Gould’s Squid
Nototodarus gouldi (Gould’s Squid, Red Arrow Squid)
2022/23 Gould's Squid Status (Released August 24)
| Stock Status | SUSTAINABLE | ||
| Summary | Gouldโs Squid is a predominantly Commonwealth-managed species that has been classified as โNot overfished nor subject to overfishingโ by ABARES in the Fishery Status Reports 2023 (Butler et al. 2023). Dual-licensed vessels fish for this species in Tasmanian waters, especially in years of peak abundance. Gouldโs Squid is characterised by high inter-annual variability in abundance in state waters resulting in periodically high catches compared to other scalefish species. | ||
| Importance | Minor | ||
| Stock | Tasmanian Scalefish Fishery and Southern Squid-jig Fishery (Commonwealth) | ||
| Indicator(s) | Catch, effort and CPUE trends | ||
| Managing Jurisdiction | Commonwealth | ||
Background
Gouldโs Squid is targeted by the Commonwealth Southern Squid-Jig Fishery, a single gear, single species fishery that operates in Bass Strait waters using automatic squid jig gear. Like most cephalopod species, Gouldโs Squid has a very brief life cycle, is semelparous (reproduces once before death), and can vary significantly in abundance among years, presumably depending on environmental conditions. Occasionally, Gouldโs Squid are available in high abundance in south-eastern Tasmanian waters, however there is limited local market demand for the commercial fishery. Consequently, dual-licensed fishing vessels tend to operate in state waters during summer before moving back to Commonwealth fishing grounds in Bass Strait. There is a substantial recreational fishery for Gouldโs Squid in Tasmania, but recreational catches are dwarfed by those of the commercial sector in years of significant effort.
The full Scalefish Assessment can be found at the link:
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Social and Economic Indicators