The effects of reef line fishing on the productivity of targeted species and its impacts on other reef species on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) have been poorly understood. Understanding the distribution, intensity, and effects of reef line fishing is essential for successful management of both fishing and other recreational and commercial activities in the GBR region, as well as for conservation of the GBR ecosystem.
The GBR Reef Line Fishery (RLF) comprises socially and economically important commercial, charter, and recreational fishing sectors. The fishery has been undergoing some change over the last decade, particularly manifest as considerable increases in effort and catch in the commercial fishery since 1995. These changes probably arise from several events, including changing management arrangements in other fisheries, the introduction of Dugong Protection Areas in in-shore areas, the process of reviewing management arrangements for the Reef Line Fishery and the development of lucrative export markets for live reef fish for consumption. Collectively, these influences have resulted in nearly 50% increase in commercial effort and 40% increase in catch since 1996. There also is potential for increased recreational fishing pressure along the GBR coast simply because of population growth and increased tourism. Management arrangements for the Coral Reef Fin Fish Fishery are now under review, with new management arrangements likely to regulate commercial effort in the fishery explicitly.
Conservation management of the GBR Marine Park also is undergoing significant change. The current zoning system is being substantially upgraded with the development of a comprehensive, adequate and representative system of no-take areas for biodiversity conservation of the GBR ecosystem – the Representative Areas Program. This revision is likely to increase the area of the GBR closed to reef line fishing. Realising the minimum regime of 20% of all GBR bioregions being ‘no-take’ will inevitably result in significant increases in the amount of coral reef habitat closed to the Reef Line Fishery in some areas. These factors, combined with limited historical information about the fishery or its main target species, present significant problems for planning appropriate management strategies of the fishery and the GBR World Heritage Area.