*

Pipi are common on sandy beaches from southern QLD to the mouth of the Murray River in SA. Pipis have been harvested by Indigenous people for 10,000 years. Pipi is a sustainable stock in SA and NSW, and undefined stock in VIC.

Pipi is common on high-energy sandy beaches from southern Queensland to the mouth of the Murray River in South Australia [Murray-Jones and Ayre 1997] and the distribution may extend further westwards. High genetic variation between populations on either side of Bass Strait indicates at least two biological stocks, with the East Australian and South Australian Currents acting as key drivers of gene flow on the east and south coasts of Australia respectively [Miller et al. 2013]. A study of Pipi from Fraser Island, Queensland, to southern New South Wales, indicated a single biological stock over this area, with genetic mixing driven by ocean currents associated with the East Australian Current [Murray-Jones and Ayre 1997]. For locations west of Bass Strait in South Australia and western Victoria, no evidence of genetic structuring has been detected [Miller et al. 2013]. The degree of larval mixing is thought to be related to spawning and larval duration, although these are poorly understood [King 1976, Ferguson 2013; Gluis and Li 2014; Miller et al. 2013]. Although no genetic differences were detected among Pipi populations on beaches along the east coast of Australia, in any given year, most recruits are likely to be self-seeded or to come from nearby, adjacent beaches [Murray-Jones and Ayre 1997]. This is also likely the case for the fisheries located to the west of Bass Strait. Despite the work outlined above, the biological stock delineation of Pipi remains unclear.

Here, assessment of stock status is presented at the jurisdictional level—New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia.

South Australia

Indigenous Australians have occupied the Coorong region in south eastern South Australia for at least 16,000 years and have harvested Pipi (also known as Goolwa Cockles in South Australia) for the past 10,000 years [Godfrey 1989]. Middens in the vicinity of the Murray River mouth in South Australia are composed almost exclusively of adult Pipi shells [Luebbers 1978].

The commercial fishery for Pipi has been managed under an individual transferable quota system with an annual total allowable commercial catch (TACC) since 2007–08, following fishery-dependent information indicating that Pipi had declined during the mid to late 2000s [Ferguson and Mayfield 2006, Ferguson 2013, Ferguson et al. 2015]. Fishers with quota for Pipi from the Lakes and Coorong Fishery (LCF) and the Marine Scalefish Fishery (MSF) operate mainly on the ocean beaches of Younghusband Peninsula, adjacent to the Coorong. Since 2012, the TACC has been determined under the harvest strategy for Pipi, which is described in the Management Plan for the Lakes and Coorong Fishery [PIRSA 2022] and a minimum legal length of 35 mm is in place to allow spawning to occur at least once before recruitment to the fishery [Ferguson 2013]. The recreational and commercial Pipi fisheries are spatially separated onto beaches that are, respectively, west and east of the River Murray mouth. Estimates of statewide recreational catches are available from telephone-based surveys in 2000–01 [Jones and Doonan 2005] and 2007–08 [Jones 2009] financial years and from targeted, on-site surveys in 2013–14 [Giri and Hall 2015], and 2020–21 [Durante et al. 2022]. The estimated state-wide recreational catch of Pipi in 2000–01 was 23 t [Jones and Doonan 2005] and 5 t in 2007–08 [Jones 2009].  Recent, targeted on-site surveys estimated catches of 33 t in 2013–14 and 68 t in 2020–21, an increase of 51%, [Giri and Hall 2015, Durante et al. 2022]. Recreational catches represented 1.8%, 0.8%, 7% and 13% of the combined recreational and commercial harvests in 2000–01, 2007–08, 2013–14 and 2020–21, respectively.

