How will sardines be commercially caught?
Fishing for sardines in Tasmania will use a fishing method known as a purse seine net. Sardines are a schooling species that when located, the purse seine net is deployed around the school of fish before being brought in to the boat.
Around Australia (and globally), a range of fishing gear is used to commercially target small pelagic fish such as sardines, for example midwater trawling. However, consistent with existing Tasmanian legislation, there will be no trawling for sardines in Tasmania. Purse seine netting is highly selective, has low by-catch risk, and as nets do not typically touch the seafloor it has minimal impact on benthic habitats. This is how a Tasmanian sardine fishery will responsibly take sardines with negligible ecosystem impacts.
As outlined in the Development Guidelines, limitations on the size of vessels permitted to operate and what appropriate fishing gear can be used will be legislated.
Where are the sardines located?
The Australian sardine is found in temperate waters across the southern half of Australia. Schools shoal and spawn near the water surface in spring and summer and move into deeper water in other seasons.
Four stocks of Australian sardines exist in Australian waters, each of which is commercially fished to some extent by State or Commonwealth fisheries. The south-eastern stock is found in continental shelf waters between Tasmania and Victoria (Bass Strait), and southern New South Wales. These stocks are effectively separated from the southern and south-eastern stocks by oceanographic features, such as the Bonney Upwelling.
The south-eastern stock is currently fished by one purse-seine vessel that operates out of Lakes Entrance, Victoria, and another that fishes off the south coast of New South Wales. The annual catch over the last decade has not exceeded 2,500 tonnes. The recent research highlights an opportunity for a Tasmanian fishery to sustainably utilise the resource.
The Tasmanian government has jurisdiction of Australian sardine in Commonwealth waters (i.e. outside three nautical miles) adjacent to Tasmania through the Offshore Constitutional Settlement.
Figure 1: Map showing the four stocks of Australian Sardine (Sardinops sagax). Modified from Ward et al. (2023a) using information from Izzo et al. (2017), Sexton et al. (2019) and Grammer et al. (2023).
What area could a sardine fishery cover?
It is evident from the independent stock assessment surveys conducted in December 2023 and January 2024, which covered a total area of almost 150,000 km2 and included waters off Tasmania, Victoria and southern New South Wales, that the highest density of spawning sardines were found in the offshore waters of Bass Strait. Therefore, it is logical a sardine fishery would predominately operate in these waters.
What will sardines be used for?
Like all fisheries, sardine fishing will produce a range of different grades of product. The Development Guidelines stipulate the importance of utilising catches carefully to maximise the value and the benefits of the fishery, and to minimise waste.There are many ways sardines can be used, including for high-value human consumption, recreational and commercial bait, pharmaceuticals, fish oil and fish meal.
Despite being one of the most nutritious fish in
the world, sardines have historically been an under-used fish in Australia. With the precautionary catch limits proposed, the Tasmanian Government is undertaking product and market research and development for Tasmanian sardines, with a focus on how we can leverage emerging, high-value human consumption markets.
As we increase our knowledge of the Tasmanian sardine stock, and if harvest rates can be sustainably increased, a variety of products and markets for different grades could be further investigated. The economic viability of lower-grade products would likely depend on larger quantities of sardines being harvested.
What impacts would a commercial sardine fishery have on the environment?
A Tasmanian sardine fishery with appropriate and conservative management controls would have minimal impact on the environment. This is due to:
The highly selective fishing methods of purse-seining with minimal bycatch, the ability to release non-target species prior to removing from the water, and no contact with the sea floor.
The low dietary dependence on Australian sardine by our marine predators such as penguins and other seabirds, seals, dolphins, whales and other larger fish like tuna.
The resilience characteristics of sardines in recovering from past extreme mass-mortality events, whilst also supporting a growing commercial fishery.
Evidence showing minimal environmental impact from research into the South Australian Sardine Fishery, which has been operating sustainably for over twenty years.
How will the management of this fishery differ from past fisheries management outcomes?
Usually fishing commences before science has a good understanding on the abundance, resilience and ecological characteristics of a species. This is particularly true for historical fisheries management, when things like ecosystem impacts and changing environments were not as well understood as they are now.
