© 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.

---

Rosy Wrasse

Family Name:	Labridae
Scientific Name:	Pseudolabrus psittaculus (Richardson, 1840) (= P. rubicundus) (Macleay, 1881)
Recommended Status in S.A:	Data Deficient
Rationale:  Included here because (i) Rosy Wrasse is a site-associated Labrid, and members of the family are intrinsically vulnerable to over-exploitation and population decline due to their reef association, and demography / life history characteristics; (ii) the species apparently is not as common in S.A. as it is in south-eastern States; (iii) the species is caught in a number of commercial and recreational fisheries across the range; and (iv) there appears to be no available information on population sizes or population dynamics of this species in southern Australian waters, nor on the extent to which populations are fished. The status of the species in S.A. cannot easily be determined due to lack of data on relative abundance and populations sizes around the State (particularly in deeper continental shelf waters); lack of data on the biology and life history characteristics of the species; and lack of data of the extent and specific impacts of threatening processes, including commercial and recreational fishing.

Page Contents

Current Conservation Status

No listings known

Distribution

Southern Australia

Rosy Wrasse occurs along the south coast from King Georges Sound / Albany area in W.A. to Sydney area in N.S.W., and right around Tasmania, including the Kent group of islands (Edgar, 1984; Kuiter, 1993; Gomon and Russell, in Gomon et al., 1994; Edgar, 2000; Resource Planning and Development Commission, 2002). The species is considered “reasonably common” on the coastal and estuarine reefs of Victoria and Tasmania, but found “in smaller numbers” in South Australia and N.S.W. (Hutchins and Swainston, 1986, 2001).
During a monitoring program on nearshore reefs in parts of eastern and central Victoria (Edmunds and Hart, 2003), Rosy Wrasse was listed amongst the reef fish species that were “commonly encountered” (but it is noted that relatively low numbers of Rosy Wrasse were recorded). The species was rarely recorded during monitoring on western Victorian reefs (Hart et al., 2004).
Barrett and Wilcox (2001) recorded Rosy Wrasse as one of the commonly encountered reef species (but in relatively low numbers) on shallow subtidal reefs in some parts of north-western, northern and north-eastern Tasmania.

South Australia

Examples of locations within S.A. where Rosy Wrasse is found, include the Great Australian Bight; islands of the Nuyts Archipelago (e.g. St Francis I., West I., Freeling I.); the Investigator group of islands off western Eyre Peninsula; south-central Gulf St Vincent; lower Spencer Gulf (including an old mid-20^th century record from south of the Port Lincoln area, and a fishing record from Port Lincoln area in 1971); and parts of Kangaroo Island (S.A. Museum records; Australian Museum record, cited in OZCAM database, 2004; Kuiter, 1983; Branden et al., 1986; Russell, 1988; S. Shepherd and J. Brook, unpublished data, 2002; Australian Anglers Association, 2003).

Habitat

The species has a broad depth range (2m – 210+m), and usually occurs in deeper water (Gomon and Russell, in Gomon et al., 1994) on rocky reefs, associated with caves and crevices. However, in Victoria, Rosy Wrasse is known to occur in as little as a few metres of water, in Port Phillip Bay (Kuiter, 1993), and the species has been reported in waters as shallow as 2m (Gomon and Russell, in Gomon et al., 1994).
Kuiter (1983) reported that Rosy Wrasse was common in caves and crevices at islands in the Investigator Group, west coast of South Australia.
In Tasmania and Victoria, juveniles commonly occur in shallow depths near caves, on exposed coastal and estuarine reefs (Hutchins and Swainston, 1986, 2001; Edgar, 2000).
The species is also reported to occur in Giant Kelp (Macrocystis) forests in Tasmania (uncited reference, in Edyvane, 2003).

Notes on the Biology

Growth

The species grows to about 45cm (Gomon and Russell, in Gomon et al., 1994), and a record of a Rosy Wrasse of that size is known from South Australia (being a specimen taken as bycatch from water more than 40m deep, during sampling with rock lobster pots) (S. Shepherd, SARDI, pers. comm., 2005).
It is noted that the Australian Anglers Association Records Authority has a record of a Rosy Wrasse specimen of 3.49kg (Australian Anglers Association, 2003). Rosy Wrasse has a similar length-weight relation to Blue-throated Wrasse (data by P. Hawthorn, cited by S. Shepherd, pers. comm., 2005), hence although a 42cm fish would be about 1.65kg, a maximum weight of 3.4kg might be possible in a wrasse that grows to larger than the average maximum size (e.g. to about 50cm) (S. Shepherd, SARDI, pers. comm., 2005).

Behaviour

Individuals in the shallow part of the depth range tend to be cryptic, and smaller than those occurring in deeper waters (Gomon and Russell, in Gomon et al., 1994).
According to Barrett (1995a) P. psittaculus is a site-associated species, with females having overlapping home ranges and males being territorial. Individuals have a strong site fidelity to reef areas. During a study in Tasmania, the home range was estimated to be about 280–375m2 (Barrett, 1995a, cited by Ward et al., 2001). Another study in Tasmania showed that P. psittaculus generally moved only a small distance (<100 m) from the home reef, during the period of the study (1 year) (Edgar et al., 2004).

Reproduction

P. psittaculus is a protogynous hermaphrodite (i.e. a sex-changing species) (Barrett (1995a).

Other Information

The introduced New Zealand Screw Shell Maoricolpus roseus has been recorded as a minor part of the diet of Rosy Wrasse in south-eastern Australia (Bax and Williams, unpublished data, cited by Bax et al., 2003).

