This research is necessary to address many priorities under FRDC strategic RD&E themes. The project will: “provide information to the community to demonstrate improvements in the fishing industry’s environmental performance” (Theme 2. Habitat and ecosystem protection) and “incorporate understandings of the cumulative impacts of fishing into fisheries management plans” (Theme 4. Ecologically sustainable development) via detailed and careful evaluation of the potential and real threats of fishing to the marine environment. In addition, ’user-friendly’ versions of the publications will “better inform the community’s perceptions of the industry and to increase support for the industry”. The possibilities for better presenting Australia’s credentials as responsible fisheries managers will be enhanced.

One of the goals of AFMA as outlined in their Corporate Plan 2010-2014 is to improve the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of fisheries administration (this concept is echoed in all Australian states and territories but the actual wording differs). The research proposed here will provide an evaluation of the degree to which fishing does actually represent a threat to marine biodiversity and the cost-effectiveness of traditional fisheries management for ameliorating that threat(s) compared as far as possible with the threats to biodiversity and fisheries from other sources. This will be vital to clarifying the current confusion between fisheries management and biodiversity conservation. These assessments are critical to improving fisheries management strategies and making them more cost-effective and proportionate to environmental problems (a requirement of the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Environment). In light of national commitments to establish a comprehensive system of representative marine protected areas by 2012, peer-reviewed publications will prove an invaluable and urgently needed tool to defend the credentials of the Australian fishing industry and to more appropriately position fishing interests in the decision making process.

Ref:
AFMA (2010). Corporate Plan 2010-2014. Australian Fisheries Management Authority, Canberra

Imports provide about 60 to 75% of current seafood supply in Australia according to various sources. But reliable information on the make up of much of this seafood is not available, because of inadequacies in the quantity and quality of data currently published by ABARE.

In our research preparing this application we discovered that there are no statistics available on the volume of some very important species such as basa or barramundi because import data on these species is not collated by Australian Customs because the species do not have an international code number. This lack of data has been responsible for some of the confusion and uncertainty about the role these two imports play in sales and consumption in Australia.

There has been no in-depth study of the imported fish trade in living memory. There is no reliable detailed picture of the types of imports, the nature of their supply chain in Australia, their utilization in manufacturing, bait, retail or restaurants nor their contribution to trade and consumption. (The seafood industry has hardly noticed the strong growth of the canned seafood category and how it has eclipsed the total value of fresh and frozen seafood).

Consequently industry, government agencies and researchers in the fisheries, food, public health and quarantine field have had to rely on incomplete and often unreliable information and quantitative data; this means their decision making and priority setting is impaired.

This study aims to overcome the absence of a detailed reliable picture of what happens to imported seafood in this country and to identify what accurate data on Australia’s imports are available here or obtainable from overseas sources.

Tasmanian government, communities and industry recognise that a key to increasing aquaculture’s positive impact on regional communities in Tasmania is continued access to shared coastal and marine resources.

The existing aquaculture planning system delivers social licence by including the community in the process that examines the pros and cons of development in their region. Despite this, future opportunities for linkages and collaborative partnerships between industry and the community are less well understood.

Critical to building and maintaining a “social license to operate” are robust and collaborative partnerships between industry and the communities in which it operates. Such partnerships need to be structured to allow meaningful dialogue aimed at increasing the positive impacts of aquaculture development to the community as a whole, balanced against the potential costs.

Community perceptions of aquaculture vary widely. The challenge for planners and the industry is to understand regional perceptions in order to develop policies and approaches that respond to community concerns, improve community understandings and bolster the recognition and acceptance of this sector as a valuable community member.

Specifically, industry and policy makers need to understand the social and economic profiles of specific regions as well as community perceptions of the industry, as the foundation for designing a community engagement strategy that will:
• establish a sound platform of social understandings and values from which the industry can develop its business case, and
• maximise the benefit communities derive from sustainable aquaculture development.

This project has been designed as a pilot study to test methodology and to deliver outputs that will contribute to the needs mentioned above, thereby helping to increase public good outcomes from marine farming in Tasmania.

This proposal is in response to requests from salmon companies to provide short-term ocean forecasts for Tasmanian farm sites. With this information, they can plan operations in the upcoming months, in particular stocking rates, disease treatments, and staffing levels for cage maintenance.