Fishery status reports 2015

Fishery status reports 2015 provides an independent evaluation of the biological and economic status of fish stocks managed solely or jointly by the Australian Government.

This 20th edition of the Fishery status reports covers the biological status of 92 fish stocks across 21 fisheries. The reports summarise the performance of these fisheries against the requirements of fisheries legislation and policy.

The status of the 92 fish stocks changed slightly in 2014, compared with the previous year. The status of several stocks improved (e.g. orange roughy in the eastern zone of the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery; albacore in the Western Tuna and Billfish Fishery), while the status of redfish in the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery declined and it is now considered to be overfished.

The fisheries assessed in the Fishery status reports 2015 generated an estimated gross value of production of $338.2 million in 2013-14, which is about 13 per cent of Australia's total fisheries and aquaculture gross value of production of $2.6 billion.

The Fishery status reports form part of a suite of ABARES publications that aim to provide a comprehensive and multidimensional account of the trends and outlook for Australian fisheries. The Australian fisheries statistics reports provide annual updates of fisheries production and trade data. Detailed analysis of the net economic returns of selected Commonwealth fisheries is provided in the annual Australian fisheries economic indicators report .