The International Otolith Symposium is only held every five years and is possibly the most important conference I could attend during my four-year post-doctoral appointment at The University of Adelaide. The Symposium will provide a platform for the exchange of information and promote the development of novel techniques and applications for otolith-based analysis in ecology and fisheries management. My research, under the direction of Prof Bronwyn Gillanders, is focussed on examining long-term changes in fish populations, associated with climatic variability and human impacts, through the use of otolith microchemistry and sclerochronology (growth pattern analysis). I also supervise multiple Honours and PhD student projects related to fish otoliths and other calcified tissues. The Symposium is thus highly relevant to my key field of research.

The Mediterranean Fisheries Science Laboratory in Sète, France, is Europe’s leading research group in ecosystem focussed fisheries management. The group develops innovative tools to assess global change impacts to marine ecosystems, with a particular emphasis on the resistance and resilience of exploited populations. This complements the research strengths of Prof Gillanders research group at The University of Adelaide. Visiting the laboratories in Sète will thus provide a further opportunity to foster international collaboration and exchange research skills and expertise in fish and fisheries research.

Funding opportunities for travel are limited for early career researchers and the International Travel Bursary will provide necessary financial support to undertake the proposed objectives. I will maximise the funding and benefit of the bursary by combining conference attendance with a laboratory visit.

The need relates to extension of the national harvest strategy guidelines to international fisheries management and science agencies and the exchange of information and knowledge in relation to the work being undertaken in other parts of the world on fishy harvest strategies.

The practical integration of social and economic elements in assessments is important in Australia, and is also an international challenge. Recent research in Australia (2010/040 and the Integrated EBFM workshop held in March 2014) which contributes to developing this field should be shared internationally and used to leverage further knowledge. To this end, the applicant is recognised as one of the leads in this field in Australia and accordingly can bring benefit from developing further aligned international connections. There are events occurring in September and October 2014, being two sessions at the ICES conference and a workshop in Canada with the CFRN that provide unique opportunities to progress the development of integrated EBFM methodologies.

To maximise progress in this domain, it is necessary to draw together as many sources of knowledge and experience as possible. Consequently, participation in the activities proposed here and through the development of the Community Of Practice by the CFRN, FRDC and Australia's exposure will be increased to new and emerging approaches that can address the current integration challenge, while also profiling the already significant progress we have made in Australia.

Inland fish stocking programs in NSW are administered by NSW DPI under the NSW Freshwater Fish Stocking Fishery Management Strategy (FMS) which outlines the rules, regulations and programs for fish stocking. The FMS is due for review in the near future and it is an opportune time to investigate the strategies used by international agencies for the management of their stocking programs. An extensive worldwide network of scientists and fisheries managers will be in attendance at the FSBI conference in Hull and it will be most beneficial to gain exposure on an international scale, obtain up to date information and share perspectives on inland fisheries management with experts from international agencies. In addition to attendance at the conference, I have made contact with several staff members from the Environment Agency and the Angling Trust to gain further insights into the management of inland fish stocking programs in the UK. I have organised to meet with these experts at various locations including Brampton, Reading and Frimley outside of the conference to gain further exposure and directly observe management practices and perceptions from both Government and non-Government organisations which may be transferable to existing NSW programs and other Australian jurisdictions developing or refining stocking policies. The project will assist in bridging the gap between management and research by potentially identifying key research priorities for stocking programs. The project will importantly enhance my international presentation, networking and analysis skills which are essential for my development as a future leader in fisheries management.