Fisheries Information

Commercial

Gomon and Russell (in Gomon et al., 1994) reported that Rosy Wrasse is the most commonly trawled wrasse in south-eastern Australian waters, because it is frequently found at depths worked by inshore commercial trawlers.
Rosy Wrasse is also caught as bycatch in deeper water in the Commonwealth-managed Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fisheries (i.e. the SESSF, see AFMA, 2002a), but possession of wrasse bycatch is currently prohibited in the Southern Shark Fishery component of the SESSF (AFMA, 2001b), because wrasses are State-managed species. In experiments using various hook and mesh sizes in the Southern Shark fishery (Walker et al., 2003) Rosy Wrasse was caught only with hook and mesh sizes not currently used in that fishery.
Rosy Wrasse is a component of the bycatch in the South Australian Rock Lobster fishery (Sloan, 2003a). Wrasses are also one of the two main groups of scalefish species (along with leatherjackets) taken in rock lobster pots, that are retained for use as bait (Sloan, 2003a). In Tasmania, Rosy Wrasse has been a common bycatch in the rock lobster fishery. In a study of bycatch in the Tasmanian Rock Lobster fishery, 18,302 rock lobster pots (without escape gaps) were examined between 1992 and 1997. During that period, 2,192 Rosy Wrasses were caught (i.e. an estimate of 8 pot-lifts required for the capture of 1 animal) (Frusher and Gibson, 1998, cited by Ford, 2001). The study also showed that lobster pots with escape gaps can significantly reduce the number of wrasses caught (Frusher and Gibson, 1998, cited by Ford, 2001).
In Tasmania, under the Tasmanian Fisheries (Scalefish) Rules 2004, Regulation 100, there is a commercial fishing possession limitation of a maximum of 3 Rosy Wrasse per licence holder per day, due to the development of a separate aquarium trade (see below).
Pseudolabrus psittaculus is sold in the international aquarium market, and collected in Tasmania for that purpose. The permitted annual catch limit is 150 individuals, with a fishing block limit (6 x 6 nautical miles) of 25 individuals (DPIWE Tasmania, 2005b; Australian Government DEH, 2005b).  In 2006, specimens were being advertised for sale through a Tasmanian aquarium supply company.

Recreational

The species is taken by recreational fishers in some areas, and there are examples of record sizes, held by angling clubs (e.g. Australian Anglers Association, 2003).
During the NRIFS, recreational catches in Rosy Wrasse in S.A. were not recorded at species level; however during the survey period, a total of 64,199 wrasses were taken in S.A. (SARDI data, September, 2005).  The proportion of the wrasse catch that comprised P. psittaculus cannot be determined, but is likely to be low compared with the catch of the more commonly fished species, N. tetricus.
The species is also taken by spearfishing. The recorded maximum size of Rosy Wrasse taken by spear fishing was a specimen of 0.66kg, caught at Bicheno in Tasmania, in 1979 (Hutchins and Swainston, 2001; Australian Underwater Federation Inc., 2003). It is also noted that Rosy Wrasse was one of the species landed during State and national spearfishing competitions during the early 1980s (Johnson, 1985a, 1985b).

Vulnerable Characteristics of the Species

As is the case with other temperate Labrids, Rosy Wrasse has a number of characteristics that make the species vulnerable to over-exploitation, and population decline. The species is territorial and strongly site-associated within reef systems. The protogynous hermaphroditism - i.e. sex change - in this species may also increase population vulnerability, and heavily fished populations may suffer imbalances in population structure.

Threatening Processes

Rosy Wrasse is vulnerable to capture by a variety of commercial and recreational fisheries across the range, and is also collected for the aquarium trade (in Tasmania). Fishing is the likely to be the major threat to populations of Rosy Wrasse, which is taken directly, and as bycatch.

Research Requirements

There is a lack of data on the (i) relative abundance / populations sizes within the range (including South Australia); (ii) the biology, life history characteristics and population dynamics of the species; and (iii) the extent (and potential effects) of commercial and recreational fishing on this species.

Management Requirements

Commercial catches of wrasses in State waters should be separated by species, and catch statistics should be monitored over space and time.
Measures to protect the species from bycatch (particularly trawl bycatch) are required.
Restrictions are required on the capture of this species by line fishers and spear fishers.
There is indirect evidence of the importance of site-specific protection for this reef-associated species. For example, prior to late 2002, Popes Eye in Victoria was the only ‘no-take’ reserve in the Port Phillip Bay region, and other areas were subject to line fishing and spearfishing. Recent surveys of reefs in Port Phillip Bay rarely recorded Rosy Wrasse at any site other than Popes Eye, a site which has been protected from fishing for a long period (Edmunds et al., 2003). In Tasmania, a study of movements of reef fish concluded that the sedentary nature of Labrids such as P. psittaculus indicates that relatively small (1km diameter) marine protected areas should generally provide conservation benefits for these fishes, but with few `spill-over' benefits in surrounding areas (Edgar et al., 2004). Plans for marine protected areas in S.A. should give due consideration to the declaration of sanctuary zones that include such site-associated species as Rosy Wrasse.

Other Information

The species is known to occur in a number of Marine Parks and Sanctuaries in Victoria, such as Popes Eye, Port Phillip Heads (both part of Port Phillip Heads Marine National Park); Wilsons Promontory, Eagle Rock (where the species is reported to be common), and Bunurong (including the nearby Phillip I.) (Edmunds et al., 2003; Plummer et al., 2003).
Rosy Wrasse occurs in a number of marine reserves in Tasmania, including Maria Island and Port Davey / Bathurst Harbour (Parks and Wildlife Service, 1998; DPIWE, 2005e).

Support for S.A. Listing:

Barry Hutchins (ex-Western Australian Museum).