Victorian Fish Stock Status Report

The status of Victoria’s fish stocks was recently assessed in the National Status of Australian Fish Stock Status Reports 2020.

These reports classify the biological sustainability of wild-caught fish stocks across Australia using a nationally agreed scientific framework.

The reports are updated every two years, with input from fisheries scientists from around Australia.

The status of each biological stock – or breeding population – of each fish species has been classified where possible.

Otherwise, stocks are classified at the level of jurisdiction (e.g. Victoria) or smaller spatial management units (e.g. abalone zones).

Sometimes biological stocks extend across state boundaries. Biological stocks that extend beyond Victorian waters have been classified across their entire geographic range.

This means that for some wide-ranging species included on the list of Victorian stocks – like school shark - Victorian waters make only a small contribution to the classification listed.