The FRDC Board asked the FRDC Secretariat to develop an extension plan for the Sydney Fish Market Occupational Health and Safety Video and Quality Index. As a result of this request FRDC approached OceanWatch/SeaNet to develop a plan for the roll out and extension of these project outputs.

Additionally, FRDC has related completed research in the areas that could be incorporated into the extension and add value.

Both OH&S and Quality have been identified by industry as major issues that require on-going action. The FRDC over the past 10 years has invested in numerous projects to develop tools for both issues, however very little has been allocated to extension of these materials.

In recent research funded by both the FRDC and Seafood CRC Quality has been identified as a major issue for the seafood industry. The increased cost of seafood has meant that consumers are becoming heavily focused on quality. The issue of quality, flows onto the credibility and standing of the industry - consumers do not like paying high prices for seafood that has been handled badly or is of poor quality. In addition waste and spoilage are factors that consumers can readily see and have associated with sustainability.

Around Australia there are many species of sharks and finfish that range widely and even undertake
long-distance migrations for spawning or foraging. There is a need to better describe and understand
these aspects of the ecology and biology of these species in order to more effectively manage such
species across both single and multiple jurisdictions. These species cross various jurisdictional
boundaries (State and Commonwealth) and in this process are subject to a range of management
regulations which may potentially be simplified to best meet the needs of an overall stock management
approach. Recent developments in the acoustic tracking of marine species and the deployment of
national tracking infrastructure through IMOS/AATAMS* has provided an unprecedented opportunity to
provide this information, and to achieve synergies between fisheries research and management
organizations across jurisdictions as well as more efficient use of recent marine infrastructure
developments. This proposal will facilitate a national-scale coordinated approach among these
organizations regarding the key species that should be targeted for this type of research effort based on
their biology as well as the potential risks posed by conflicting jurisdictional management approaches.

* Integrated Marine Observing System/ Australian Animal Tracking and Monitoring System

The need for the development of an Australian clam aquaculture industry is a direct outcome of the inability of the wild clam industry to meet the demand of a large international market prepared to pay a premium price for quality Australian clams. While clam aquaculture has been successfully developed on a large scale overseas, none exists in Australia at this time. Currently, a feasibility study to evaluate clams culture on intertidal and subtidal leases in SA is underway with the funding support from FRDC, SA Clam Aquaculture and SARDI (FRDC project 2009/208).

At the same time, PIRSA Fisheries and Aquaculture is evaluating policies related to clam aquaculture development in SA to ensure the long term viability of both the wild harvest fishery and the successful development of a sustainable aquaculture industry. The critical knowledge gaps identified for this assessment are: 1. population genetic structure of clam species in South Australia; 2. potential genetic and biosecurity risks of moving farming stocks between localities, and 3. effective and efficient methods to distinguish hatchery produced stock from wild stocks. Understanding the population structure of this clam species and biosecurity risks of moving stocks will allow for the development of far more specific management strategies to control the potential adverse genetic and biosecurity impacts of farmed clams on the local wild population, thus protecting its genetic integrity if genetically divergent localised populations exist along the SA coastline. Practical identification of hatchery stocks will ensure compliance with wild fishery, aquaculture and recreational harvesting policies. All these need to be taken into account in developing clam aquaculture in SA.

There has been much written on the theoretical merits and practical implementation of ITQs from a regulators/managers perspective(eg. Kaufman et al. 1999), but virtually nothing has been published specifically directed at fishers to help them understand what the implementation of ITQs means to their fishery and importantly, how their businesses can operate under ITQs and adjust to remain healthy and profitable.

The few "guides" that are available, such as as "The Fishermen’s Guide to the Quota Management System" (Boyle 1993) explain the technical compliance and management requirements for New Zealand fisheries and others such as Fisheries Management Paper No 138 (Donohue and Barker, 2000) review information and potential pros and cons of quota management. None, however are targetted at, and written for small and medium sized fishery businesses and nor do they explain how these business can adapt and thrive under ITQ management.

It is well known that fishers can take a significant amount of time to accept the move to ITQs and then even longer to operate efficiently and effectively within this management environment. The WA rock lobster fishery and the Commonwealth's northern prawn fishery are two of Australia's most valuable fisheries, both of which are currently in the throes of moving to ITQ management. A number of fisheries in the Northern Territory are also moving to ITQs. In many cases, industry members are resistant to this change and are very concerned about how their businesses need to change under such a management regime.

What is needed is an easy to use comprehensive guide to understanding ITQ management which includes information and guidance on how to best adjust and adapt their businesses to operate efficiently and profitably. This project offers to produce such a guide.