The Queensland Ecological Risk Assessment Guideline (the Guideline) was released in March 2018 as part of the Queensland Sustainable Fisheries Strategy 2017–2027. This Guideline provides an overview of strategy being employed to develop Ecological Risk Assessments (ERAs) for Queensland’s fisheries. The Guideline describes a four-stage framework consisting of a Scoping Study; a Level 1, whole of fishery qualitative assessment; a Level 2, species-specific semi-quantitative or low-data quantitative assessment and; a Level 3 quantitative assessment (if applicable).
A Scoping Study and Level 1 ERA for the Mud & Blue Swimmer Crab Fishery was released in May 2019 (Walton & Jacobsen, 2019). The Level 1 assessment identified ecological components at higher risk from crab fishing activities, and these were progressed to a Level 2 assessment. Level 2 ERAs are focused at the species level with risk evaluations based on a Productivity & Susceptibility Analysis (PSA). The PSA evaluates risk for each species through an assessment of seven biological attributes and up to seven fisheries-specific attributes.
Based on the outputs of the Level 1 ERA and following a species prioritisation process, the Level 2 ERA assessed risk for two target & byproduct species, six marine turtles and a single shark. Both target & byproduct species and four marine turtle species were found to be at low to moderate range risk from crab fishing activities. However, two marine turtles (green and loggerhead) and the shark (speartooth) were found to be at high risk. The risk profiles of these species were heavily influenced by the biological attributes (productivity); particularly those relating to their longevity and reproductive outputs. Other factors that increased the risk for these species included an increased encounterability potential and an elevated risk of post-interaction mortalities.
The Level 2 ERA made a list of recommendations to assist in the management and mitigation of risk in the Crab Fishery. A number of these measures are already being discussed and considered as part of the Queensland Sustainable Fisheries Strategy 2017–2027 and will be progressed through the Crab Fishery Working Group
