© 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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Short Boarfish / Hutchins’ Boarfish

Family Name:	Pentacerotidae
Scientific Name:	Parazanclistius hutchinsi Hardy, 1983
Recommended Status in S.A:	Data Deficient
Rationale:  The Short Boarfish is included here because (i) it is a site-associated reef fish that is  infrequently seen in S.A.; (ii) very little is known of its distribution and relative abundance across the geographic range, and there is also little knowledge of its habitat preferences, and basic biology; (iii) the species is part of the discarded bycatch in Commonwealth fisheries, and is also caught by anglers and spear fishers, and there appears to be virtually no information recorded on the numbers taken; (iv) no studies have been undertaken to determine the potential impacts of fishing on P. hutchinsi populations; and (v) like other members of the Pentacerotidae, Short Boarfish is likely to be a bottom feeder, and have a strong habitat association; therefore, habitat damage in continental shelf waters due to processes such as trawling, nutrient pollution, sedimentation, and dredging, may have a consequent negative impact on boarfish populations; however no specific studies have been undertaken.

Page Contents

Current Conservation Status

No listings known

Distribution

Southern Australia

P. hutchinsi occurs in southern Australia, from Rottnest Island in W.A., through to Victoria, (Hardy, in Gomon et al., 1994; Hutchins and Swainston, 2001).

South Australia

The species is infrequently seen on the coastal reefs in South Australia (Hutchins and Swainston, 2001), and in other habitats. Examples of locations in S.A. where the species has been recorded include the metropolitan coast (e.g. Seacliff Reef); southern Fleurieu Peninsula (e.g. Rapid Bay Jetty, and Second Valley); Encounter Bay (e.g. Granite Island area); deeper waters east of Kangaroo Island and south of the Pages Islands; south-western Gulf St Vincent / “heel” of Yorke Peninsula area, including the Port Giles Jetty and other locations, northern Spencer Gulf (e.g. Middlebank, Wallaroo, “The Gutter” and other locations) and central Spencer Gulf (A. Brown, unpubl. data and photograph, 1983; Kuiter, 1993; Muirhead, 1998c; Australian Anglers Association record, 1998; K. Smith, unpubl. data, 2003, 2004; Museum of Victoria records, and South Australian Museum record, cited in OZCAM database, 2007; Currie and Sorokin, 2010; J. Baker, pers. obs. 2010).

Habitat

The Short Boarfish is found on the shallow portion of the continental shelf (May and Maxwell, 1986), usually in the vicinity of coastal reefs, but is infrequently seen because it prefers deeper offshore waters (Hutchins and Swainston, 2001).
The species has also been observed in relatively shallow water, such as the vicinity of jetty piles (Muirhead, 1998c; J. Baker, pers. obs, 2010) and in estuaries (Kuiter, 1996a). In south-western W.A., the species has been recorded on reefs and in other nearshore habitat (Hutchins, 2005). Divers have also recorded juveniles on nearshore reefs in Victoria. It is likely that this species is associated with benthic structure.
May and Maxwell (1986, cited in Froese and Pauly, 2007) and Hardy (in Gomon et al., 1994), reported the known depth range to be 10m – 79m / 80m.

Notes on the Biology

P. hutchinsi grows to more than 34cm (May and Maxwell, 1986; Hardy, in Gomon et al., 1994; Edgar, 2000); however the species is usually seen at smaller sizes.
The maximum recorded weight is reported to be 1.35kg (Hutchins and Swainston, 2001), being a specimen taken by spear fishing (Australian Underwater Federation, 2003).
During a survey in Spencer Gulf in 2007, the gut contents of 2 specimens were examined, and found to contain 75% echinoids, and 23% ophiuroid echinoderms, and less than 1% gammarid crustaceans (Currie and Sorokin, 2010).
There is little information about reproduction in this species; however it is noted that a juvenile Short Boarfish has been recorded drifting on the surface, in the waters of central Gulf St Vincent (collected by R. Richardson, cited by D. Muirhead, pers. comm., 2005).

