Nick Caputi

Spatial and seasonal differences in the fish fauna in the shallows of a large australian estuary

Samples of fish were collected by beach seine throughout the shallow waters of the large Peel-Harvey estuarine system (south-western Australia) in the wet (June to November) and dry periods (December to May) between August 1979 and July 1981. The number of species, density and biomass declined with distance from the estuary mouth and rose with increasing temperature and salinity. Both classification and ordination distinguished the faunal composition of the saline reaches of the rivers from that of the narrow Entrance Channel and two large basins (Peel Inlet and Harvey Estuary). Classification also separated the fauna of the riverine group into wet- and dry-period components, and divided samples taken in the Entrance Channel from those in the basins. Differences between the faunal composition of the Peel Inlet and its tributary rivers were related to differences in salinity regime. The riverine fauna was subjected to much more variable and lower minimum salinities. Species characteristic of the rivers included teleosts such as Atherinosoma wallacei and Amniataba caudavittatus, which are estuarine sensu stricto in southwestern Australia, the semi-anadromous Nematalosa vlaminghi and juveniles of the marine Mugil cephalus. The species diagnostic of the wet periods in the rivers were the estuarine species A. wallacei and Favonigobius suppositus, while the dry periods were characterised by the marine species Atherinomorus ogilbyi and Sillago schomburgkii. Marine species also characterised the Entrance Channel (Favonigobius lateralis, Sillago bassensis), whereas the indicators in Peel Inlet and Harvey Estuary were Hyporhamphus regularis and Apogon rueppellii, both of which can pass through the whole of their life cycle in estuarine as well as marine environments.

Ocean currents and the larval phase of Australian western rock lobster, Panulirus cygnus

The return of Panulirus cygnus larvae to the coast of Western Australia after nearly a year at sea and its modulation by ocean currents were addressed with an individual-based larval-transport model. The simulations implied that offshore wind-driven transport of larvae is balanced by onshore geostrophic flow. Additional simulations revealed that vertical migration behaviour was essential to larval survival through its impact on advection. The six years simulated include two of high, two of low, and two of average puerulus settlement. The most robust interannual difference of the simulations was that, when coastal sea level was low and the Leeuwin Current was weak, more early-stage larvae were lost to the north and west under the influence of the wind. Conversely, many late-stage model larvae were carried south of the fishery in years when the Leeuwin Current was strong. The fraction of model larvae remaining or arriving offshore of the fishery and metamorphosing was essentially constant from year to year, so the variation in observed puerulus settlement was not explained by the model. The results imply that the nonadvective effects of fluctuations in the Leeuwin (e.g., on temperature and primary production) were primarily responsible for the high variation in natural settlement.

Environmental effects on recruitment of the western rock lobster, Panulirus cygnus

The Leeuwin Current, which brings warm, nutrient-poor waters southward along the edge of the West Australian continental shelf, is positively correlated with western rock lobster (Panulirus cygnus) puerulus settlement along the coast. Westerly winds, also positively correlated with puerulus settlement, probably assist the transport of larvae to the coast during settlement. We examined relationships between (a) monthly sea-surface temperature where phyllosoma larvae occur – and annual levels of puerulus settlement at locations throughout the fishery and (b) monthly variation in Leeuwin Current strength (and westerly winds) and annual puerulus settlement later in the year (August–January). The Leeuwin Current, when it begins to strengthen during February–April, was highly correlated with puerulus settlement; sea-surface temperature during this period may have strongly influenced puerulus settlement at many locations. Its influence on puerulus settlement may have been due to improved larval survival and growth caused by higher water temperatures associated with a stronger Leeuwin Current in April or to increased retention of larvae close to the coast. In years when the southward-flowing Leeuwin Current was very strong, settlement in the southern locations was relatively higher than that farther north. In years of strong puerulus settlement, settlement also occurred earlier in the season.

Influence of environmental variables on the fish fauna of the deeper waters of a large Australian estuary

