Stock assessments

Stock assessments give us a measure of the health of fish stocks by integrating our understanding of ecology, biology, environment, fishing behaviours and other drivers.

They are critical to support evidence-based harvest strategies and fisheries management.

How stocks are assessed

Stock assessments are model-based mathematical tools that combine datasets such as:

They are completed by our specialist fishery scientists, who have skills in:

  • mathematical modelling
  • biological research
  • statistical analysis
  • computer science.

Understanding the data

By itself, fisheries data can be misleading because many factors influence fish stocks and fisheries (e.g. season can influence catch and weather can influence fishing effort).

Misinterpreting data, or only looking at some of the data, can lead to very different opinions about the sustainability of fish stocks.

How stock assessments are used

Stock assessments are scheduled to link with harvest strategy timelines. They are typically reviewed every 1 to 3 years to set fishing effort and harvest targets.

Stock assessments can:

  • determine the status and sustainability of the stock
  • assess how the stock will respond to different management procedures
  • show how changes in fishing pressure may impact the stock
  • inform management decisions through a harvest strategy and working groups
  • inform long-term sustainable catch levels in line with the Sustainable Fisheries Strategy.

Stock assessments can also contribute to Status of Australian Fish Stocks reports.

Project teams

We engage a stock assessment project team to ensure each project is completed in a transparent and evidence-based way.

These teams can include:

  • managers, scientists, monitoring and data specialists from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries
  • industry representatives.

Each team is selected to include the right mix of skill sets.

The project team operates under a terms of reference (PDF, 154KB) to ensure:

  • team member roles and tasks are clearly defined
  • processes are well documented.

Species assessed

Last updated: 10 Jul 2024