Publication Date:
2020-06-12
Description:
Demersal trawl and dredge surveys in 1990 and 1991 recorded taxa (comprising 5 loliginid squids, 7 cuttlefishes, 7 octopuses and 2 dumpling squids). In addition to hosting species distributed broadly in the Indo-West Pacific, the Gulf of Carpentaria represents the most north-westerly extent of the range of some eastern Australian species. Squid catches were lower in the north-western gulf in 1990 and higher in shallower water during the more geographically restricted survey in 1991, whereas cuttlefish were more evenly distributed throughout the different sampling areas in both years. Cephalopods are a minor component in reported domestic fisheries catches where penaeid prawns are targeted. High (though seasonal) squid catch rates were reported annually by Taiwanese trawlers targeting butterfish and squid from certain areas prior to 1979. With the observed population structure of the abundant cephalopod species and relatively high catch rates in some localities during these recent surveys, it is suggested that the cephalopod resources of the Gulf of Carpentaria could support increased commercial fisheries exploitation.
Type:
Article
,
PeerReviewed
Format:
text
Permalink