Stock assessment of black teatfish (Holothuria whitmaei) in Queensland, Australia

Abstract

A stock assessment model was used to assess the population of black teatfish (Holothuria whitmaei formerly Holothuria nobilis) in Queensland east coast waters. The assessment used an age structured surplus production model with annual time steps. The model incorporated catch data from 1878 to 2021, and survey data from Koopman and Knuckey (2021). The key population performance indicators were annual estimates of total biomass and exploitable biomass. Based on the survey results from Koopman and Knuckey (2021), the stock assessment estimated the total biomass of east coast black teatfish in 2021 was between 40% and 42% of unfished total biomass in 1877. The exploitable biomass in 2021, as estimated by the model, was 40% of unfished levels in 1877.