The development of statistics on Australian fisheries production and gross value of production (GVP) is required to meet a wide rang of demands.
First: GVP for specific fisheries are required for determining research and development levies for Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) and Fish Resources Research Fund (FRRF) and for determining industry contributions to research. Because the estimates form the basis for research levies for each fishery, it is important for the system to be independent from those involved in the management and marketing processes to ensure the neutrality and integrity of the esimates.
Second:The data is extensively used by the fishing ndustry and by providers of services to the fishing indusry (such as banks) in making investment decisions and in longer term planning of marketing stategies. The importance of the information provided by this project was highlighted at the 1997 FRDC Australian Fisheries Economics Statistics Workshop, and has been reafirmed by the Fisheries Economic Statistics Steering Committee.
Third: the existences of these data in a readily accessible form provides the basis for a range of other activities, including the setting of research priorities by fisheries managers, industry and research organisations and the selection of a research portfolio by funding agencies. The project data are used to meet Australia's obligations to provide fisheries information to international organisations, such as FAO and OECD, a task which was handed over to ABARE under the FRRF arrangements and for which support has been provided under FRRF.
Fourth: there are significant economies in centralising the GVP data project. In the absence of this project the workload of a range of organisaions involved in Commonwealth fisheries management would be substantially increased to dealwith public, industry and government enquiries. This inturn, woud result inan increase in the costs of fisheries management and admiistration.
Fifth: the costs of administration of fisheries research would be similarly affected. The current arrangements for the allocation of fisheries research funding and for determining research priorities could not be feasibly undertaken in the absence of the project.
Final report
To meet the needs of the fishing industry and fisheries managers, policy makers and researchers, ABARE has been publishing on an annual basis, detailed production and trade data in Australian Fisheries Statistics since 1991. The research undertaken in this project (98/166) produced data on the volume and value of production from state and Commonwealth fisheries, and the volume and value of Australian fisheries trade, by destination, source and product, covering the years 1995-96 to 1999-2000. These reports also contain industry structure profiles of Commonwealth and state fisheries.
An important part of this project was the requirement to implement a process of continuous improvement over the life of the project. These improvements were aimed at enhancing the coverage of fisheries, so all commercial fishing activities were included, maintaining the relevance of the data presented in both the production and trade tables, and implement processes so that the valuation of commercial fishing was undertaken in a consistent framework.
