Recommendations on rock lobster TACs for the Tristan group of islands for the 2015/16 season.

Rock lobster total allowable catches (TACs) for the Tristan group of islands, including Inaccessible and Gough, were recommended to increase for the 2015/16 season due to high catch rates exceeding operational management procedure (OMP) targets. Specifically, TACs for Inaccessible and Gough were raised from 73 MT to 77 MT and 100 MT to 105 MT, respectively. For Nightingale Island, despite unclear reasons for sustained high catch rates, projections remain positive even with a future TAC of 75 MT, leading to an increase from 65 MT. Conversely, Tristan’s 2014 catch per unit effort (CPUE) fell below OMP expectations, prompting a reduction in its TAC from 161 MT to 153 MT, with potential further decreases anticipated for subsequent seasons unless CPUE improves significantly. A more precautionary approach suggests setting lower initial TACs with mid-season reviews based on biomass surveys and CPUE data.

Butterworth, D., & Holloway, S. (2022). Recommendations on rock lobster TACs for the Tristan group of islands for the 2015/16 season. University of Cape Town. https://doi.org/10.25375/UCT.19187327