Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Industry Association (ASBTIA)

Published: 21 June 2021 Updated: 12 February 2025

Table of contents

The Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Industry Association (ASBTIA) represents the Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna (SBT) Industry, inclusive of purse seine and long line fishing, and ranching operations for SBT. ASBTIA and its members pioneered global tuna farming in 1991 and today maintain a high level of quality and performance across the industry. The industry continues to develop through investment in innovation, research and professional development, with a future focused philosophy underpinned by the principles of ESG, social licence, continuous improvement and product quality.

Drivers for ASBTIA investing in RD&E are varied and usually relate to the following key areas:

Production & Profitability
Sustainability
Consumers and Community

Industry Partnership Agreement

The FRDC is a key partner for planning and investment in the research, development extension needed to achieve its vision. ASBTIA works closely with the FRDC and research providers to focus resources into the RD&E needed to address current priority investment areas. RD&E investment planning and project realisation is undertaken through a collaborative process between ASBTIA members and research providers, with priorities developed and agreed at Annual General Meetings (AGM) and half yearly conferences.

Research Priorities

Research, Development and Extension Plan

ASBTIA has developed a Research, Development and Extension (RD&E) Plan that provides a framework to identify and invest in key strategic research needs of ASBTIA stakeholders - see the plan.

Call for Applications

The FRDC invests through a flexible approach. Part of this approach allows the Research Advisory Committees (RACs), Industry Partnership Agreements (IPAs) and Subprograms to call for applications based on their priorities up to three times per year – see whether this IPA has put forward any priorities in the current call for applications.