The most recent stock assessment was completed in 2021 and reported up to the conclusion of the 2019–20 season [Ferguson and Hooper 2021]. The primary measures for biomass and fishing mortality are fishery-independent estimates of mean annual relative biomass [Ferguson et al. 2015] and population size structure. From 2009–10, increasing mean annual relative biomass and increasing complexity of size structures indicated recovery of the resource following a decade of declining relative abundance [Ferguson 2013, Ferguson et al. 2015] and subsequent conservative TACCs from 2009–10. From 2015–16 to 2017–18, following several, successive years of successful recruitment, estimates of mean annual relative biomass were the highest on record and ranged from 44–61% above the previous ten-year average (2008–09 to 2017–18). From the peak in 2017–18, relative biomass declined to slightly below (1%) the trigger reference point in the harvest strategy in 2020–21 [PIRSA 2022]. Poor recruitment in 2018-19 (16% contribution to size structure) likely contributed to the lower relative biomass in 2020–21, however consistent annual recruitment occurred in 2019–20 (40%) and 2020–21 (58%). The above evidence indicates that the biomass of this stock is unlikely to be depleted and that recruitment is unlikely to be impaired. Furthermore, the above evidence indicates that the current level of fishing mortality is unlikely to cause the stock to become recruitment impaired.

On the basis of the evidence provided above, Pipi in South Australia is classified as a sustainable stock.

Pipi biology [King 1976; Murray-Jones 1999; Ferguson 2013; Ferguson et al. 2021]

Distribution of reported commercial catch of Pipi

Active Vessels.  Pipi are collected from beaches and ‘vessels’ are not used. Hence, numbers of licences and fishers are presented here instead of vessel numbers. Licences refer to the number of licence holders with an endorsement to take Pipi for sale.

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.

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

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

South Australia and Victoria - Commercial (Catch). Catches from the MSF in South Australia, and the BF and OF in Victoria cannot be reported separately for confidentiality reasons as there are fewer than five licences.

South Australia – Indigenous (Management Methods). In South Australia, regulations for managing recreational fishing may not apply to fishing activities by Indigenous people. South Australian traditional owners may have rights under the Commonwealth's Native Title Act 1993 to hunt, fish, gather and conduct other cultural activities for their personal, domestic or non-commercial communal needs without the need to obtain a licence.

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.

