© Baker, J.L. (2009) Marine Species of Conservation Concern in South Australia Full citation Baker, J.L. (2009) Marine Species of Conservation Concern in South Australia: Volume 1 - Bony and Cartilaginous Fishes. Report for the South Australian Working Group for Marine Species of Conservation Concern. J. Baker (consultant); Science and Conservation Division, and Coast and Marine Conservation branches of S.A. Department for Environment and Heritage (DEH); Marine and Coastal Community Network of S.A. (MCCN), and Threatened Species Network (TSN). Web version published by Reef Watch, South Australia.

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Black-spotted Gurnard Perch / Blackspotted Gurnard Perch

Family Name:	Neosebastidae
Scientific Name:	Neosebastes nigropunctatus McCulloch, 1915
Recommended Status in S.A:	Data Deficient
Rationale:  Although the Black-spotted Gurnard Perch has a broad depth range on the continental shelf, it is included here because (i) South Australia is at the edge of the geographic range; (ii) like other members of the Neosebastidae, it is a benthic, site-associated reef fish of limited mobility, and these characteristics increase the species’ vulnerability to site-specific impacts; (iii) the species is a minor part of the bycatch in a number of fisheries, including Commonwealth-managed fisheries such as the Great Australian Bight Trawl Fishery (in which it is listed as being at “medium risk” of population impacts), but there are insufficient data, and few requirements to try to minimise bycatch of benthic, site-associated fish species; (iv) it is taken by some recreational anglers and spear fishers, with no species-specific data collected, and no regulations over catch; and (v) there is little information on distribution and abundance within the range, and on the biology and population dynamics (particularly fecundity, annual recruitment strength, and longevity).

Page Contents

Current Conservation Status

no listings known

Distribution

Southern Australia

The Black-spotted Gurnard Perch ranges from Kangaroo Island in S.A. (Poss, in Gomon et al., 1994) through to the central coast of W.A. (Hutchins and Swainston, 1986), with records from as far north as WSW of Shark Bay (CSIRO Marine Research records, Australian National Fish Collection, cited in OZCAM database, 2007).

South Australia

There are records from many parts of South Australia, including the S.A. / W.A. border area; deeper shelf waters of the western, central, eastern and south-eastern Great Australian Bight (GAB); Ceduna area in the eastern GAB; south-western Spencer Gulf; Kangaroo Island, Backstairs Passage; Encounter Bay; Murray Mouth, and Cape Jaffa and Nora Creina in the South East (Poss, in Gomon et al., 1994; Brown and Knuckey, 2002; Australian Underwater Federation Inc., 2003; CSIRO Marine Research records, cited in CSIRO, 2007; South Australian Museum records, Museum of Victoria record, Australian Museum records, cited in OZCAM database, 2007).
There are numerous records from the Great Australian Bight (e.g. CSIRO Marine Research records, 1979 and 1981, cited in CSIRO, 2007).

Habitat

The records of Black-spotted Gurnard Perch are mostly from deeper continental shelf waters (Hutchins and Swainston, 1986; Poss, in Gomon et al., 1994), but there are specimens reported to be this species, from shallow waters, including estuaries (South Australian Museum records, cited in OZCAM database, 2007; CSIRO Marine Research records, cited in CSIRO, 2007). N. pandus has often been confused with N. nigropunctatus, the former being the more common shallow water inhabitant of the two (B. Hutchins, W.A. Museum, pers. comm., 2007).
The species is known mainly from reefs (Paxton et al., 1989) in deeper shelf waters, between 130m and 230m (Poss, in Gomon et al., 1994), but it is noted that some of the records from South Australia (see above) are from shallower waters, and the species is also known from continental slope waters. The overall depth range is reported to be 60m to ~ 550m (Motomura, 2003; Motomura and McGrouther, in Australian Museum, 2005p).
The species has been classified (by Higham et al., 2002, using Whitfield’s 1999 classification of estuarine association) as a “marine straggler”, indicating that some individuals may have been recorded in estuarine waters (e.g. of the Murray Mouth area in S.A.).

Notes on the Biology

Growth

The Black-spotted Gurnard Perch grows to around 36cm (Hutchins and Swainston, 1986; Poss, in Gomon et al., 1994), and over 1.2kg (Australian Anglers Association, WA Division Inc., 1993).

Diet

No species-specific information on the diet could be found for this report, but it is noted that related species of gurnard perch in southern Australia eat small fish, squid, crabs and other small crustaceans, and marine worms (Bulman et al., 2001; DPIWE Tasmania, 2004i).

