Global review of orange roughy (Hoplostethus atlanticus), their fisheries, biology and management
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This publication is intended to provide a range of stakeholders and interested parties
with an understanding of orange roughy fisheries around the world. The report covers
historical aspects of the regional development of orange roughy fisheries, biology, stock
assessment, ecosystem interactions, and key management issues. Recent developments
in science and approaches to management are specifically highlighted with respect to
future management of sustainable deepwater orange roughy fisheries.
The sustainability of orange roughy fisheries, or other fisheries for long-lived
deepwater species, has been widely discussed. These reviews invariably draw on the
common global experience of previous poor understanding about orange roughy
productivity, rapid development of targeted industrial fisheries, the associated likelihood
of overfishing and extended timescales for stock recovery, and an ensuing series of
“boom and bust” orange roughy fisheries that frequently resulted in depleted stocks.
The more recent experience, with greater knowledge, improved technology, better
approaches to modelling population dynamics in orange roughy, and a more considered
and robust approach to setting up the management framework (harvest strategy,
management strategy evaluation, appropriately estimated limit and target reference
points or ranges, and effective harvest control rules), provides a different paradigm.
Essentially, many of the assumptions about the unmanageability of these fisheries are
not supported by the more recent evidence. Provided appropriate steps are taken to set
and deliver a low and appropriate level of fishing mortality, orange roughy fisheries can
be both well managed and sustainable. The improved understanding of the productivity
and population response of orange roughy now provides a basis for better estimating
yields and fishery value that are both more realistic and compatible with sustainable
fisheries.
It is also of note that the regional fisheries management organizations that have the
largest stocks and fisheries for orange roughy – the Southern Indian Ocean Fisheries
Agreement and the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation – have
been ramping up their efforts to manage the fishing for the target species and at the same
time address the benthic and vulnerable marine ecosystem impacts of bottom fishing
through developing science-based, spatial management.
While there is still considerable discussion and opposed viewpoints on the sustainability
of deepwater fisheries generally, aspects of the message have clearly changed: sustainable
orange roughy fisheries are achievable. This review describes how, by making the right
choices and employing the best science available, there are now some demonstrably
sustainable orange roughy fisheries.
Even with this rather more positive perspective of the sustainability of these
deepwater orange roughy fisheries, there remain some considerable challenges to
address. These include improving understanding of deepwater benthic communities in
general, their genetics and population distributions, their dispersal, and their ability to
recover from fisheries (and other) impacts. With regard to the direct management of the
fisheries, there are important opportunities and needs to improve ageing and acoustic
biomass estimation, and to better understand the genetics and population structure of
the stocks of orange roughy that are fished and managed.