches and estuaries between Bundaberg and the Queensland/ New South Wales border.
Dr Litherland said recreational and commercial fishers can assist the monitoring program by letting scientists measure their catch. He added that the recruitment of volunteers for Keen Angler Program is going on. Frames of recreationally caught tailor donated by anglers are used by our scientists for length and age information. he also said that this biological information is used to identify any changes in the age and length structure of the tailor stock through time. Age and length characteristics are essential for assessing the status of an exploited fish stock.
Dr Litherland said these fish would be approximately two years old and would only just be reaching maturity. A new size limit of 35 cm for tailor came into effect on March 1 this year. This change was part of a recent review of Queensland’s East Coast inshore fin fish fishery regulations. He said that this monitoring program, such as the one in place for tailor, are essential to help determine the status of a fish stock and the sustainability of a fishery.