Fisheries Information

Commercial – Commonwealth Fisheries

The species is part of the bycatch in some Commonwealth-managed fisheries (AFMA, 2002a; Bromhead and Bolton, 2005), as discussed below.
In the Danish seine sub-fishery of the South East Trawl Fishery (SETF), an Integrated Scientific Monitoring Program (ISMP) reported that in 1 shot, about 60kg of this species were discarded, and none was retained (Wayte et al., 2004).
The species is a minor component of the bycatch in the Great Australian Bight Trawl Fishery. Bycatch sampling in the GABTF during the early 2000s (Brown and Knuckey, 2002) showed that during the sampling periods, N. nigropunctatus was observed in 14 of the 209 trawl shots; the average quantity retained was 18.6kg per trawl shot, and the average quantity discarded was 3.1kg per trawl shot (Brown and Knuckey, 2002).
According to Bromhead and Bolton (2005), the species is a retained by-product in the Gillnet, Hook and Trap Fishery (= Southern Shark Fishery and South East Non-Trawl fishery combined). It is noted, however, that N. nigropunctatus was not recorded during two bycatch monitoring programs in the Southern Shark Fishery, but other species in Neosebastes were recorded (see Walker et al., 2003, and synopsis for N. scorpaenoides).

Commercial – State Fisheries

The Black-spotted Gurnard Perch has been recorded as a minor part of the bycatch in the South Australian Blue Crab fishery. During a bycatch monitoring program from 2002 to 2005, only 1 individual was recorded in 1080 pot lifts, in Spencer Gulf (Currie and Hooper, 2006).

Recreational

The Black-spotted Gurnard Perch is occasionally taken by anglers working in deeper continental shelf waters (Hutchins and Swainston, 1986), Some clubs and associations keep records of the maximum sizes caught (e.g. Australian Anglers Association, WA Division Inc.; Lancelin Aquatic and Angling Club, Inc.).
It is noted that in the National Recreational and Indigenous Fishing Survey (Henry and Lyle, 2003, and associated data), results for all species in the Neosebastidae were aggregated, hence it is difficult to determine species-specific catches. Aggregated catches of gurnard perches are listed above, in the synopsis for Neosebastes bougainvillii.
There are records of N. nigropunctatus being taken by spearfishing. The maximum size of Black-spotted Gurnard Perch recorded by spearfishing was a specimen of 0.74 kg, taken in 1965, from Nora Creina in S.A. (Australian Underwater Federation Inc., 2003). It is noted that gurnards (unspecified, with specimens over 0.4kg) were listed as target species in the 54th Australian Spearfishing Titles 2006, held on northern Kangaroo Island (Australian Underwater Federation Inc., 2006).

Vulnerable Characteristics of the Species and Threatening Processes

Although the species appears to be widespread in South Australia, this State is at the edge of the geographic range.
Like other members of the Neosebastidae, Black-spotted Gurnard Perch is a benthic, site-associated reef fish of limited mobility, and these characteristics increase the species’ vulnerability to site-specific impacts, and to capture by a number of fishing methods.
Bycatch in Commonwealth-managed fisheries may be a threatening process to N. nigropunctatus populations. For example, related species of gurnard perch (in eastern Australia) are reported to suffer barotrauma when caught in bycatch (N.S.W. Department of Primary Industries, 2004), and it is likely that Black-spotted Gurnard Perch would suffer similar trawl-induced mortality when caught. In 2006, an Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) for species in the Great Australian Bight Trawl Fishery (Daley et al., 2006), ranked N. nigropunctatus as a “medium risk” species, in terms of population impacts from capture in the GAB Trawl Fishery. Apart from trawl fishing, populations may be at risk from fishing impacts due to shark hooks and gillnets, in south-eastern Australia, but there are no species-specific data available for this report.

Research Requirements

More information is required on the distribution and abundance within the range, and the biology and population dynamics of this species (particularly fecundity, annual recruitment strength, and longevity).
Data are required on the numbers taken by commercial and recreational fishers across the range, in relation to required studies of abundance.

Management Requirements

Where possible, measures are required to reduce the bycatch of benthic fishes (such as those in Neosebastidae and Scorpaenidae) in Commonwealth- and State-managed trawl fisheries.
Recreational fishing regulations (e.g. size limits and bag limits) are recommended to regulate the capture of benthic, site-associated fishes such as members of the Neosebastidae and Scorpaenidae.

Other Information

N. nigropunctatus is very similar in appearance to a number of other gurnard perch species, including the Gulf Gurnard Perch N. bougainvillii and the Common Gurnard Perch N. scorpaenoides, both from southern W.A. and S.A.. Gurnard perch species are differentiated on the basis of characters such as the spines and ridges on the head, pectoral fin rays and lateral line scales (Australian Museum, 2005d and 2005f).