Comparative demography and life history features of cods and gropers: implications for fisheries and conservation management (B4.20S)

Task leader: Ms Rachel Pears, CRC Reef and James Cook University.

Task associate: Mr Martin Russell, Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority.

Many fishers and divers are familiar with some of the cods and gropers that are found in Queensland waters. These species belong to the grouper family, together with coral trout, and are important predators in coral reef ecosystems. With growing demands for these fishes from the live fish trade in the Indo-Pacific, we are likely to see cods and gropers become more and more marketable in future.

For most cod and groper species, we still have very little information on such basic characteristics as how old they get, how quickly they grow and at what age and size they reach maturity. These questions are now the focus of a new Effects of Line Fishing (ELF) research project.

As a first step, diver-surveys have been conducted on the northern Great Barrier Reef to estimate the relative abundance of the different grouper species. These surveys will be extended to other regions. A sample collection program is currently being set-up with the help of the fishing industry to provide specimens for the biological work. The resulting information on age and reproduction will be useful for sound management of these species on the Great Barrier Reef.