Fish were collected by gill nets from the deeper waters of the Entrance Channel, basins and rivers of the large Peel-Harvey estuarine system (south-western Australia) in the wet (June to November) and dry (December to May) periods between August 1979 and July 1981. Simple-regression analysis showed that the number of species, abundance and biomass of fish in the rivers rose with increases in the salinity and temperature of both the surface and bottom of the water column. No such significant correlations were found in the Entrance Channel andbasins (Peel Inlet and Harvey Estuary), where salinity changes were far less marked. The number of species at sites throughout the estuary was inversely correlated with distance from the estuary mouth. Multiple-regression equations showed that, compared with the other environmental variables tested, bottom salinity had a greater influence on the nunber of species and abundance both in the rivers and in the system as a whole. These results indicate that salinity has a greater effect on the fauna in the deeper waters than in the shallows (cf. Loneragan et al., 1986). The larger fish which characterise the deeper waters may thus be less tolerant to low salinities than the smaller fish typically found in the shallows. Both classification and ordination separated the faunal composition of the rivers from those of the Entrance Channel and basins. The fauna of the two narrow and deeper sites in the rivers separated into wet- and dry-period components. Differences between the faunal composition of the riverine regions and those of the Entrance Channel and basins have been related to the much more variable and lower minimum salinities in the rivers. Species characteristic of the rivers included Amniataba caudavittatus, which is estuarine sensu stricto in south-western Australia, the semianadromous Nematalosa vlaminghi and the highly euryhaline Mugil cephalus. The indicator species for the Entrance Channel and basins were all marine species (Cnidoglanis macrocephalus, Hyporhamphus melanochir, Gerres subfasciatus and Pomatomus saltator).

Seasonal variation in the long-term warming trend in water temperature off the Western Australian coast

Previous studies have demonstrated that one area of greatest increase in surface sea temperatures (SST) (0.02°C per year) in the Indian Ocean over the last 50 years occurs off the lower west coast of Australia, an area dominated by the Leeuwin Current. The present paper examines water temperature trends at several coastal sites since the early 1970s: two rock lobster puerulus monitoring sites in shallow water (<5 m); four sites from a monitoring program onboard rock lobster vessels that provide bottom water temperature (<36 m); and an environmental monitoring site at Rottnest (0–50 m depth). Two global SST datasets are also examined. These data show that there was a strong seasonal variation in the historic increases in temperature off the lower west coast of Australia, with most of the increases (0.02–0.035°C per year) only focussed on 4–6 months over the austral autumn–winter with little or no increase (<0.01°C per year) apparent in the austral spring–summer period. These increases are also apparent after taking into account the interannual variation in the strength of the Leeuwin Current. The warming trend results in a change to the seasonal temperature cycle over the decades, with a delay in the peak in the temperature cycle during autumn between the 1950s and 2000s of ~10–20 days. A delay in the timing of the minimum temperature is also apparent at Rottnest from August–September to October. This seasonal variation in water temperature increases and its effect on the annual temperature cycle should be examined in climate models because it provides the potential to better understand the specific processes through which climate change and global warming are affecting this region of the Indian Ocean. It also provides an opportunity to further test the climate models to see whether this aspect is predicted in the future projections of how increases will be manifest. Any seasonal variation in water temperature increase has important implications for fisheries and the marine ecosystem because it may affect many aspects of the annual life cycle such as timing of growth, moulting, mating, spawning and recruitment, which have to be taken into account in the stock assessment and management of fisheries.

Decadal increase in Ningaloo Niño since the late 1990s

Ningaloo Nino refers to the episodic occurrence of anomalously warm ocean conditions along the subtropical coast of Western Australia (WA). Ningaloo Nino typically develops in austral spring, peaks in summer, and decays in autumn, and it often occurs in conjunction with La Nina conditions in the Pacific which promote poleward transport of warm tropical waters by the Leeuwin Current. Since the late 1990s, there has been a marked increase in the occurrence of Ningaloo Nino, which is likely related to the recent swing to the negative phase of the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) and enhanced El Nino–Southern Oscillation variance since 1970s. The swing to the negative IPO sustains positive heat content anomalies and initiates more frequent cyclonic wind anomalies off the WA coast so favoring enhanced poleward heat transport by the Leeuwin Current. The anthropogenically forced global warming has made it easier for natural variability to drive extreme ocean temperatures in the region.

Using fine-scale catch predictions to examine spatial variation in growth and catchability of Panulirus cygnus along the west coast of Australia

Abstract Puerulus settlement has been monitored throughout the western rock lobster Panulirus cygnus fishery for nearly 40 years. These data, in combination with indices of effort and water temperature, were used to produce recruitment‐catch relationships for each 1° transect of latitude in the coastal part of this fishery from Kalbarri to Cape Leeuwin, as well as at the offshore Abrolhos Islands (total of eight transects). The fine spatial scales of these models provided estimates of certain life history traits that are known to affect lobster catches between adjacent fishing ports. This catch modelling showed that the proportions of 3‐ and 4‐year‐old post‐settlement lobsters contributing to the catches varied markedly from the southern to northern transects, suggesting that juvenile lobsters grow substantially faster in the warmer northern and offshore waters of this fishery. These proportions provide accurate estimates of juvenile growth rates, which are vital in the construction of location‐specific growth algorithms required by the age‐structured models used in the management of this fishery. Model estimates of density‐dependent mortality were greater in the more densely populated centre of the fishery and markedly lower at the northern and southern limits of this species distribution. Annual increases in fishing efficiency were also found to be lowest at the northern and southern extremes of the fishery and greatest in the centre of the fishery, where technology advances and increased fleet mobility have enabled the fleet to increase efficiency by 1–3% each year. Catchability (q) was found to be most influenced by water temperatures in the cooler southern transects, whereas at the Abrolhos Islands, changes in water temperature produced almost no discernable change in q. The catch modelling was also used to quantify the impact of management changes introduced in the 1993/94 fishing season. Increased protection of female lobsters and an 18% pot reduction resulted in a 3–4% permanent reduction in the catch rates of lobsters throughout most of the coastal fishery, whereas at the offshore Abrolhos Islands, catch rates increased by c. 20%, presumably owing to a reduction in the level of pot saturation.