Commercial catch of Pipi - note confidential catch not shown

1. Bell, JD, Ingram, BA, Gorfine, HK and Conron, SD 2023, Review of key Victorian fish stocks — 2022, Victorian Fisheries Authority Science Report Series No. 38, June 2023. VFA: Queenscliff. 89pp.
2. Durante, LM, Bailleul, F and Beckman, CL 2022, On-site survey of recreational fishing for pipi in Goolwa, South Australia 2020–21. Final report to PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture. South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences), Adelaide. SARDI Publication No. FF2022/000269-1. SARDI Research Report Series No. 1160. 34 pp.
3. Ferguson, G and Mayfield, S 2006, The South Australian Goolwa cockle (Donax deltoides) Fishery, fishery assessment report to Primary Industries and Resources South Australia Fisheries, South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences), Report RD06/005-1, Adelaide.
4. Ferguson, G, Ward, TM and Gorman, D 2015, Recovery of a surf clam Donax deltoides population in southern Australia: successful outcomes of fishery-independent surveys. North American Journal of Fisheries Management, 35:1185–1195. DOI:10.1080/02755947.2015.1091408.
5. Ferguson, GJ 2013, Pipi (Donax deltoides) Stock Assessment, report for Primary Industries and Regions South Australia, publication F2007/000550-1, South Australian Research and Development Institute, Adelaide.
6. Ferguson, GJ and Hooper, GE 2021, Pipi (Donax deltoides) Fishery 2020/2. Fishery Assessment Report to PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture. SARDI Research Report Series No. 1099. SARDI Publication No. F2007/000550-3. 43 pp.
7. Ferguson, GJ, Hooper, G and Mayfield, S 2021, Temporal and spatial variability in the life-history of the surf clam Donax deltoides: Influences of density dependent processes. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 249 (2021) 107104
8. Giri, K and Hall, K 2015, South Australian recreational fishing survey 2013–14. Fisheries Victoria Internal Report Series No. 62, Victoria.
9. Gluis, M and Li, X 2014, Developing clam aquaculture in Australia: a feasibility study on culturing Donax deltoides and Katelysia rhytiphora on intertidal and subtidal leases in South Australia. South Australian Research and Development Institute (Aquatic Sciences), FRDC Final Report 2009/208.
10. Godfrey, MCS 1989, Shell midden chronology in SW Victoria, Archaeology in Oceania, 24: 65–69. DOI: 10.1002/j.1834-4453.1989.tb00213.x.
11. Gorfine, H and Talman, S 2023, Victorian Pipi (Dontax deltoides): Discovery Bay. Assessment Report 2022. Victorian Fisheries Authority Science Report Series No. 35.
12. Henry, GW and Lyle, JM 2003, The national recreational and Indigenous fishing survey, Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, Canberra.
13. Hordyk, A, Ono, K, Prince, JD and Walters, CJ 2016, A simple length-structured model based on life history ratios and incorporating size-dependent selectivity: application to spawning potential ratios for data-poor stocks. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 13: 1– 13.
14. Hordyk, AR, Ono, K, Valencia, SR, Loneragan, NR and Prince, JD 2015, A novel length-based empirical estimation method of spawning potential ratio (SPR), and tests of its performance, for small-scale, data-poor fisheries. ICES Journal of Marine Science. 72: 217 – 231.
15. Johnson, DD 2023, NSW Stock Status Summary 2022/23—Pipi (Donax deltoides). NSW Department of Primary Industries, Fisheries. 10 pp
16. Jones, K 2009, South Australian recreational fishing survey 2007/08, South Australian fisheries management series, paper 55, Primary Industries and Resources South Australia, Adelaide.
17. Jones, K and Doonan, AM 2005, 2000–01 national recreational and Indigenous fishing survey: South Australian regional information, South Australian fisheries management series, paper 46, Primary Industries and Resources South Australia, Adelaide.
18. King, MG 1976, The life-history of the Goolwa Cockle, Donax (Plebidonax) deltoides, (Bivalvia: Donacidae), on an ocean beach, South Australia, South Australian Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Adelaide.
19. Lewis, Z, Khageswor, G, Versace, VL and Scarpaci, C 2012, Applying stock indicators for assessment of a recreational surf clam (Donax deltoides) fishery in Victoria, Australia, Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 1–7. DOI: 10.1017/S0025315412001695
20. Luebbers, RA 1978, Meals and menus: a study of change in prehistoric coastal settlements in South Australia, PhD thesis, Australian National University, Canberra.
21. Miller, AD, Versace, VL, Matthews, TG, Montgomery, S and Bowie, KC 2013, Ocean currents influence the genetic structure of an intertidal mollusc in southeastern Australia—implications for predicting the movement of passive dispersers across a marine biogeographic barrier, Ecology and Evolution, 3(5): 1248–1261. DOI: 10.1002/ece3.535.
22. Morrongiello, J 2021, Assessing the sustainability of Venus Bay’s pipi fishery. Recreation Fishing Grants Program Research Report
23. Murphy, JJ, Ochwada-Doyle, FA, West, LD, Stark, KE and Hughes, JM 2020, The NSW Recreational Fisheries Monitoring Program - survey of recreational fishing, 2017/18. NSW DPI—Fisheries Final Report Series No. 158.
24. Murphy, JJ, Ochwada-Doyle, FA, West, LD, Stark, KE, Hughes, JM and Taylor, MD 2022, Survey of recreational fishing in NSW, 2019/20. NSW Department of Primary Industries, Nelson Bay, Fisheries Final Report Series No. 161. 80p.
25. Murray-Jones SE and Ayre, DJ 1997, High levels of gene flow in the surf bivalve Donax deltoides (Bivalvia: Donacidae) on the east coast of Australia, Marine Biology, 1(128): 83–89. DOI: 10.1007/s002270050071.
26. Murray-Jones, S 1999, Conservation and management in variable environments: the surf clam, Donax deltoides, PhD thesis, University of Wollongong.
27. PIRSA 2022, Management Plan for the South Australian Commercial Lakes and Coorong Fishery. Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (Fisheries and Aquaculture), Adelaide.
28. Schnierer, S 2011, Aboriginal fisheries in New South Wales; determining catch, cultural significance of species and traditional fishing knowledge need. Final report to Fisheries Research and development Corporation, Project No. 2009/038, Canberra.
29. West, LD, Stark, KE, Murphy, JJ, Lyle, JM and Ochwada-Doyle, FA 2015, Survey of recreational fishing in New South Wales and the ACT, 2013/14. Fisheries Final Report Series No. 149. NSW Department of Primary Industries, Wollongong.