Stock assessment of the Australian east coast tailor (Pomatomus saltatrix) fishery

Abstract

Tailor, (Pomatomus saltatrix), is widely distributed in subtropical and temperate waters around the world. On the east coast of Australia, tailor occurs along the coasts of southern Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria and is considered a single genetic stock. This stock assessment analyses the Queensland and New South Wales component of the east coast stock.

This stock assessment used the age-structured model from the previous assessment with an annual time step. Incorporated data spanned the period from 1945 to 2019 including total harvests, standardised catch rates and length and age information for Queensland and New South Wales commercial and recreational sectors. Model analyses suggested that spawning biomass was at around 51% of unfished biomass in 2019. This report provides estimates of sustainable harvests to ensure the fishery operates at sustainable levels, for commercial and recreational fishing, and supports the harvest strategy defined in Queensland’s Sustainable Fisheries Strategy 2017–2027 (Department of Agriculture and Fisheries 2017).