Contents
Planning for the future: FRDC’s 2020-25 RD&E Plan
National RD&E Seafood Industry Safety Initiative
The World Fisheries Congress 2020
FRDC board meeting dates and locations
Key new projects approved since last update in June 2019
Download a PDF version of the Stakeholder Briefing September 2019
The FRDC’s chair, Ron Boswell, has been reappointed to lead the organisation for a second three-year term. His reappointment was announced by Senator Bridget McKenzie, Minister for Agriculture.
Since joining the board in 2016 Ron Boswell has overseen a number of significant milestones for the FRDC. Ron Boswell takes an active interest in commercial fishers and amateur anglers. He makes a significant contribution to helping the industry respond to White Spot Disease in Moreton Bay.
Ron Boswell joined the FRDC after a long and eventful career in the Australian Senate, where he was known as a champion of regional and rural Australians and a supporter of small business. He retired from the Senate in 2014, where he had served for 31 years, making him one of Australia’s longest-serving senators.
Competitive Round Call for Expressions of Interest now open.
Closing 27 September 2019
The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) is calling for Expressions of Interest (EOI) that address research, development & extension (RD&E) priorities nominated by the FRDC’s Advisory Groups: Research Advisory Committees (RACs), Industry Partnership Agreements (IPAs) and FRDC Subprograms.
The nominated RD&E priorities for investment are outlined below. EOIs that address multiple priorities are encouraged.
Applicants may also submit an EOI that does not address a nominated priority; however, it should be noted that preference may be given to applications that address nominated priorities. If you do wish to submit an application that does not address one of these priorities, it is recommended that you first discuss your research concept with the relevant FRDC Advisory Group contact. In addition, FRDC strongly recommends that all applicants consult with the relevant stakeholder groups and expected end users to ensure that research concepts has the support of beneficiaries. Support can be demonstrated through formal letters of support, in-kind contributions and project cash contributions.
Download and read the RD&E priorities for investment
The FRDC undertakes research across a wide range of topic areas. Some of these become 'hot topics or issues’ that garner a lot of industry and public interest. Where possible the FRDC will provide an easy-to-understand summary of the research undertaken on that issue. The new issues page is broken into the following sections:
If there is a topic you think should be covered let, the Communications Team know and we will look at developing a briefing.
Globally the issue of microplastic contamination in our marine environment has been of increasing concern and as such, it is an area of interest for Australian and New Zealand (NZ) researchers. The majority of research focusses around determining the prevalence and type of plastics causing the concern, with only a small amount of work investigating the impact to human health. In February 2019, Food Standards Australia, New Zealand published a statement around Microplastics in Food, which indicated that based on the research to date plastic contamination of the food chain is unlikely to result in immediate health risks to consumers. As such, they have listed this issue as a ‘watching brief’.
The FRDC have supported a pilot project 2017-199, led by The University of Adelaide and SafeFish, to determine how widespread the presence of microplastics in the gastrointestinal tract of commercial species of Australian fish and molluscs and compare this to international data.
In addition, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) have also been looking at the issues and have produced two publications:
The FRDC experiment in partnering with the US based Fish 2.0 continues to show some excellent results. Eight of the 40 companies who will pitch at the Global finale at Stanford in the US later this year are Australian. Our innovators have done very well indeed! Speaking with the event coordinator Monica Jain, she noted it was a super tough scoring field this year and was not easy to get one of these spots.
The pleasing part of this is that all of these Australian finalists emerged through the two Australian events, and three companies were fostered via the Fish-X incubator project. The finalists will all be taking stage to pitch to one of the largest gatherings of seafood investors ever convened. Last year over $200 million in investment resulted from these pitches.
Building on this, FRDC has also recently agreed to support Tekfish, a program to take stakeholder ‘problems and issues’ and match them with innovative start-ups, existing technology and innovation partners to build new and novel ways to find solutions to these problems. The FRDC will be engaging with stakeholders to start to define these problems. These will then be exposed to the incubator and accelerator communities to draw out innovative ideas. These problems will also be communicated to existing venture funders to scope co-investment and existing technologies that could fast track solutions.
The world today is more complex and uncertain than ever before. Planning approaches that have served us well in the past are less effective today, which is why FRDC has taken a new direction toward planning future investment in research, development and extension over the next five years.
