Despite international obligations to report catches of tropical tunas and billfishes (TTBF), collection from the recreational sectors of Australian fisheries targeting these species has a history of patchiness and uncertainty. A fuller understanding of the potential utility of recreational and charter catch data for both commercial TTBF species like striped marlin but others such as black and blue marlin would be valuable. These data may provide information on trends in local abundance or availability, or the degree of overlap between recreational and commercial and international fisheries, thus informing resource sharing considerations and overall fisheries management.
Despite the long-standing need for better recreational fishery data, there has not been a concerted effort to comprehensively review available data for TTBF species, and/or to map out what may or may not be feasible for future ongoing monitoring of the recreational / charter sector. Here, we present on an ongoing project undertaken to fill this knowledge gap. Catch data from across the eastern seaboard of Australia were collated, including from tagging programs, tournaments, game fishing club records, state fishing surveys, charter logbooks. Data collection for some sources was extended to New Zealand, reflecting shared biological stocks. We present our workflow for data standardization and quality control and the identification of fishery performance indicators from these data sources, enabling a review and cost-benefit analysis of alternative options for ongoing data collection for TTBF species. By bridging existing knowledge gaps, this project aims to enhance monitoring capabilities and guide future data collection strategies for the region’s recreational TTBF sector.