© 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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Southern Shortfin Gurnard / Shortfin Gurnard

Family Name:	Triglidae
Scientific Name:	Lepidotrigla spinosa Gomon, 1987
Recommended Status in S.A:	Data Deficient
Rationale:  The Southern Shortfin Gurnard is included here because (i) central S.A. coast / Kangaroo I. area is the edge of the geographic rage of this south-western species; (ii) in South Australia, the species is found in sand habitats in central Gulf St Vincent, Spencer Gulf and along the eastern Great Australian Bight, and prawn trawlers operate in all of these areas; (iii) due to its benthic existence and preference for sandy habitat, apparently within a relatively narrow depth range on the mid continental shelf, the Southern Shortfin Gurnard may be susceptible to capture in prawn trawl fisheries; and (iv) little is known of the distribution of this species within S.A., of the relative abundance or biology, and there appear to be no published data on the fisheries bycatch of this species.

Page Contents

Current Conservation Status

no listings known

Distribution

Southern Australia

Southern Shortfin Gurnard ranges from Kangaroo Island in S.A. through to the western coast of W.A. (Gomon, in Gomon et al., 1994; M. Gomon, Museum of Victoria, pers. comm. to R. Foster, S.A. Museum, 2006). Albany in southern W.A. is the type locality (Gomon, 1987; Richards, 1992).

South Australia

Examples of locations in S.A where the species has been recorded, include north-eastern Kangaroo Island; Spencer Gulf; western Gulf St Vincent, and the Great Australian Bight (e.g. Anxious Bay and deeper waters off western Eyre Peninsula, and also the head of the Bight, including the GAB Marine Park) (Gomon, in Gomon et al., 1994; P. Jennings, SARDI, unpublished survey data, 2003; SARDI data, 2002, cited by R. Foster, South Australian Museum, pers. comm., 2006; South Australian Museum records, Museum of Victoria records, cited in OZCAM database, 2007).

Habitat

L. spinosa is found in sandy habitat. At the Recherche Archipelago in south-western Australia, it has been recorded occasionally in soft-bottom habitats worked by trawl / dredge (Hutchins, 2005).
Gomon (in Gomon et al., 1994) reported the upper depth limit to be about 30m. The type specimen was taken within the depth range 38m - 45m (Eschmeyer, 1999). In recent years, specimens have been taken from as deep as 140m, in the Great Australian Bight (Museum of Victoria records A22083 and A22098, cited in OZCAM database, 2007).
The species has been recorded in the prawn trawl grounds along the western coast of South Australia (eastern Great Australian Bight) (Gomon, in Gomon et al., 1994).

Notes on the Biology

Growth

L. spinosa grows to around 12cm (Gomon, in Gomon et al., 1994).

Reproduction

Lepidotrigla species have buoyant, pelagic eggs (Neira et al., 1998).

Other Information

Like other gurnards, this species can “walk” along the sea floor using the feelers in front of the enlarged pectoral fins (Hutchins and Swainston, 1986).

Fisheries Information

Commercial

The species is assumed to be part of the bycatch in South Australia’s West Coast Prawn Trawl fishery, given that Gomon (in Gomon et al., 1994) reported that L. spinosa “appears to be relatively common on the shallow prawn grounds along the west coast of South Australia”.

Recreational

Gurnards in general are taken by some recreational fishers in southern Australia, including South Australia (see statistics from Henry and Lyle, 2003, cited above); however species-specific information is not available.

Vulnerable Characteristics of the Species, and Threatening Processes

In South Australia, the species appears to have a limited geographic distribution, and may also have a relatively narrow depth range, in mid-continental shelf waters.
The species occurs in sand habitats Gulf St Vincent, Spencer Gulf and along the eastern Great Australian Bight, and prawn trawlers operate in all of these areas. Due to its benthic existence and preference for sandy habitat, L. spinosa is susceptible to capture in prawn trawl fisheries.
Populations in Spencer Gulf and Gulf St Vincent may be susceptible to impact from the pollution and benthic habitat damage that has occurred in those gulfs, but there are no data.

Research Requirements

There is little information on the biology of this species.
There are few published records of L. spinosa in South Australia. Benthic surveys in sand habitats are required to better determine the distribution and relative abundance of this species within S.A.
The species composition of bycatch in prawn trawl fisheries in S.A. should be investigated to  ascertain the presence or absence of this species in the bycatch, particularly in the eastern Great Australian Bight, where L. spinosa has previously (Gomon, in Gomon et al., 1994) been reported to be “relatively common on the shallow prawn grounds”.

Management Requirements

Although measures have already been undertaken in S.A. prawn trawl fisheries to reduce the bycatch of benthic fish species (see synopsis below, for Lepidotrigla papilio), further improvements (e.g. in net design) should be encouraged, to reduce the bycatch of site-associated benthic species such as Shortfin Gurnard.
Recreational catch limits should be introduced for gurnard species.