The Marine chapter of the 2016 State of the Environment (SoE) report incorporates multiple expert templates developed from streams of marine data. This metadata record describes the Case Study "Southern bluefin tuna". The full Case Study, including figures and tables (where provided), is attached to this record. Where available, the Data Stream(s) used to generate this Case Study are accessible through the "On-line Resources" section of this record. DESCRIPTION OF THE FOCUS OF THE CASE STUDY Southern bluefin tuna (SBT) are an important apex predator within Australia’s marine environment with juveniles seasonally aggregating in the Great Australian Bight during the summer, subadults and adults utilising southern and south-eastern waters primarily during the winter months and adults aggregating in an areas off the north western region of Australia primarily during the spring and summer months on the only spawning ground for the species. Southern bluefin tuna are a highly prized target species of international commercial and national recreational fisheries. Within Australian waters, a purse-seine fishery catches juvenile (2-4 yr old) SBT in the waters of the Great Australian Bight during the summer months, and is of significant value to the regional economy (~$150M annually). A longline fishery targeting large SBT off the eastern Australian seaboard during the winter months catches a smaller amount of Australia’s commercial allocation. ISSUES OF IMPORTANCE The SBT spawning biomass (a measure of the adult population) is estimated to have been depleted by fishing to a low fraction of its original size. The depleted nature of the stock has led to the listing of SBT as Conservation Dependent under the EPBC Act and Critically Endangered by the IUCN. Unaccounted mortalities associated with discards, unreported catches and recreational catches of SBT can impact on achieving current stock rebuilding targets set by the CCSBT. DATA STREAM(S) USED IN CASE STUDY The case study is based on stock assessment information produced in annual reports of the Extended Scientific Committee and the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna. Assessments are based on data relating to fishery catches, aerial surveys and close-kin mark recapture methods covering the spatial area of the Commission and a temporal period of 1951-2014.

PURPOSE: This product serves a public facing webpage for the Canadian public to download Atlantic Bluefin Tuna stomach content data. DESCRIPTION: Metadata and stomach content from fish caught in the commercial fishery. SAMPLING METHODS: Stomachs were collected from Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (ABFT) caught from mid-August to late September over six years (2018–2023). Most samples originated from ABFT caught around the eastern end of Prince-Edward Island, which reflects the dominant ABFT fishing area, while a few samples were obtained from the Miscou/Baie-des-Chaleurs area in 2018 and 2019. Fish were measured to the nearest curved fork length (cm) and weighed to the nearest round weight (kg). Stomachs were obtained directly from harvesters or through a fish buyer and were stored at −20 ◦C before being processed in the laboratory. Stomachs identification numbers were cross-referenced with ABFT tag numbers recorded by fish provider in order to obtain logbook and port data (catch location, time, weight length, sex, gear, etc.) for each sample. Stomachs were thawed in the laboratory and the content was sorted and identified to the lowest possible taxonomic level. For each stomach, prey were weighed collectively as a taxonomic group and individually to the nearest 0.1 g. Dead bait used to capture ABFT, identified by cut marks, were recorded and weighed but excluded from the analysis. Live bait items cannot be identified from stomach content analyses. Only a few otoliths were found in 2018 and their degraded quality precluded performing ageing or species identification. Rare and small prey items such as algae and rocks were classified in the category “other”. Fish remains that could not be identified were classified in the category “Unidentified teleostei remains”. For 2019 to 2023, when stomach content items could not be visually identified and when tissue was available, tissue samples were collected and stored at −20 °C for DNA barcoding analysis. DNA extraction, mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 amplification, Sanger sequencing and species assignation were performed at the Plateforme d’Analyses Génomiques and Plateforme Bio-informatique of the Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (PAG-IBIS, Université Laval, Quebec city, QC, Canada, http://www.ibis.ulaval.ca/en/services-2/genomic-analysis-platform/). DNA was extracted from 20 mg of muscle tissue using the Omega Bio-tek E-Z-96 Tissue DNA Kit (Omega Bio-tek, Norcross GA, USA) following manufacturer instructions. The mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 region was amplified and sequenced as described in Hashemzadeh Segherloo et al., 2021). Sanger forward and reverse reads were analyzed independently using the Basic Local Alignment Search Tool against non-redundant sequences to identify the top hit for each sequence. When samples could not be identified by a top hit sequence they were classified as “unidentifiable fish”. Prey items that were successfully identified using DNA barcoding were incorporated into the stomach content analysis database and used in all subsequent diet analyses (abundance, occurrence and weight). The weight of the items used in the database was the weight of the remains as they were, and not reconstructed weights calculated for a live animal of the species identified by the barcoding. USE LIMITATION: To ensure scientific integrity and appropriate use of the data, we would encourage you to contact the data custodian.

