2015-11-10 - P&O Agenda - Item 7, Attach 1 - Historical Ecology of the Noosa Estuary Fisheries

Prawn species were not distinguished between in government records until
1990. Of the three prawn species recorded as caught within the Noosa River and
Lakes during the 1978-79 survey (Coles and Greenwood 1986), only school
prawn have been consistently recorded every year within the W35 and V35 grids
from 1990-onwards, with eastern king prawns recorded from the year 2000 (Fig.
6). Landings records show highly variable fisheries, with no significant changes
over time in either school of eastern king prawn landings (linear regression; p-
value=0.619 and 0.614, respectively). It is unknown how much of this catch and
fishing effort occurred in the Noosa River and Lakes. Fishing effort within this
same region has declined over this period for school prawn; in 2014, seven
licenses recorded catching school prawn (a total of 63 days fishing), down from a
high of 26 in 1991 (a total of 1,103 days fishing). Fishing effort for eastern king
has remained stable, if variable, over time.



                        150                                         40
                              School prawn                               Eastern King prawn
  Quantity landed (t)




                                                                    30
                        100

                                                                    20

                         50
                                                                    10


                          0                                          0
                          1990   1995   2000   2005   2010   2015    1990   1995   2000   2005   2010   2015
                                             Year                                    Year

Figure 6. Quantity of school and eastern king prawns reported as caught within
the Queensland Fisheries grids W35 and V35 (1990-2014). Source: Queensland
Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.



Recreational fisheries

Estuary and beach fishing

During the 1920s and 1930s Noosa was advertised as a haven for recreational
fishers and other visitors, lauded for its natural beauty and plentiful fish stocks:




                                                                                                           30