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Fishing filters flathead form and function in Tasmania

If you fish the same coastline intensively enough, the fish you catch today may not be the same as you would have caught a decade ago. Long-term fishing pressure can act as a filter, gradually favouring some traits over others. Understanding those trait shifts matters for management, because they can influence productivity, recovery potential, and long-term stability. But can angling in heavily fished regions actually change the phenotype of fishes? This question is especially relevant in Tasmania, where sand flathead (Platycephalus bassensis) support the state’s largest recreational fishery. In 2023 alone, more than one million sand flathead were caught, although 63% were released because they were under the legal size limit. In heavily fished southern regions, annual fishing mortality is …

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