Likelihood of Presence of Harbour Porpoise in the Bay of Fundy and Port Hawkesbury Area Response Plan. The Coastal Oceanography and Ecosystem Research section (DFO Science) reviewed reported opportunistic whale sightings and local knowledge sources to estimate areas where Harbour Porpoises are seasonally present and delineate these areas. A version of this dataset was created for the National Environmental Emergency Center (NEEC) following their data model and is available for download in the Resources section. Cite this data as: Lazin, G., Hamer, A.,Corrigan, S., Bower, B., and Harvey, C. Data of: Likelihood of Presence of Harbour Porpoise in Area Response Planning Pilot Areas. Published: June 2018. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, N.B. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/58ea48ab-f052-48ab-9c18-4353e51b8bea

The Coastal Oceanography and Ecosystem Research section (DFO Science) reviewed the presence of Cod in the Population Ecology Division (DFO Science) Ecosystem Survey trawls to describe the likelihood of presence. The survey consists of a stratified random design using a bottom trawl. This layer was created for consideration in oil spill response planning. A version of this dataset was created for the National Environmental Emergency Center (NEEC) following their data model and is available for download in the Resources section. Cite this data as: Lazin, G., Hamer, A.,Corrigan, S., Bower, B., and Harvey, C. Data of: Likelihood of presence of Atlantic Cod in Area Response Planning pilot areas. Published: June 2018. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, N.B. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/af2bf6c0-481d-4445-bbc6-7a785d2a9aa9

Likelihood of Presence of Finback Whales in the Bay of Fundy and Port Hawkesbury Area Response Plan. The Coastal Oceanography and Ecosystem Research section (DFO Science) reviewed reported opportunistic whale sightings and local knowledge sources to estimate areas where Finback whales are seasonally present and delineate these areas. A version of this dataset was created for the National Environmental Emergency Center (NEEC) following their data model and is available for download in the Resources section. Cite this data as: Lazin, G., Hamer, A.,Corrigan, S., Bower, B., and Harvey, C. Data of: Likelihood of presence of Finback Whale in Area Response Planning pilot areas. Published: June 2018. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, N.B. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/7e2f85b3-19eb-4ecf-8557-69c8df1bc084

Atlantic salmon postsmolts were surveyed via surface trawling during 2001 and 2003. These data were provided to the Coastal Oceanography and Ecosystem Research section of Fisheries and Oceans Canada. These data, and information from subsequent tagging studies were considered to estimate the likelihood of presence of Atlantic salmon within the Area Response Plan regions. Atlantic salmon presence varies seasonally and this spatial information should be used in conjunction with the temporal information in the attribute table. A version of this dataset was created for the National Environmental Emergency Center (NEEC) following their data model and is available for download in the Resources section. Cite this data as: Lazin, G., Hamer, A.,Corrigan, S., Bower, B., and Harvey, C. Data of: Likelihood of presence of Atlantic Salmon in Area Response Planning pilot areas. Published: June 2018. Coastal Ecosystems Science Division, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews, N.B. https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/436cdf90-9d6b-4784-938b-feec48844a67

Catch and size data for animals from which a collection of fish parts were done for life history studies. These samples will be used in comparison studies with more modern techniques, tools and collections.

Catch and size data for animals from which a collection of fish parts were done for life history studies.

In September 1959 the cruise programme for F.R.V. DERWENT HUNTER was changed and cruises were planned to investigate tuna in South-East Australian waters in a much wider area than that covered by the regular coastal operations of F.R.V. MARELDA. The first objective was to determine any associations that might exist between the distributions of southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) and the type of water in which they were caught. For these investigations a tuna longline was designed and assembled. The details of this are given in the first section of this report. A short summary follows of the length frequency data of the southern bluefin caught on these cruises, and the relations between tuna and water conditions. In the final section the hydrology and tuna longlining results of Cruises DH 11/59 - DH 15/59 and DH 1/60 - DH 4/60 are given. The zooplankton samples taken during these cruises are not discussed in this report. The results are given in CSIRO Aust. (1962) where the regular zooplankton samples taken by F.R.V. MARELDA at selected coastal stations are discussed.

The Blue Economy CRC Futures of Seafood project is an initiative that maps, models and describes the spatial, economic and social impacts of the full suite of government policies and targets that impact ocean access on the seafood industry. This resource acts as a 'parent' record to collate IMAS-hosted data records relevant to the Futures of Seafood project delivered by CSIRO , in collaboration with NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Project 4.20.