Six years on from the launch of Tuna Champions, project leader Professor Sean Tracey reflects on the success and evolution of the education campaign focused on recreational fishers and the iconic Southern Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus maccoyii).
A clearly focused project, an iconic fish species on the rise and advocacy from leaders within the recreational fishing community are key factors giving rise to the success of FRDC-funded Tuna Champions initiative (2017-123).
While funded by Australian Government through the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC), the lead partners in the project included researchers at the University of Tasmania and the Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation, were given full autonomy and remain independent.
As project leader and Head of Fisheries and Aquaculture at Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies Professor Sean Tracey put it, it was the right fish at the right time.
The initiative tapped into the inspiring story of the recovery of Southern Bluefin Tuna (SBT) populations after decades of overfishing, achieved through a combination of rigorous science and international collaboration.
As a highly prized, premium eating fish, SBT for a long time was often beyond the reach of both the average fisher and average consumer.
With populations rebuilding, game fishers were suddenly seeing a species that had been absent for many years, few knew how to handle these unique fish to maximise post-release survival rates or alternatively, ensure high-quality meat yield depending on whether they planned to keep or release their catch.
Vision for improved practice
Tuna Champions set out to address these challenges: to provide fishers with the best education on what to do with the animal, including the use of science-based information, to ultimately make best practice normal practice, for recreational fishers.
Sean says a marketing strategy and branding created for the initiative, focused on messaging for SBT and game fishers rather than recreational fishers more broadly.
He says the aim was to reduce wastage, either by reducing damage or mortality of SBT if they are released, or making sure fishers get the best quality meat and know what to do with it if they take home their catch.
Achieving the vision of best fishing practice, based on science, transitioning to ‘the new normal’, needed to be something that people wanted to do, not something they felt they had to do because someone was telling them to, explains Sean.
“We started with some simple clothing, to get the brand out there, and did a lot of groundwork, talking with the game fishing community in Southeast Australia, targeting quite a niche group. We went to competitions and talk nights where SBT fishers were, to spread the message.”
Sean says finding ambassadors for the program was crucial – fishing and sporting identities, and local heroes well-known in their communities who shared knowledge and promoted respectful handling of the species. Other related projects, such as Al McGlashan’s documentary ‘Life on the line’ about the recovery of SBT, also helped to get the Tuna Champion messages out.
Practical advice
The Tuna Champions website provides a central portal for information, which is also pushed out via its well supported social media accounts.
Practical advice to fishers ranged from changing treble hooks to singles and reducing the ‘fight time’ when catching fish to reduce stress, both of which improve the survival rate of fish released. The change of hook has been promoted through tackle stores and incorporated into the rules of fishing competitions targeting SBT.
Reduced fight time, brain spiking first, then bleeding fish and putting them on ice were also techniques highlighted to maintain meat quality. SBT is a red-fleshed fish, not the white-fleshed fish most people are accustomed to, and the way it needs to be handled and looked after to ensure a good quality eating experience is quite different.
The program worked closely with commercial fishers who have a vested interest in making the most of their catch. Tuna Champions also turned to leading chefs to demonstrate different ways to get the most from each fish.
Behaviour change
The campaign has evolved to see social sanctioning where peers share messages, often via social media, about looking after fish better or to let their mates know when they could have done better.
“That’s the importance of behavioural change, rather than a regulatory approach. If fishers recognise for themselves the benefit of taking care of these species, they will apply it through other aspects of their fishing experience,” says Sean.
“For people who have been exposed to Tuna Champions, I think it has definitely raised awareness of the value of looking after other species too.”
The original Tuna Champions project ended in 2022, and its successor Tuna Champions 2.0 is now underway. It has added Yellowfin and Longtail Tuna to its focus, which has broadened the target audience from game fishers in southeastern Australia to recreational tuna fishers more generally, right around Australia.
The same strategies are being used including “boots-on-the-ground” engagement with recreational fishing groups, and advocacy from local identities.
Senior Research Portfolio Manager at FRDC, Josh Fielding, says Tuna Champions has helped to take research and development to an audience that FRDC has traditionally had trouble reaching. Further, it did so in a positive way, without engaging in what are often conflicts between recreational fishers and commercial operators, or regulators.
“It really talked to the motivations of recreational fishers, and it didn't alienate people who wanted to catch and release the fish or those who wanted to catch a feed.
“One of its other successes has been to show recreational fishers the real role that they can play in stewardship, being responsible in their own interactions with this fishery and contributing to something bigger,” Josh says.
Related FRDC Projects
2017-123 - The role of the recreational fisher in the stewardship of the Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery
