Early research in the development of the Patagonian Toothfish fishery provides the best opportunity to develop a valuable and sustainable resource in deep waters around Macquarie Island, says CSIRO's Dr Keith Sainsbury.

The Patagonian Toothfish, which grows up to two metres in length and may weigh one hundred kilos, is named for its large razor-sharp teeth.

Ecologically sustainable development of the fishery will be the focus of a $2.9 million joint CSIRO, Australian Antarctic Division and fishing industry research project to begin this year.

The three-year research project, with supplemental funding from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC), will attempt to establish sustainable fishing levels as well as the effect of the fishery on other parts of the complex but little-known sub-Antarctic ecosystem.

The Patagonian Toothfish fishery is expanding rapidly in various parts of the Southern Ocean, particularly around South America, despite very little knowledge of the species. The fishery has the potential to be of international significance and may play a pivotal role in the development of an Australian fishing industry in the Southern Ocean. The present landed value of the fishery is $4 million. Currently one vessel is licensed to fish in the Macquarie Island area for the next three years, and a precautionary total allowable catch of 1000 tonnes has been set.

The Australian Antarctic Division has monitored catch and effort of the fishery since it began in 1994, and collected information on biology and bycatch.

Using the CSIRO research vesselSouthern Surveyor, the project will provide information on the distribution of Toothfish around Macquarie Island, population parameters such as growth rates and age at maturity, stock structure and ecological impacts, says Dr Sainsbury. It will also look at the food chain linkages between the fish and the main bird and mammal species.

On the other hand because so little is known about the potential yield of the fishery, its potential value is unknown. "If the current fishery is either under- or over-exploiting the resource, there is potentially considerable loss of value," says Dr Bill de la Mare of the Australian Antarctic Division.

OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH PROGRAM:

• Determine distribution, movement and relative abundance of the Patagonian Toothfish fishery around Macquarie Island, and key population parameters including longevity and age validation, age at maturity, and population structure,
  
• Assess the usefulness of genetic markers for determining stock structure (i.e. is the stock around Macquarie Island part of a larger stock, or is it a separate stock),
  
• Assess biological and physical oceanographic effects on catch rates, Toothfish availability, and interactions between the fishery and non-target species,
  
• Assess the amount of bycatch and its composition, and identify food-chain linkages between the fishery, the Patagonian Toothfish, and the main bird and mammal species,
  
• Develop population models for the Patagonian Toothfish fishery to provide strategies for developing and managing the fishery.
  

More information from: Dr Keith Sainsbury (03) 6232 5369