*

Black Bream is a primarily estuarine species found around Australia's southern coastline. Assessments are presented here for nine management units, distributed along the coasts of NSW, VIC, TAS, SA and WA. Of these units, three are classified as sustainable, one as recovering, one as depleted, and four as undefined.

Black Bream have a wide distribution in the estuaries of southern Australia from central New South Wales to the central Western Australian coast, including Tasmania [Kailola et al. 1993]. Black Bream are estuarine-dependent, completing much of their life cycle within a single estuary [Chaplin et al. 1997; Conron et al. 2016; Earl et al. 2016]. Genetic studies of Black Bream in Victoria and Western Australia have indicated that, while there has been gene flow between adjacent estuaries, there is evidence of isolation by distance between populations [Chaplin et al. 1997; Farrington et al. 2000; Burridge et al. 2004; Burridge and Versace 2007; Sarakinis et al. 2024]. Results of tagging studies conducted in the Swan River [Norriss et al. 2002], Gippsland Lakes [Butcher and Ling 1962; Hindell et al. 2008] and the Coorong estuary [Hall 1984] found limited or no evidence of coastal migration or emigration between estuaries. This indicates that estuarine Black Bream populations should be managed as distinct biological stocks. However, for most fisheries management agencies this is not practical.

Black Bream and the closely related Yellowfin Bream, Acanthopagrus australis, also exhibit considerable levels of hybridisation where their distributions overlap in south-eastern Australia [Farrington et al. 2000; Roberts et al. 2009, 2010, 2011; Ochwada-Doyle et al. 2012], further complicating status determination. Furthermore, Black Bream growth, size- and age-at-maturity and recruitment are strongly influenced by environmental conditions, particularly freshwater influx into estuaries [Norriss et al. 2002; Cottingham 2008]. It is therefore likely that over local scales at least, annual recruitment strength depends on environmental conditions, with substantial inter-annual variation in recruitment affecting individual stock demographics and biomasses. These environmental drivers complicate management across multiple catchments.

Here, assessment of stock status is presented at the management unit level—Western Australia West Coast Estuaries, Western Australia South Coast Estuaries (Western Australia); Southern New South Wales (New South Wales); Victoria Western Estuaries, The Gippsland Lakes, Victoria Eastern Estuaries (Victoria); Tasmania Scalefish Fishery (Tasmania); Lakes and Coorong Fishery and South Australia Marine Scalefish Fishery (South Australia).

Lakes and Coorong Fishery

The Lakes and Coorong Fishery (LCF) has historically been the most important of South Australia’s commercial fisheries for Black Bream, accounting for around 85% of the state’s total commercial catch of the species since the 1980s. The Lakes and Coorong Black Bream stock encompasses the populations in the Coorong Estuary and Lower Lakes and has been classified as depleted since 2016 [Earl et al. 2016]. The most recent assessment of this stock was completed in 2023 and used a weight-of-evidence approach that considered fishery data up to 30 June 2022, and a 14-year time series of annual age structures up to 2021–22 [Ye et al. 2022; Earl 2023].  

The primary measures for biomass and fishing mortality are total catch and targeted effort from LCF gillnet fishers and fishery age structures. Total catches of Black Bream by the LCF were greater than 35 tonnes (t) per year during the mid-1980s and then progressively declined to 3.7 t in 1990–91. They were low during the 1990s, averaging 3.7 t per annum, before increasing to 11 t in 2002–03. By 2008–09, catches had fallen to 1.7 t and they have been less than 2 t in most years since. The total catch of 3.4 t in 2021–22 was the highest catch since 2007–08, despite the implementation of a fishery closure from 1 August 2021 to 31 January 2022, aimed at recovering the stock. Nevertheless, the low catches over the past two decades have been associated with low targeted effort. Given the high wholesale value of Black Bream compared to other LCF species [EconSearch 2022], the lack of targeting since the 1980s has been indicative of low biomass.  

Annual fishery age structures from 2007–08 to 2021–22 comprised mostly 4 to 17-year-old fish, although fish older than 10 years were rare, despite the potential for this species to live up to 32 years of age [Ye et al. 2022]. Within any year, few age classes contributed most to the catch, reflecting the relative strength of these year classes. This variation in year class strength relates to inter-annual variation in recruitment. Larger year classes appear to be linked to freshwater releases to the Coorong Estuary in 1997–98, 2003–04, 2006–07, 2009–10, 2012–13, 2015–16 and 2016–17, suggesting that environmental conditions associated with freshwater inflow are important for successful reproduction of Black Bream in the Coorong [Ye et al. 2022]. The recruitment of these year classes to the fishable biomass indicates that environmental conditions in the Coorong Estuary supported successful spawning in those years. In 2021–22, catches were dominated by fish from the 2017–18 and 2016–17 year classes (4 and 5 years old, respectively) [Ye et al. 2022]. In recent years fishery production has remained low despite the recruitment of young fish to the fishable biomass, which indicates that recruitment levels have not been strong enough to support recovery of the stock. In 2022, successful recruitment of Black Bream in the Coorong was evident by the detection of higher-than-average abundances of young-of-year that likely originated from spawning that occurred in 2020–21 in association with low-moderate freshwater inflows [Ye et al. 2022]. Recruitment of these juveniles to the fishable biomass has not yet occurred and is expected to take several years.  