FRDC has partnered with Strategic Journeys, using a method well suited to dealing with uncertainty in complex adaptive systems. We have also partnered with a broad collective of innovators and leaders from across the wild harvest, aquaculture, recreational, indigenous and post-harvest sectors, as well as fisheries management and research communities, to co-design elements of the plan.
Working together in two groups, participants have been defining and exploring different possible futures for fishing and aquaculture in Australia, and considering the implications of each. Fishing and aquaculture is one component of a larger connected system, and so this process has required participants to consider trends across a range of areas and disciplines, including population growth and movement, geopolitics, climate and the environment, technology & innovation, human values, economics, and trade, among others.
The four future scenarios developed and explored by participants are as follows:
Each future scenario presents a range of possible implications for Australia’s fishing and aquaculture community. Once these implications have been identified and collated across all scenarios, they offer rich insights of use in prioritising future needs to respond to key threats, and capture possible opportunities.
Key insights derived from the process to date by participants are summarised below.
The new planning approach used to derive FRDC’s 2020-2025 RD&E Plan has been well received by participants overall, with many commenting favourably on the way it encourages participants out of their traditional sectoral views to take a shared ‘big picture view’. It is hoped that some of the tools and methods used to derive FRDC’s 2020-2025 RD&E Plan will also be of use to others when undertaking strategic planning for their sectors and/or businesses.
A series of regional workshops will be held in late September/early October in Southeast, Southwest and Northern Australia, providing opportunity for broader input to help shape the plan. Due to resource constraints we have had to limit the number of invitees to the regional workshops to 50 in each region, however you have opportunity to provide input whether you attend or not, by emailing your thoughts and ideas to FRDC2025@frdc.com.au. We will also be providing ongoing updates as this work unfolds and access to key documents can be found on the FRDC RD&E Plan web page.
Details for upcoming activities are summarised below:
|
Stakeholder Planning Workshop |
25&26 September 2019 |
|
South-eastern Regional Workshop in Melbourne |
30 September 2019 |
|
South-western Regional Workshop in Perth |
1 October 2019 |
|
Northern Regional Workshop in Brisbane |
14 October 2019 |
|
Workshop of Leadership and Innovation Groups to define strategic intent for fishing and aquaculture |
29&30 October 2019 |
|
FRDC Board meet to define FRDC’s strategic intent for 2020-2025 |
29 November 2019 |
|
Drafting complete |
30 January 2020 |
|
Design complete |
30 March 2020 |
|
2020-2025 RD&E Plan launched |
1 July 2020 |
The National RD&E Seafood Industry Safety Initiative held its first Steering Committee meeting in late August. The Seafood Industry Safety Initiative was developed as a cross stakeholder partnership to address gaps and/or inefficiencies in the workplace health and safety space of the Australian seafood industry. The National Safety Initiative is chaired by John Harrison and for more information contact Chris Izzo (christopher.izzo@frdc.com.au).
The Steering Committee members are:
The Seafood Industry Safety Initiative Steering Committee agreed that the goal of the Initiative was to work towards zero deaths.
For more information on the range of safety projects and activities that the FRDC are involved in refer to – https://www.frdc.com.au/issues/workplace-health-and-safety-in-fisheries-and-aquaculture
The National Carp Control Plan (NCCP) program entered its final phase and is due to be presented to the Government in December. The FRDC originally planned to submit the completed NCCP in late 2018. However, research as part of the plan identified some critical knowledge gaps, and the FRDC applied to the Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (DAWR) for an extension. DAWR approved a 12-month extension for the development of the plan in September last year.
Finalising the NCCP
To finalise the plan a number of activities are underway. As the research projects are completed, they are reviewed (independently and by the Scientific Advisory Group) before the NCCP team integrates the results into the development of the plan.
The development of the plan will take into consideration and include input from the Scientific Advisory Group (SAG), the Operations Working Group (OWG), regional case study workshops, operational experts and feedback from stakeholder engagement. It is important to note all the NCCP research will be made available as part of the FRDC normal process as it is completed.
Once complete the National Carp Control Plan (December 2019) will be provided to Government for consideration and a decision. The FRDC will keep stakeholders apprised of when the plan is finalised and is available.
Every two years Seafood Directions brings together hundreds of seafood enthusiasts from across the country to champion Australian seafood. Seafood Directions 2019 will be held in Melbourne at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) from October 9-11.
The program for this year’s Seafood Directions conference is taking shape to explore four key topics -sustainability, value, industry, and plastics. The full program (to be released shortly) will consist of presentations, panel sessions and workshops on these four key topics and more.
