Valuable information to help support the rebuild of Sand flathead stocks has been revealed through surveys of 1,500 Tasmania’s recreational flathead fishers on their views on stock status and management.
“We found the majority of fishers believe Sand flathead stock is in a poor condition, especially in the south east, with most surveyed saying they were dissatisfied with both the abundance and size of Sand flathead,” lead fisheries scientist at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), Professor Sean Tracey said.
The results support IMAS fishery independent survey findings, which have been conducted around Tasmania for several years and in the south east for a decade, which led to Tasmania’s Sand flathead stock being listed as ‘depleted’ in 2022, and again in 2023 (see IMAS 2023 assessment).
To read the rest of the article, visit the IMAS website here.