Reference: Please refer to Page 8 of the document ' FRDC Stakeholder Research Program - FishNet Proposal - Intuitive'
As we understand it, the research project has four primary objectives, namely to:
1. Measure and report on stakeholder understanding, engagement and satisfaction with the range of services, support, and RD&E delivered by FRDC. This is a statutory requirement for FRDC.
2. Compare and contrast (where possible) the 2022 results with those from previous surveys. Identify and describe where changes have occurred and explore the possible root causes for any changes in results compared to previous years.
3. Provide capacity to explore and investigate results at a smaller area and segment level. This will include – among other things – across the four core audiences, for aquaculture and wild catch separately, and potentially within a species sector.
4. Utilise this and other available information to build insights into the stakeholder experience, needs and expectations and experiences with FRDC. Describe opportunities to strengthen the relationship, expand the engagement and increase stakeholder satisfaction.
The current National Guidelines were developed through the FRDC (Project 2010/061) with recognition of the need for a coordinated, nationally consistent approach to establishing harvest strategies for Australian fisheries. At this time, the Commonwealth Harvest Strategy Policy and Guidelines (2007, now updated) provided a foundation for harvest strategy development in Commonwealth managed fisheries, however implementation of the key elements of harvest strategies (defined objectives, indicators, assessments, reference points, trigger points and decision rules) varied across jurisdictions, and gaps remained for data limited fisheries.
Similar to the proposed project, the AFMF and FRDC recognised that support for development of harvest strategies could be improved through development of the National Guidelines that focused on less developed areas of harvest strategy policy, including cross-jurisdictional and recreational management arrangements, and incorporating quadruple bottom line (ecological, social, cultural and economic) analysis into fisheries decision making.
As harvest strategy policy and incorporation of quadruple bottom line ecologically sustainable development (ESD) principles have increased as management priorities, harvest strategies have sought to incorporate increasingly challenging issues, in many cases continuing to use disparate approaches between jurisdictions that arguably hold the same objectives and responsibilities, as well as potentially competing interests.
In many cases, harvest strategy policy and development has been held back from achieving quadruple bottom line objectives due to a lack of consistency in the outlook and approach between jurisdictions, and available guidance for dealing with the complexities associated with multi-species, multi-sector or multi-jurisdictional issues. With significant developments occurring around traditional fishing and management, progressing the inclusion of cultural fishing specific objectives is also required.
In addition, the review provides opportunity to address broader issues including the relationship and function of harvest strategies in association with shared access with competing users, cultural interests, ecological issues (e.g. habitat degradation, pollution and climate change), and marine conservation areas, as well as options, incentives and trade-offs for improving data, monitoring and assessment in data poor fisheries or sectors.
The proposed review will ensure the National Guidelines remain a prominent, independent and contemporary guide for fisheries jurisdictions, managers, researchers, fishers and stakeholders in supporting the review of harvest strategy policy frameworks and the development of harvest strategies that in many cases seek to resolve complex issues and balance competing interests.
To achieve this, the proposed project aims to:
1. Review and update the National Guidelines to Develop Fishery Harvest Strategies to ensure the National Guidelines are consistent with current harvest strategy utilisation, address contemporary fisheries challenges and the most up to date information available;
2. Take stock of harvest strategies in Australia (by jurisdiction) and internationally, including how many fisheries now have operational harvest strategies adopted and those under development; and
3. Produce a report with the updated National Guidelines coupled with a detailed communication plan and associated materials to promote and communicate the outcome of the review with all stakeholders.
Over the next 3 years, the FRDC’s Circular Economy Program plans to deliver five separate initiatives that will educate and engage stakeholders and communities. The program has been designed to support the FRDC’s Vision “Fish Forever 2030: Collaborative, vibrant fishing and aquaculture, creating diverse benefits from aquatic resources, and celebrated by the community” to enable the transformation of regions to be more circular, working to improve industrial symbiosis and engagement with stakeholders, and in doing so, build resilience to climate change.
The RCC convenes a network of organisations to deliver circularity initiatives. Informed and powered by two global circular economy design and strategic delivery partners, KPMG Australia, and Rabobank, coupled with education and research institutions Charles Sturt University (CSU) and University of Wollongong (UOW), this program has been designed around the ‘Principles of Resilience’ with an embedded impact evaluation framework (at both program and project level) to measure outcomes and monitor performance. Key industry groups and participants in the ecosystem, for example Sapphire Coast Wilderness Oysters, Fishing Co-ops, mussel farmers, Ocean2 Earth, Pentarch, seaweed businesses, and so on, may be engaged throughout the process as appropriate. Other agencies such as Local Land Services and Department of Regional NSW may also play a role.
It should be noted, there are many participants yet to be engaged, for example Oysters Australia, Oceanwatch, NSW Farmers, DPI Fisheries (Aquaculture), all of whom will have done some work on moving towards a more sustainable industry, upon which the program will be built.
Hosting the WRFC in Melbourne will provide a unique opportunity to build capacity and leadership in the Australian recreational fisher, scientific and management communities, and develop skills in modern technology and methods. It will increase participation in recreational fishing by showcasing Victoria’s and Australia’s fishing and tourism experiences to leading and influential recreational fishing stakeholders from across the world.
The event is expected to attract hundreds of international visitors from at least 20 countries, as well as thousands of recreational fishers and fishing experts from across Victoria and Australia.
Hosting this major event requires support from key recreational fishing stakeholder groups. We would like to seek FRDC’s financial support to assist with operating costs including venue hire (Melbourne Convention Centre), guest speakers, advertising and promotion, and other logistics expenses for the WRFC.
The Victorian Fisheries Authority (VFA) was announced to host the next World Recreational Fishing Conference (WRFC) to be held in 2023 in Melbourne. The WRFC is the world’s most prominent gathering of the recreational fishing community and is held every three years for researchers, recreational fishers, angling organisations, governments worldwide to meet and exchange knowledge on hot topics in recreational fishing. The Victorian bid was prepared in partnership with recreational fishing organisations including VRFish and FutureFish Foundation, Women in Recreational Fishing Network (WIRF) and Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation (ARFF). The objective of hosting was to run a high standard international conference which attracted hundreds of Australia’s and the world’s best recreational fisheries scientists, managers and leaders to Melbourne to share and extend their knowledge to their peers and to inspire world’s best practice and increase participation in recreational fishing. FRDC’s specific objective was to deliver a successful WRFC which explores the challenges of recreational fishing in a changing world, shares the latest science, management and stakeholder knowledge, promotes inclusion and cooperation amongst diverse stakeholders and fosters best practice to maintain recover and protect the worlds recreational fisheries.
The occurrence of harmful algal blooms on Australian barramundi farms is an established threat that appears to be increasing in frequency and has already caused a significant economic impact to affected farms. As the Australian barramundi industry expands it is anticipated the frequency and severity of harmful algal blooms may increase. The potential cost savings from preventing or minimising the impact of a single harmful algal bloom can be significant (potentially up to $300,000 per case). This would provide an immediate return on the research investment of this project. The widespread and remote location of Australian barramundi farms limits the ability to quickly get suspect bloom samples to an appropriate analytical laboratory and receive diagnosis within a timeframe that is appropriate for response to an emergent harmful event, whereby emergency actions could be taken to minimise impact. There is a critical need for increasing awareness, further education and training, and provision of initial guideline tools to help farm staff differentiate harmful from harmless blooms and respond to these events accordingly. This first step will facilitate farms to develop monitoring programs to detect and respond to problem blooms prior to the encountering of large-scale mortality events.