The FRDC will have a stand at the event and we encourage everyone to drop by and visit the staff. Matt Barwick, who is working on the next FRDC Research, Development and Extension Plan would love to hear your thoughts on the FRDC’s future directions.
For updates and registration visit https://www.sd2019.com.au/
Australia will host the World Fisheries Congress 2020 (WFC2020) in Adelaide from 11 to 15 October 2020. Held every four years, the 8th World Fisheries Congress 2020 (WFC2020) will be one of the largest gathering of the research, industry and management sectors in 2020.
The Committee are keen to hear from any organisation who are keen to participate or showcase their organisation to 1500+ delegates from around the world and provide an opportunity to be part of and build the largest fisheries event and tradeshow in 2020.
Download the Sponsorship and Exhibition prospectus or contact the Sponsorship and Exhibition Manager at conference@aomevents.com and ask about the opportunities at WFC2020.
The FRDC will be running a short film festival, using the World Fisheries Congress as a way to focus a global conversation on fisheries and the role they play in the lives of millions of people.
The festival will be open to school students from around the world. A holding page has been developed at http://littlefilms.fish/ and more content will be uploaded in the coming weeks.
The key objective is to raise awareness of the conference and its themes. A secondary objective is to raise awareness and exposure to fisheries science with a younger generation. The focus for the content generated out of the World Fisheries Film Festival will revolve around the four-core conference themes:
|
Date |
Event |
More information |
|
9-11 Sept |
World Seafood Congress, Malaysia |
|
|
9-12 Sept |
Fine Food Australia, Sydney |
|
|
14 Sept |
San Remo Fishing Festival |
|
|
16-20 Sept |
Ocean Obs 19, Hawaii |
|
|
9-11 Oct |
Seafood Directions 2019, Melbourne |
|
|
14-17 Oct |
Australian Society for Fish Biology Conference 2019, Canberra |
|
|
30 Oct-1 Nov |
China Fisheries and Seafood Expo, China |
|
|
4-8 Nov |
International Larviculture Workshop 2019, Thailand |
|
|
18-21 Nov |
International Symposium on Fisheries Sustainability, Italy |
www.fao.org/about/meetings/sustainable-fisheries-symposium/en |
|
21 Nov |
World Fisheries Day |
|
|
19-22 Nov |
LACQUA 2019, Costa Rica |
|
|
27-28 Nov |
FRDC Board meeting, Canberra |
02 6285 0400 |
|
10-11 Dec |
2019 National Recreational Fishing Conference, Hobart |
Dates for seafood festivals for 2019 can be found on the FRDC FishFiles website http://www.fishfiles.com.au/Media/Seafood-Festivals
|
Date |
Location |
|
27-28 November 2019 |
Canberra |
|
Date |
Research Advisory Committee meetings |
More information |
|
8 October 2019 |
Victorian RAC |
See the FRDC website - http://frdc.com.au/Partners/Research-Advisory-Committees |
|
15 October 2019 |
Queensland RAC |
|
|
18 October 2019 |
Tasmanian RAC |
|
|
23 October 2019 |
Northern Territory RAC |
|
|
29 October 2019 |
South Australian RAC |
|
|
30 October 2019 |
Western Australian RAC |
|
|
31 October 2019 |
New South Wales RAC |
|
|
7 November 2019 |
Commonwealth RAC |
NOTE: some projects may have not yet been contracted
|
Project Number |
Title |
Applicant |
Principle Investigator |
Budget $ |
|
2018-103 |
Storm Bay research program management, governance and extension |
Mi-Fish Consulting Pty Ltd |
Heidi Mumme |
509,025 |
|
2018-131 |
Storm Bay Observing System: Assessing the Performance of Aquaculture Development |
Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) Taroona |
Jeff Ross |
3,645,677 |
|
2018-174 |
Women in Seafood Australasia - Understanding, supporting and promoting effective participation by women within the Australian seafood industry |
Women in Seafood Australasia (WISA) |
Karen Holder |
201,500 |
|
2018-181 |
The End of an Era: Acknowledging the socio-cultural history and contribution of Australian small-scale fisheries |
A Twigg |
Lynda Mitchelson-Twigg |
25,000 |
|
2018-183 |
Identifying and synthesizing key messages from projects funded by the FRDC Indigenous Reference Group |