Depletion‐based population estimates for western rock lobster (Panulirus cygnus) fishery in Western Australia

Abstract A depletion technique was applied to the western rock lobster fishery in Western Australia for the non‐migrating part of the season, March to June. The catch for the migrating part of the fishery was used to estimate the annual exploitation for the whole season. To take into account environmental effects (water temperature and swell) on catchability that affect the assumptions of the depletion technique, estimates of the changes in catchability between March and June of each year were obtained. The trends in catchability, residual biomass and exploitation for three zones of the fishery since the 1983/84 season were examined. These show that the exploitation in the north coastal zone decreased from c. 75% in the early 1990s to c. 60% in the mid 1990s as a result of a major change in management in 1993/94 (including 18% nominal effort reduction and increased protection of mature females). However, in the last 10 years exploitation has increased again to c. 75%, mainly owing to increases in catchability (e.g., efficiency increases) as there has been little change in the nominal effort. The results from this study provide some insight into changes in catchability that can be used in other stock assessment techniques such as length‐based assessments.

Management adaptation of invertebrate fisheries to an extreme marine heat wave event at a global warming hot spot

Abstract An extreme marine heat wave which affected 2000 km of the midwest coast of Australia occurred in the 2010/11 austral summer, with sea‐surface temperature (SST) anomalies of 2–5°C above normal climatology. The heat wave was influenced by a strong Leeuwin Current during an extreme La Niña event at a global warming hot spot in the Indian Ocean. This event had a significant effect on the marine ecosystem with changes to seagrass/algae and coral habitats, as well as fish kills and southern extension of the range of some tropical species. The effect has been exacerbated by above‐average SST in the following two summers, 2011/12 and 2012/13. This study examined the major impact the event had on invertebrate fisheries and the management adaption applied. A 99% mortality of Roei abalone (Haliotis roei) and major reductions in recruitment of scallops (Amusium balloti), king (Penaeus latisulcatus) and tiger (P. esculentus) prawns, and blue swimmer crabs were detected with management adapting with effort reductions or spatial/temporal closures to protect the spawning stock and restocking being evaluated. This study illustrates that fisheries management under extreme temperature events requires an early identification of temperature hot spots, early detection of abundance changes (preferably using pre‐recruit surveys), and flexible harvest strategies which allow a quick response to minimize the effect of heavy fishing on poor recruitment to enable protection of the spawning stock. This has required researchers, managers, and industry to adapt to fish stocks affected by an extreme environmental event that may become more frequent due to climate change.

Predicting the recreational western rock lobster (Panulirus cygnus) catch in Western Australia

The number of fishers purchasing recreational rock-lobster licences in Western Australia increased from ~15 000 during 1986–87 to 33 000 during 1998–99. The quantity landed was estimated from mail surveys conducted during this period. The recreational catch of western rock lobster increased from approximately 220 to 630 tonnes, or from 1.8% to 4.8% of the commercial catch. This study has shown that total recreational catches of western rock lobster in Western Australia are correlated with licence usage rates (r2 = 0.81) and puerulus settlement indices at Alkimos, in the southern region of the fishery, 3 to 4 years earlier (r2 = 0.59). A multipleregression analysis using both of these variables (r2 = 0.91) was used to predict future recreational lobster catches. If future usage were to remain at 1998–99 levels, it is predicted that the recreational catch would be 700 t in 1999–2000, 650 t in 2000–01, and 550 t in 2001–02. We attempted to improve predictions by analysing the data according to puerulus settlement and licence usage in the two coastal management regions. The correlation for the southern region (where most of the recreational fishing is concentrated) was marginally better than that for the total fishery (r2 = 0.93), but the correlation was poor for the northern coastal zone (r2 = 0.55), where licence usage has been relatively steady and where the recreational catch has consistently remained at around 98 t per annum over the last decade.