Updated 2024 assessments of the west coast rock lobster resource

The 2024 super-area assessments of the west coast rock lobster resource are updated to include new data, using basically the same approach as used over 2019-2023. The update takes account of a further year’s catch, resource monitoring and somatic growth data. The updated 2024 assessment results estimate the resource status (B75m) for 2021 to be an improvement compared to the 2023 assessments – but still down over the estimates from the 2019 assessments and subsequent assessments. The 2023 exploitable abundance is estimated to be only 1.2% of its pristine value.