A sardine fishery would be significantly unique because the stock is currently unfished, and we have baseline data to continue monitoring against. Rarely do we have fishery-independent stock assessments and scientific guidance prior to establishing rules or commencing fishing.
There are also Sardine fisheries in Australia that have been operating sustainably for decades. These fisheries provide a lot of scientific and fisheries management information for Tasmania to build on. This includes a solid understanding of what percentage of the stock can be sustainably fished without impacting the surrounding ecosystem or environment.
The Development Guidelines explain our vision for a Sardine fishery – including a commitment to environmental sustainability.
How would a sardine fishery be sustainable?
Sustainable fisheries management is not just about ensuring that Tasmanian fish stocks are healthy and accessible, it’s also about Tasmanian-based fishers and their communities benefiting from having access to these renewable resources.
Sustainability considerations in developing the fishery could include:
Spatial /temporal closures to minimise overlap with key recreational fishing areas and any sensitive marine habitats
Ongoing research, including a stock assessment program and harvest strategy development (read more in the policy paper)
Importantly, a potential Tasmanian sardine fishery will be trawl-free.
Who will benefit?
The Development Guidelines are clear that the fishery will be designed for Tasmania, and ensure long-term benefits are delivered to the Tasmanian community. This includes providing a supply of sustainably caught Tasmanian seafood to local and national markets, local jobs, employment and economic return.
Would a sardine fishery affect my game fishing?
When developing a fishery, there is a great opportunity to benefit and maximise scientific return to enhance what we currently understand about our marine environment. We have identified further research opportunities to support the sustainable development and growth of a sardine fishery - this includes establishing a
citizen science program to better understand the diet of Southern Bluefin Tuna and key recreational fishing areas. Read more about this in the policy paper.
In addition, the research tells us that a commercial sardine fishery with appropriate catch limits informed by science is unlikely to affect the availability of tuna or other game fish. This is because Southern Bluefin Tuna is a highly-migratory species that forage widely, with even greater mobility than Australian sardine.
The South Australian Sardine Fishery operates alongside vibrant commercial and recreational tuna fisheries, with no evidence of localised depletion of sardine or predator species because of commercial sardine fishing to appropriate catch levels, which are informed by regular stock assessments.
In establishing the Tasmanian sardine fishery, the Tasmanian government will also consider establishing spatial closures to minimise overlap with key recreational fishing areas and protect sensitive marine habitats.
Further information on the role of sardine in southern and south-eastern marine ecosystems can be found in the
research section.
How are other similar fisheries managed?
Recommended harvest levels, ecosystem modelling and management strategy evaluations completed for other Australian sardine fisheries can be used to inform sustainable catch limits in developing this fishery.
Research shows that commercial harvest levels of up to 33% of the spawning biomass can be ecologically sustainable for Australian sardine and have only minor impacts on the marine ecosystem. However, other Australian fisheries have set smaller, conservative harvest levels which provide further information on the level of fishing pressure the stock can withstand.
Based on knowledge of the ecosystems off south-eastern Australia developed over the last 25 years, Ward et al. (2024) recommended a commercial harvest level of up to 15% could initially be applied for a potential Tasmanian sardine fishery.
Harvest levels of small pelagic fish are only increased as a greater understanding of the stock and its response to fishing pressure is known.
Why is government considering setting up a fishery?
Government supports opportunities for the development of environmentally sustainable, commercially profitable, and socially acceptable fisheries delivering economic growth for Tasmania.
In addition, the purpose of our legislation, the Living Marine Resources Management Act 1995, is to achieve sustainable development of fisheries.
This is a unique opportunity for Tasmania – it's rare to set up a new fishery, especially with baseline scientific data. Everyone in the community will get to have a say on what the fishery could look like, by giving feedback on the policy paper and consultation on the draft management plan (once developed).
How can I have my say on a proposed sardine fishery?
You will have the opportunity to have your say on a potential commercial Tasmanian sardine fishery. The creation of the rules, and any changes that follow, will include statutory public consultation, and will be informed by current, independent science. See the
feedback section of this webpage for more details.
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