Land to Sea Consulting |
Leila Alkassab |
167,738 |
|
2018-201 |
FRDC Community Engagement Strategy Evaluation Framework |
Clear Horizon |
Victoria Pilbeam |
89,891 |
|
2018-208 |
Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Ranching Research, Development and Extension Management Program |
Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Industry Association |
Claire Webber |
98,177 |
|
2018-210 |
Long-term analysis of the sea-state in the Great Australian Bight |
University of Adelaide |
Charles E. James |
21,261 |
|
2018-212 |
Establishing an industry recovery strategy for the Augusta subarea of the WA Abalone Managed Fishery |
Southern Seafood Producers (WA) Association |
Don Nicholls |
25,800 |
|
2018-214 |
Rural Safety & Health Alliance - A joint RDC initiative |
AgriFutures Australia |
Jenny Medway |
60,000 |
|
2018-216 |
Mud Crab RAS training - NSW RAC people development |
Professional Fishermen’s Association Inc (PFAI) |
Jacob B. Blackburn |
3,012 |
|
2018-217 |
Understanding and mapping the Tasmanian public perception to Atlantic Salmon farming |
Tasmanian Salmon Growers Association Ltd (TSGA) |
Andrew Gregson |
98,000 |
|
2019-016 |
Estimating the biomass of fish stocks using novel and efficient genetic techniques |
NSW Department Of Primary Industries |
Meaghan Duncan |
494,828 |
|
2019-021 |
Integrating recreational fishing information into harvest strategies for multi-sector fisheries |
NSW Department Of Primary Industries |
Ashley Fowler |
447,894 |
|
2019-030 |
An updated understanding of Eastern School Whiting stock structure and improved stock assessment for cross-jurisdictional management |
NSW Department Of Primary Industries |
Karina C. Hall |
420,285 |
|
2019-039 |
South Australian Pacific Oyster selective breeding program: Building POMS resistance to reduce risk for the South Australian oyster industry |
University of Adelaide |
Xiaoxu Li |
756,428 |
|
2019-041 |
Development and validation of reduced thermal processing requirements for canned abalone |
Fight Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre |
Stephen Pahl |
88,400 |
|
2019-045 |
Fish-X – Shifting fishing and aquaculture to an entrepreneurial culture (Year 3) |
X-Lab Ventures Pty Ltd |
Allen Haroutonian |
180,000 |
|
2019-076 |
Strategic management of the Australian Prawn Farmers Association RD&E portfolio |
Australian Prawn Farmers Association (APFA) |
Kim Hooper |
180,000 |
|
2019-077 |
Tasmanian Atlantic Salmon Research, Development and Extension Management |
Tasmanian Salmon Growers Association Ltd (TSGA) |
Sven Frijlink |
150,000 |
|
2019-079 |
Knowledge for Productivity: Phase I - Lake Wooloweyah |
University of Newcastle |
Troy Gaston |
150,000 |
|
2019-080 |
Attendance to the 2019 New Zealand Seafood Conference and the Trans-Tasman Rock Lobster Conference, Queenstown, NZ |
Atlantis Fisheries Consulting Group (AFCG) |
Natalie J. Manahan |
2,500 |
|
2019-083 |
Scoping Study into establishment of a national P. monodon nucleus breeding centre |
Dr Len Stephens |
Len Stephens |
17,000 |
|
2019-086 |
Development of a national sector-specific biosecurity plan guideline and template for the farmed freshwater native finfish industry of Australia |
Freshwater Native Fish Association (FNFA) |
Lisa Ryan |
25,000 |
|
2019-087 |
Update of Whichfish Risk Assessments |
bio.inspecta Australia Pty Ltd |
Sabine Daume |
36,750 |
|
2019-088 |
Development of a national sector-specific biosecurity plan guideline and template for the sea-cage finfish (non-salmonid) industry of Australia. |
Department of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia (PIRSA) |
Shane Roberts |
25,000 |
|
2019-090 |
Lead Auditor Training Program for Aquaculture Biosecurity Plans |
Swinburne Professional |
Angela Steiner |
69,823 |
|
2019-092 |
Seafood Escape Showcasing NSW |
ET Productions Pty Ltd |
Andrew Ettingshausen |
235,000 |
|
2019-098 |
Setting strategic directions for the Australian barramundi farming sector 2020-2025 |
Australian Barramundi Farmers Association (ABFA) |
Jo-Anne Ruscoe |
90,000 |