The above evidence indicates that the biomass of this stock has been reduced through fishing mortality, such that recruitment is impaired. Management measures to recover the stock from its recruitment impaired state have been implemented since 2018; however, measurable improvements are yet to be detected.

On the basis of the evidence provided above, the Lakes and Coorong Fishery management unit is classified as a depleted stock.

South Australia Marine Scalefish Fishery

Black Bream is a Tier-3 species in South Australia's commercial Marine Scalefish Fishery (MSF). The MSF Black Bream stock encompasses the populations in marine waters of South Australia, outside the Coorong Estuary and Lower Lakes [Earl et al. 2016].  

The most recent assessment of this stock was completed in 2023 and used a weight-of-evidence approach that considered MSF data to the end of June 2022 [Smart et al. 2023]. The primary measures of biomass and fishing mortality are total catch and nominal catch rate from commercial fishers.  

Total annual catch in the MSF averaged less than 1.5 t per annum from 1983–84 to 2005–06, due to low targeted effort. Between 2014–15 and 2018–19, catches were marginally higher, ranging from 1.7–3.2 t per annum, and estimates of annual catch rate were, on average, around 80% higher than the long-term average catch rate for the sector [Smart et al. 2023]. Estimates of total catch and catch per unit effort (CPUE) for 2021–22 are confidential (i.e., based on data reported by fewer than five licence holders), but are both stable with no evidence of recent declines. While Black Bream is not a major component of recreational landings in South Australia, the recreational sector accounts for a considerable proportion of the state’s total catch of Black Bream. The estimated harvest of Black Bream by the recreational sector in 2021–22 was 5.5 t, which represented approximately 66% of the state's total combined commercial and recreational catch [Beckmann et al. 2023].  

The above evidence indicates that the biomass of this stock is unlikely to be depleted, that recruitment is unlikely to be impaired and that the current level of fishing mortality is unlikely to cause the stock to become recruitment impaired.

On the basis of the evidence provided, the South Australia MSF management unit is classified as a sustainable stock.

Black Bream biology [Kuiter 1993; Sarre and Potter 2000; Walker and Neira 2001; Cheshire et al. 2013]

Distribution of reported commercial catch of Black Bream

New South Wales – Recreational (Catch). Murphy et al. [2022].

New South Wales – Indigenous (Management Methods). (https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/fishing/aboriginal-fishing

Victoria - Recreational fishing (Management Methods). Recreational fishing licence requirement, and  minimum legal size, maximum legal size  and a bag limits  apply. For further details see  https://vfa.vic.gov.au/recreational-fishing/recreational-fishing-guide/catch-limits-and-closed-seasons/types-of-fish/marine-and-estuarine-scale-fish/bream-all-species

Victoria – Indigenous (Management Methods). A person who identifies as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander is exempt from the need to obtain a Victorian recreational fishing licence, provided they comply with all other rules that apply to recreational fishers, including rules on equipment, catch limits, size limits and restricted areas. Traditional (non-commercial) fishing activities that are carried out by members of a traditional owner group entity under an agreement pursuant to Victoria’s Traditional Owner Settlement Act 2010 are also exempt from the need to hold a recreational fishing licence, subject to any conditions outlined in the agreement. Native title holders are also exempt from the need to obtain a recreational fishing licence under the provisions of the Commonwealth’s Native Title Act 1993.

Tasmania – Recreational (Management Methods). In Tasmania, a recreational licence is required for fishers using dropline or longline gear, along with nets, such as gillnet or beach seine. The species is subject to a minimum size limit of 250 mm. A bag limit of five individuals and a possession limit of ten individuals is in place for recreational fishers fishing in marine waters.

Tasmania - Indigenous (Management Methods). In Tasmania, Indigenous persons engaged in traditional fishing activities in marine waters are exempt from holding recreational fishing licences but must comply with all other fisheries rules as if they were licensed. For details, see the policy document 'Recognition of Aboriginal Fishing Activities” (https://fishing.tas.gov.au/Documents/Policy%20for%20Aboriginal%20tags%20and%20alloting%20an%20UIC.pdf).

Western Australia – Recreational (Management Methods). In Western Australia a recreational fishing licence is only required for fishing from a boat. Black Bream are subjected to a minimum size limit of 250 mm TL and a bag limit of six (of which only two fish may be over 400 mm TL if fishing in the Swan and Canning rivers).

Commercial catch of Black Bream - note confidential catch not shown

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