Project need from the call for applications (summarised):
Across the globe, First Nations and Indigenous Peoples have been and continue to negotiate recognition of their fishing rights and for their knowledge and interests to be directly accounted for in intersectoral allocation and fisheries management. Recognition of Indigenous fishing rights into current fisheries management, in resource sharing policies and allocation is in various stages of development across Australia's states, territories, and the Commonwealth. At the same time and at the more operational level, harvest strategies are being developed which include Indigenous and cultural fishing, but greater guidance is required regarding harvest strategy settings which recognise the importance and account for the cultural, social, and economic impacts on local abundance and availability of fish stocks for Traditional Owners and local Indigenous communities. However, there is a gap in knowledge of possible approaches to address this, and the ability to generalise is still needed. To this end, this project will undertake a review of approaches and policies developed internationally and domestically for incorporating Indigenous Rights, knowledge, practices and catch (Cultural-Customary and Cultural-Commercial) into resource sharing and harvest strategy frameworks. It will identify possible approaches available for Australian fisheries management agencies, Traditional Owners, and Indigenous communities, while recognising the different historical, cultural, and legal contexts of different jurisdictions.

Summary of UTS approach:
The UTS project team will meet this need through convening a highly experienced team of Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers, each with relevant expertise and experience in Australia and internationally. The existing work of the research team on multiple Indigenous harvest strategies and Indigenous led natural resource management initiatives will be drawn on to provide a sound basis for a survey of relevant examples. Importantly, senior Indigenous researchers guiding the project already have strong international networks and up to date knowledge on relevant international developments, that will be mobilised to guide this work, and to broker the knowledge and linkages of a range of expert participants into the project.

The research design for this proposal includes a thorough desktop study of the field, including mobilisation of UTS developed databases of specific relevance to the topic area, as well as detailed consultation with Australian and international experts throughout the process. The project will also involve co-production of knowledge with relevant experts/end users, through research activities designed to identify the parameters that influence what approaches are 'fit-for-purpose' in Australian settings.

If the Australian livestock sector is to reduce its emissions footprint, and achieve its promised carbon neutrality by 2030, handpicked seaweed will not be enough to create a commercial seaweed industry for cattle feed. Achieving a 1% DW supplement of Asparagopsis to reduce the methane output for the NSW dairy herd alone (approximately 15% of Australia's dairy herd and 1% of Australia’s total cattle herd) would require annual production of approximately 8,000 tonnes (dry weight) of Asparagopsis. This would necessitate over 400 hectares of seaweed farms alone. Therefore, there is an urgent need, and significant commercial incentive, to rapidly develop next-generation ways to propagate, farm and process Asparagopsis at scale.

The existing seaweed farming techniques (vegetative fragments and spore/gametes based) create several major bottlenecks to large-scale seaweed farming including: the requirement for large amounts of biomass and fertile sporophyte plants, dependencies on complex life cycles, loss of vigour, and high susceptibility to variety of pest and diseases. Addressing these bottlenecks immediately is a top priority to capitalise upon the significant current commercial interest in seaweed production and the projected demand for this innovative animal feed additive.

We propose that protoplasts-based seedstock generation for seaweed farming to provide a sustainable and scalable solution, resulting in higher yields of quality plantlets production independent of spores and vegetative fragments. Further, developing seaweed protoplasts isolation tools will also aid in vitro genetic manipulation techniques for developing genetically improved strains of seaweed crops.

Developing micropropagation tools for seaweed aquaculture industry will:
1. Make a sizeable contribution to achieving the National Aquaculture Strategy and can support Australia’s economic recovery post-COVID 19.
2. Increase the red meat industry's capability to achieve MLA's commitment to carbon neutrality by 2030.
3. Promote finfish aquaculture by growing seaweeds in integrated multi-trophic aquaculture systems by removing and utilizing excess nutrients.