88% Catch Decline of Jackass Morwong (Nemadactylus macropterus)

Graham Edgar (@gedgar33) Tweeted:

How good are assessments?!

E.g. jackass morwong catch averaged 1500 tonnes from 1946-96, down to 184 tonnes in 2018. Classed here as not overfished or subject to overfishing; allowable catch set 3x higher than able to be caught.

Leave some fish for kids!https://t.co/ccXOf0C9nL https://t.co/kg5RxrymQf pic.twitter.com/FXXCkL9slY

— Graham Edgar (@gedgar33) September 29, 2019

LEO editor comment:

Dr Edgar refers to Jackass morwong (Nemadactylus macropterus) as being considered not overfished or subject to overfishing [in the 2019 ABARES Fisheries Status Reports]. He and his colleagues provide some description of this issue in Edgar et al (2019).