NSW COMMERCIAL FISHING INDUSTRY
In recent years, the environmental performance of commercial fishing has come under increasing scrutiny, particularly the highly visible fisheries like the NSW estuary fisheries. This trend is likely to continue with the increasing population pressure in NSW coastal areas and greater competing demands on NSW estuarine resources. The fishing industry needs to build community confidence in the way that fisheries are managed in NSW. The recently instituted environmental impact assessment processes and statutory Fishery Management Strategies for the Estuary General Fishery and the Estuary Prawn Trawl fishery are a step in this direction. However, more needs to be done to ensure their widespread adoption by industry, to improve community awareness of the standards and practices by which industry operates, and importantly, to demonstrate that these practices are being employed and the standards achieved.

The project outlined in this application seeks to contribute to this through the development and adoption of Codes of Practice, and in doing so address the need for the development of Codes of Conduct as required by the statutory Fishery Management Strategies, and contribute to the achievement of the broader objectives of the Fisheries Management Strategies. The Codes will provide fishers with regionally-specific guidelines of the acceptable standards, both mandatory minimum standards and voluntary best practice. This will not only facilitate the adoption of acceptable standards across the entire fleets, but will also provide fishers with with a means to ensure that they are operating in accordance with these standards. Furthermore, the regional nature of the Codes will encourage greater ownership by regional fishing communities, and effectively address region-specific issues of concern to local communities.

There is also much interest amongst the NSW fishing industry in third party certification, and in particular Marine Stewardship Council certification, as a means of providing greater assurance to the community and markets. Accordingly, the project will also seek to identify the aspirations and needs of industry in relation to MSC & 3rd party certification, and investigate the options, costs and benefits, and a plan of action for doing so.

NSW OYSTER INDUSTRY
The NSW Oyster Industry does not currently have any unified, industry led environmental management planning. Industry leaders, who see the need for improved environmental practice, are aware that despite their best endeavours, individual initiatives do not receive widespread adoption due to the lack of effective communication, education and incentives.

In response, the Oyster Management Advisory Group established the Ecological Sustainable Development (ESD) Working Group in August 2002. This joint Industry and NSW Fisheries group aims to seek the views and experience of NSW oyster farmers on ESD issues and to lead the strategic adoption of ESD in the industry.

The Ecologically Sustainable Development Working Group has identified a program of initiatives, the first of which is to prepare an industry code of conduct. This initiative will create an opportunity to discuss ESD issues in industry forums; and, will set uniform environmental performance indicators and benchmarks across the industry. Subsequent initiatives will aim to build on the code of conduct to prepare an Environmental Code of Practice and Environmental Management System.