Fisheries Information

Commercial

AFMA (2002a) listed Short Boarfish as one of the bycatch species in the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fisheries (SESSF). The species is a minor part of the discarded bycatch in the Commonwealth-managed South East Trawl Fishery (SETF) (Wayte et al., 2004; Bromhead and Bolton, 2005. In the otter trawl sub-fishery of the SETF, an Integrated Scientific Monitoring Program (ISMP) reported that about 4kg of Short Boarfish were discarded from 3 trawl shots; and in the Danish seine sub-fishery, 1.2kg of Short Boarfish was caught and discarded from 3 shots (Wayte et al., 2004).
The species is a minor part of the bycatch in the Great Australian Bight Trawl Fishery (GABTF) (AFMA, 2002a; Bromhead and Bolton, 2005). A scientific monitoring program in 2000/2001 recorded 81kg of Short Boarfish in the GABTF bycatch, and all specimens were discarded (data by Knuckey and Brown, cited by AFMA, 2002a). Bycatch of unspecified boarfish (which may include Short Boarfish, amongst other species) caught in the GABTF are listed above, in the section on Pentacerotidae.
Boarfish species taken by commercial fishing in southern Australian States are not recorded to species level. Boarfish species taken by commercial fishing in southern Australian States are not recorded to species level. For each State, examples of catch data for boarfish species as a group are provided above, in the section on the family Pentacerotidae.
P. hutchinsi is a minor component of the bycatch in the Spencer Gulf prawn trawl fishery (Carrick, 1997; Museum of Victoria data, 2005, cited in OZCAM database, 2007). In a by-catch sampling program during the mid-1990s, 2 specimens were recorded in 32 trawl tows (Carrick, 1997). It was also recorded by otter trawl at 6 stations in central Spencer Gulf and 1 station in southern Spencer Gulf, during a trawl survey in 2007 (Currie and Sorokin, 2010), and some of the grounds where this species was recorded are periodically worked by prawn trawls. The species has also been observed in the bycatch of the prawn trawls in Gulf St Vincent (R. Richardson, unpubl. data, 1999, cited by D. Muirhead, pers. comm., 2005). It is possible that pre-1983 records of Zanclistius elevatus in the bycatch of the prawn fishery in Gulf St Vincent (e.g. South Australian Museum record F 03828, from 1970, cited in OZCAM database, 2004), are misidentified examples of P. hutchinsi.

Recreational

The Australian Anglers Association keeps records of the maximum sizes of Short Boarfish caught by recreational fishers.
The Short Boarfish is also taken by spear fishers. The maximum size of Short Boarfish taken by spearfishing is reported to be 1.35kg, a specimen taken from City Beach Reefs in W.A., in 1975 (Australian Underwater Federation Inc., 2003).

Vulnerable Characteristics of the Species, and Threatening Processes

P. hutchinsi is a slow moving, easily approached, site-associated species that is sometimes observed in shallow waters (including shallow rocky reefs, estuaries, and under jetties), and individuals in shallow depths are thus vulnerable to spear fishers, and some anglers.
The species appears to have relatively low population numbers in S.A., at least in the shallow part of the depth range, and the species is rarely recorded by divers.
Commercial and recreational fishing might be threatening processes for this species, but information is lacking. The Short Boarfish is caught by recreational anglers and spear fishers in some parts of the range. The species is also known to be taken as part of the bycatch in Commonwealth-managed and State-managed trawl fisheries; however in most southern Australian fisheries, boarfish bycatch is not recorded to species level. Very little information is available on the numbers taken in commercial fisheries (and there are no species-specific recreational fishing statistics), and there is inadequate information on population sizes and population dynamics to determine whether or not fishing has an impact on populations of this species.
In a recent ecological risk assessment of the South East Trawl and Danish Seine Fishery (Wayte et al., 2004), 3 productivity attributes and 5 attributes of susceptibility for P. hutchinsi were used to categorise it as a “medium risk” species; i.e. susceptible to population impacts from trawling.
Generally, boarfishes are site-associated reef fish species that feed on the bottom. In some areas, damage to the benthos (e.g. from processes such as nutrient pollution, sedimentation, dredging, and trawling) may have a consequent negative impact on boarfish populations; however no studies have been undertaken.

Research Recommendations

There is little information on the relative abundance of this species across its known geographic range and depth range. Data are also lacking on the biology, habits, habitat preferences, and population dynamics of this species.
Boarfish species in the bycatch of trawl fisheries (both fish and prawn trawls) should be identified to species level.

Management Recommendations

Measures to reduce the bycatch of this, and other, boarfish species in trawl fisheries should be investigated.
A prohibition on spearfishing for this species is recommended, given the slow-moving, strongly site-associated nature of the Short Boarfish, coupled with the fact that it is infrequently encountered in shallow waters.

Other Information

The Short Boarfish resembles the Longfin Boarfish (Black-spotted Boarfish) Zanclistius elevatus in appearance, and therefore misidentifications have occurred in the past. Gomon et al. (1994) reported that the Short Boarfish is undoubtedly more common than the few recorded sightings and museum specimens suggest.