Archives suggest massive decline in pink snapper catch

Queensland scientists delving into newspaper archives have discovered that catch rates for Queensland's pink snapper fishery have declined almost 90 per cent since the 19th Century. Researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at The University of Queensland and the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry examined thousands of newspaper articles dating back to 1870 to reveal the historic catch rates for the iconic Queensland fishery. "We found that 19th Century recreational fishers would regularly catch hundreds of fish off the coast of Queensland, often in just a few hours of fishing," ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies research fellow Dr Ruth Thurstan said. Combining historical data with statistical analyses allowed the researchers to calculate catch rates - the number of fish caught per hour of fishing per day - for nearly 300 fishing trips between 1871 and 1939. The old news articles have given researchers unparalleled insights into the history of the Queensland snapper fishery. When the researchers compared the findings with contemporary fishing trips, they found that recent catch rates averaged just one-ninth of historical levels. The old news articles have given researchers unparalleled insights into the history of the Queensland snapper fishery.