Engaging with and educating the next generation is challenging and competitive, given the range of opportunities available to teachers and students in terms of topics, development opportunities and careers locally, nationally and globally.

Providing awareness, access and support to educators and students is critical to attracting and retaining people across fishing and aquaculture. Through curriculum aligned resources and aligned interventions, activities and experiences, FRDC can spark the curiosity and also provide access to a range of people in fishing and aquaculture through partnering with PIEFA.

This project builds on the strong relationship with PIEFA to conduct research to understand the current level of engagement, barriers and opportunities to position fishing and aquaculture with students and educators. This research will position FRDC for success through utilisation of established, trusted channels and networks. Providing opportunities to showcase the wide variety careers through interactive activities and self directed learning provides the fishing and aquaculture community a direct connection with the next generation.

PIEFA provides a mechanism to showcase fishing and aquaculture, and food and fibre more broadly in Australian schools.

This includes accessing multiple platforms, newsletters, exclusive invitations to members meetings and PIEFA AGM. Invitation to 2023 PIEFA Conference and events.

Attend ARLF gala dinner on 26 October 2022, travel (flights, 1 night accommodation, incidentals) and ticket included in the bursary.
Attend Revive leadership Development 27-30 Oct, travel (flights, accommodation, incidentals) and ticket included in the bursary.

This provides an opportunity for the alumni to re-engage with networks, utilise and develop their capabilities which has both individual and collective industry capability and capacity benefits.

[Produce a ‘Critical Review Paper’ to provide a potential roadmap for additional research, as well as help identify communication strategies for the seafood industry. This is a development and networking opportunity to create future relationships and collaborations]

This bursary will allow Professor Gillanders to attend the microplastics and seafood symposium in Edinburgh, Scotland. The focus of the symposium will be human health aspects of microplastics in seafood. The aim is to produce a critical review paper to provide a potential roadmap for additional research, as well as help identify communication strategies for the seafood industry. This is part of an international partnership between FRDC, Seafish (UK) and Seafood Industry Research Fund (USA) that will have 11 scientific experts attending along with industry. The symposium provides Australians with a unique opportunity to engage with experts and industry from around the world.

We will also visit several UK based research groups as part of our travel - we have already engaged with researchers from Plymouth Marine Laboratories, University of Plymouth and Exeter University including Professor Richard Thompson, the first researcher to identify microplastics as an issue.