2 results

Establishing a national end of life fishing/aquaculture gear recovery system for Australia

Project number: 2023-124
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $273,080.00
Principal Investigator: Anissa Lawrence
Organisation: TierraMar Ltd trading as Ocean Earth Foundation
Project start/end date: 29 Sep 2024 - 29 Jun 2026
Contact:
FRDC
TAGS
Wild Catch
Recreational Fishing
Rac Wa
Marine Plastics
Environmental Impact

Need

Building on the circularity discussions and work being undertaken by FRDC and the industry, this project seeks to undertake the legwork required to establish a nationwide on-demand End of life (EOL) fishing gear recovery system for Australia and pilot it in key locations. The materials that many nets and ropes are made of are highly valuable and recyclable and in fact in many other countries, is already being recycled or remanufactured. Until now, having a national system has been cost prohibitive due to the large distances and need for economies of scale and limited local buyer interest. As a part of the national targets set by the Australian Government relating to plastics use and recycling, commercial fishing and aquaculture sectors have been exploring how to move to a circular economy model and reduce plastic inputs through a variety of projects run by FRDC and others. However, with fishing gear the biggest plastic polymer input, and contamination challenges, there has yet to be a suitable system established.

This project seeks to enable the opportunities that addressing EOL gear provides in Australia to the commercial fishing and aquaculture sector through the establishment of an effective EOL fishing gear recovery system for the country to reduce the landfill costs to industry. It seeks to build on the learnings from previous projects as well as the ten years of experience of our partner Bureo has in in operating an EOL fishing gear recovery program. Bureo currently have an EOL gear recovery system active in 9 countries.

The key objectives are:
● By the end of 2026 there is an effective end-of-life fishing/aquaculture gear recovery system implemented across key fishing ports, and key aquaculture centres benefiting regional communities and fisheries conservation and assisting the Australian Government to address plastic recovery/recycling targets.
● By the end of 2024, the enabling environment for an effective and fit for purpose EOL fishing/aquaculture gear recovery system is in place within Australia, with commencement of recycling underway in key pilot locations.

Objectives

1. By March 2025 the feasibility of and logistical requirements are understood to establish a national end of life recovery system for commercial fishing and aquaculture gear in Australia and an enabling pathway for roll out created.
2. By the end of 2026 there is an effective end-of-life fishing/aquaculture gear recovery system for Australia implemented across at least 5 key fishing ports, with measurable benefits being delivered to regional communities, industry, conservation, while contributing towards the Australian Government’s recycling targets.

Comparative sequestration and mitigation opportunities across the Australian landscape and its primary industries

Project number: 2011-084
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $42,275.91
Principal Investigator: Anissa Lawrence
Organisation: TierraMar Ltd trading as Ocean Earth Foundation
Project start/end date: 19 Apr 2012 - 29 Aug 2012
Contact:
FRDC
TAGS
Social Science
Social Science
Fisheries Management
Ecosystem
Climate Mitigation

Need

Coastal ecosystems, in particular seagrasses, saltmarshes and mangroves are known as bluecarbon sinks and sequester and store carbon from the atmosphere at rates of up to 5 times those of tropical forests. For Australia, our coastal ecosystems also support many of our inshore fisheries, creating jobs and providing high quality seafood to Australians and more broadly. Since European settlement we have lost large quantities of our coastal ecosystems, which in turn have impacted on fisheries productivity and the sustainability of our fisheries.

The Global BlueCarbon Scientific Group to which our principal investigator is an observer and our co-investigator (Catherine Lovelock) is a member, has been collectively coordinating our scientific understanding of coastal ecosystem carbon and supporting the Global BlueCarbon Policy Group to take the policy framework forward. As part of the global BlueCarbon initiative, TierraMar Consulting in partnership with UNEP/GRID-Arendal has recently commenced two collaborative Blue Carbon projects, one in SouthEast Asia, focused on the CoralTriangle, and the other in the Pacific.

This project provides an opportunity for Australia to take stock of what we know in relation to the role of our coastal ecosystems in carbon sequestration, as compared to terrestrial systems at a bio regional context (temperate and tropical). It will also provide us with the base understanding:

- to recognise and estimate the benefits of going beyond “Business as usual” and the sequestration opportunities inherent in remedial activities.
- estimate the relative contribution of poorly managed and drained wetlands [e.g.: their methane export] and compare these values to other key primary industry sources where activities are underway to reduce emissions – e.g. livestock, manure managements.

This is critical baseline information to allow us to move forward and develop a policy and management framework for coastal ecosystems for Australia to repair and conserve the ecosystem services they provide.

Objectives

1. - to undertake a comparative assessment of the sequestration and mitigation opportunities across the Australian Landscape and it primary industries
2. - to provide a summary of baseline information about coastal ecossytem carbon for a Marine Adaptation Network hosted forum that will translate the findings of the comparative assessment into an Action Plan for Australia’s estuarine, nearshore and wetland ecosystems
3. - to seek support for and coordinate the Marine Adaptation Network hosted forum in partnership with a range of orther organisaitons.

Final report

Author: Anissa Lawrence
Final Report • 2012-12-14 • 5.89 MB
2011-084-DLD.pdf
Final Report • 2012-12-14 • 5.89 MB
2011-084-DLD.pdf
Final Report • 2012-12-14 • 5.89 MB
2011-084-DLD.pdf
Final Report • 2012-12-14 • 5.89 MB
2011-084-DLD.pdf
Final Report • 2012-12-14 • 5.89 MB
2011-084-DLD.pdf
Final Report • 2012-12-14 • 5.89 MB
2011-084-DLD.pdf
Final Report • 2012-12-14 • 5.89 MB
2011-084-DLD.pdf
Final Report • 2012-12-14 • 5.89 MB
2011-084-DLD.pdf
Final Report • 2012-12-14 • 5.89 MB
2011-084-DLD.pdf
Final Report • 2012-12-14 • 5.89 MB
2011-084-DLD.pdf
Final Report • 2012-12-14 • 5.89 MB
2011-084-DLD.pdf
Final Report • 2012-12-14 • 5.89 MB
2011-084-DLD.pdf
Final Report • 2012-12-14 • 5.89 MB
2011-084-DLD.pdf
Final Report • 2012-12-14 • 5.89 MB
2011-084-DLD.pdf
Final Report • 2012-12-14 • 5.89 MB
2011-084-DLD.pdf
Final Report • 2012-12-14 • 5.89 MB
2011-084-DLD.pdf
Final Report • 2012-12-14 • 5.89 MB
2011-084-DLD.pdf
Final Report • 2012-12-14 • 5.89 MB
2011-084-DLD.pdf
Final Report • 2012-12-14 • 5.89 MB
2011-084-DLD.pdf
Final Report • 2012-12-14 • 5.89 MB
2011-084-DLD.pdf
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