© 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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Gulf Gurnard Perch / Gulf Gurnard Scorpionfish / Gulf Perch

Family Name:	Neosebastidae
Scientific Name:	Neosebastes bougainvillii (Cuvier, 1829) (= N. bougainvilli)
Recommended Status in S.A:	Data Deficient
Rationale:  Although the Gulf 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 likely to be  minor part of the bycatch in a number of fisheries, including Commonwealth- and State-managed trawl fisheries, 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 (iv) 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 species ranges from Houtman Abrolhos in W.A., through to Kangaroo Island in S.A. (Hutchins and Swainston, 1986).

South Australia

Examples of locations in which the Gulf Gurnard Perch has been recorded in S.A. include the Great Australian Bight (including the GAB Marine Park, at the head of the Bight), as well as numerous other locations right across the shelf of the GAB; Port Hughes in Spencer Gulf; various locations in Gulf St Vincent (e.g. Port Willunga, Moana Reef, Aldinga, shipwrecks off Glenelg, reefs off Glenelg, and the tyre reefs off Glenelg and Grange), and Kangaroo Island (Hutchins and Swainston, 1986, 2001; Branden et al., 1994; MLSSA, 1997; Anonymous, 2002b; SARDI data, 2002; K. Smith, unpubl. data, 2002, 2004; Australian Underwater Federation Inc., 2003; records by D. Muirhead, cited by Australian Museum, 2005d, and pers. comm., 2008; Daley et al., 2006; R. Foster, South Australian Museum, pers. comm., 2006; CSIRO Marine Research records, cited in CSIRO, 2007; Australian Museum records, and South Australian Museum record, cited in OZCAM database, 2007).
Many of the deeper water records of this species come from CSIRO cruises in the Great Australian Bight (CSIRO Marine Research records, 1978 - 1981, cited in CSIRO, 2007), where more than 100 records of this species have been recorded between approximately 40m and 200m depth, from the western GAB through to the south-eastern GAB, off western Eyre Peninsula.

Habitat

The Gulf Gurnard Perch is a reef-dwelling species, that ranges in depth from 10m to at least 100m (see below), but is reportedly mostly found in the deeper part of the range (50+m) (Poss, in Gomon et al., 1994; Kuiter, 1996a; Australian Museum, 2005d).
There are CSIRO survey records from the Great Australian Bight, reported to be records of N. bougainvillii from waters deeper than 100m, with examples including 130m, 135m, 140m, 200m, 240m and 250m depth (CSIRO Marine Research records, 1978 - 1981, cited in CSIRO, 2007).  
During a survey in south-western Australia, the species was recorded over reefs covered with macroalgae of medium density (Harvey et al., 2004). The species has also been recorded in sandy areas in W.A. (Hyndes et al., 1999).
The species is occasionally observed by divers on both natural reefs and artificial reefs and wrecks.

Notes on the Biology

The species grows to a maximum length of about 40.5cm (Hutchins and Swainston, 1986, 2001; Poss, in Gomon et al., 1994).
Record sized specimens of 1.049 kg have been taken from Eagle Bay in W.A., in 1969 (Australian Anglers Association Inc., W.A. Division, 2005), and Port Willunga in S.A. in 1972 (Australian Underwater Federation Inc., 2003).

Fisheries Information

Commercial

The species is part of the bycatch in some fisheries in southern Australia, including the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fisheries (SESSF) (AFMA, 2002a). N. bougainvillii has been listed as part of the discarded bycatch in the South East Trawl Fishery (Bromhead and Bolton, 2005) and the Great Australian Bight Trawl Fishery (Daley et al., 2006).
Observers have reported Gurnard Perch species as part of the bycatch in the Gulf St Vincent prawn fishery (Richardson, 1999). Given the distribution of N. bougainvillii, it is likely that this species is part of the bycatch in that fishery, but data are not available for this report.
The Gulf Gurnard Perch has been recorded as a minor part of the bycatch in the Spencer Gulf prawn trawl fishery (e.g. 3 specimens recorded in 32 trawl tows, during a survey in the mid-1990s) (Carrick, 1997). 

Recreational

The Gulf Gurnard Perch is taken by anglers, and some clubs and associations keep records of the maximum sizes caught (e.g. Australian Anglers Association Inc., W.A. Division, 2002a, 2003, 2005).
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. For southern Australian States, the inexplicit categories “Perch (marine) - unspecified” and “Perch (marine) - other” are likely to have contained the majority of catches in Scorpaenidae, Sebastidae and Neosebastidae. Under those categories, about 20,500 fish were taken in South Australia and 10,770 fish were taken in W.A., during the 2000-01 survey period (Henry and Lyle, 2003), but the species composition of gurnard perch and scorpionfish catches cannot be determined from the data.
Gulf Gurnard Perch is taken by spear fishers (e.g. see Australian Underwater Federation Inc., 2003, for example of a size record taken by spearfishing, being a specimen of 1.049kg, taken Port Willunga in S.A., in 1972). More recently, gurnards (unspecified, with specimens over 0.4kg) were listed as target species in the 54^th Australian Spearfishing Titles 2006, held on northern Kangaroo Island (Australian Underwater Federation Inc., 2006).

Vulnerable Characteristics of the Species

Like other members of the Scorpaenidae, the Gulf 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.

Threatening Processes

Gulf Gurnard Perch is a site-associated species in shallow reef areas, and thus site-specific impacts on nearshore reef habitats may have an adverse impact on populations of this species in some areas.
Trawling might be a threatening process to populations in some areas. In 2006, an Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) for species in the Great Australian Bight Trawl Fishery (Daley et al., 2006), ranked N. bougainvillii as a “high risk” species, in terms of population impacts from capture in the GAB trawl fishery, with the proviso that some of the data required for accurate assessment do not exist.
The species is known to be taken by recreational fishing, but the extent to which angling and spearfishing threatens populations is not known.

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. bougainvillii is very similar in appearance to a number of other gurnard perch species, including the Ruddy Gurnard Perch N. scorpaenoides from south-eastern Australia and the Black-spotted Gurnard Perch N. nigropunctatus, 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, 2005f).
The species has been recorded in the Great Australian Bight Marine Park (SARDI data, 2002, cited by R. Foster, South Australian Museum, pers. comm., 2006).