Futurefish Foundation's mission is to protect and enhance recreational fishing for all Victorian’s through a range of initiatives including environmental, educational and fish stocking projects as well as projects that improve fish habitat, access and facilities.

In line with our mission statement, Futurefish foundation is a registered environmental organisation and we recieve a moderate level of corporate donations to invest in recreational fishing projects with an environmental component.

The Futurefish Foundation Board of Directors chose the Barramundi in Hazelwood project to enhance recreational fishing opportunities in Victoria.

We have so far funded the prefeasibility work and intend on further funding a fisheries management plan and fish stocks.

The risk assessment component of this project is neccessary for Fisheries Victoria's Translocation Evaluation Panel's consideration prior to providing advice to the Executive Director to approve the fish stocking. This process is outlined in the 2003 publication "Guidelines for the Translocation of Aquatic Organisms in Victoria".

The long lining in Port Phillip Bay is a traditional fishery dating back to the European settlement in Victoria. However, the future of the net and line fisheries are under review following annoucements by the Premier in 1996. The recreational peak body (VRFish) have serious concerns expressed in their vision statement which stated " a detailed study of the effect of netting and longlining in the bays and inlets should be conducted as a matter of urgency".

These concerns relate to the perception that commercial fishing has caused a decline in the recreational snapper catches in Port Phillip Bay. There is an urgent need to investigate this issue which is clouded with uncertainty and a lack of scientific data. For example, Port Phillip Bay is known as a spawning area for snapper and the movement of mature fish is an important feature of the commercial and recreational fisheries. However, the proportion and variability of the stock spawning in Port Phillip Bay each year is unknown. It is therefore unclear whether the perceived decline in snapper catches is due to high levels of fishing or due to environmentally induced changes in distribution or migration.

The relative distribution of the stocks and movement patterns of different age groups in Victoria is poorly understood, and there is a need for more information on the basic biology of snapper to support stock assessments and management plans. While stock assessments for the western stock have only recently been attempted, there is insufficient data to improve predictive models, especially for the eastern stock. While catches are low, routine monitoring is insufficient to obtain the samples required. This project is intended to provide a three year focus on snapper research to collect the neccessary information to address fundamental management issues such as appropriate size limits and seasonal or area closures, and to determine the movement of snapper between Port Phillip Bay, coastal waters and other states. Essential data on the size at maturity, reproductive biology, age structure and growth of eastern and western snapper stocks are needed to determine the life history parameters. There is also an urgent requirement to develop snapper stock assessment models in order to provide better advice on stock status for fishery management plans.

Historic tagging studies since 1948 released 8,132 snapper to determine movements and growth. The tagging data collected needs to be re-analysed with recently developed techniques and used as a basis for planning new tagging experiments as part of the ANSA VICTAG program. The VICTAG program encourages the participation of anglers in fisheries research , but currently there is no formal research plan for VICTAG or involvement by the commercial sector.

The first indication of the spawning location came from an extensive ichthyoplankton survey of Port Phillip Bay in 1995/96. However, a more intensive survey is needed to identify the area and spawning season and to correlate this information with environmental conditions and to assess the water quality and habitat requirements for reproduction of snapper. Variability in recruitment has been detected from annual research trawls in Port Phillip Bay, which may in turn be related to favourable environmental conditions such as water temperature as in New Zealand. A detailed examination of the ultra structure of sectioned otoliths is required to determine whether a similar relationship can be extended to snapper recruitment in Victoria .

About 150 persons die from non–intentional injury each year on Australian farms. Between 300 and 350 male farmers and farm workers die a traumatic death from all causes each year. The mortality rate in Australian farming is approximately four times that of the all-industries rated (19.5 per 100,000 employees compared to 5.5 per 100,000 employees) (Durey and Lower, 2004).
The rate of workers compensation claims from agriculture, forestry and fishing in 2001-2002 was 27 per thousand employees. There are about 4,500 claims each year made by workers in the agricultural and horticultural industries. Also self employed farmers are not obliged to report injuries so that the incidence reported may be an underestimate.
In the four years 1989-1992 a total of 55 people were fatally injured while involved in work related fishing industries (NOHSC, 1999). Between 1991 and 2001 a total of 16 professional fishermen drowned as a result of falling or being washed from commercial fishing vessels in Victorian waters.
Available statistics indicate that there is a higher rate of suicide among rural populations generally, and farmers in particular. For example, in the period 1988 to 1997, 921 suicides were identified for farm managers and agricultural labourers (Page & Fragar, 2002). The ABS reports that between 1988 and 1998, the suicide rate was up to 17 per 100,000 persons per year in rural areas, compared to 12-13 per 100,000 in the capital cities.
The health status and determinants of health (e.g. death rates, income etc) are generally worse in rural and remote areas than in metropolitan areas. There is a need to identify factors that contribute to this discrepancy, particularly as it is likely to apply to farmers and fishers.
There is a prevailing opinion that many farm and fishing injuries and deaths are preventable.

Lack of awareness of occupational health and safety, and a culture of safety, still fails to be effectively dealt with across all States of Australia. The OHS data identifies that the commercial fishing industry has rates of claims that are average for the overall Agriculture, Fishing and Forestry sector, but that claims for fatal injuries in aquaculture and non fatal in marine (or wild capture) fisheries are both increasing relative to employment. The most ‘at risk’ group in the industry are those between the age of 20 to 24 years, with those aged 45 – 54 years being the next most at risk
group, and will receive injuries from non powered hand tools, to their upper bodies

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