The project has been commissioned by TSRA to enable development of the Finfish Fishery as envisaged by TSRA and governments following the move to 100% traditional ownership of the fishery. It reflects the need to develop and implement practical and culturally appropriate business development and fisheries management strategies that can ultimately enable the fishery to operate as one of several sustainable, profitable, professional and highly valued Torres Strait Fisheries under traditional ownership.
The need for the project recognises that the capabilities, and aspirations of Traditional Owners are likely to evolve over time as the fishery and supporting capabilities develop.
The fishery has previously generated substantially more revenue than it is currently generating and catches have declined significantly since the buyout and transfer of ownership to Traditional Owners. With a staged approach, based on a strong understanding of impediments to greater TO participation, and a logical pathway to build capabilities, supporting infrastructure and markets the fishery is well placed to contribute substantially to participants, Island communities and the region more broadly.

On one level there is the need for new and innovative ways to share knowledge between seafood industry workers. The current model relies upon a cascade effect of information to trickle down to workers through various channels. This project will employ a different method for transferring knowledge, through direct fisher to fisher exchange programs. To generalise, most fishers would probably fall into the kinesthetic style of learning. Kinesthetic persons learn best through a hands-on approach, actively exploring the physical world around them. An exchange program where by fishers directly exchange practical knowledge could prove an ideal method for improving the capacity of the seafood industry.

On a second level, the current skills shortages at all levels of the economy is constraining efficiency and growth. The seafood industry has a national pool of skilled workers at its disposal, but it is possibly one of the least mobile. Many other industries have mobile workforces, eg horticulture and the wool industry. In Europe there is a program that promotes mobility between countries for all sectors. There is no reason why the Australian seafood industry workforce cannot be more mobile. Due to management measures to ensure sustainability, the seafood industry is no longer a 365 days per year industry. This doesn't promote job security and those people that have skills could be lost to the industry seeking more secure income. Meanwhile in other parts of the country sectors of the industry requiring skills for short periods of time could utilise those skills, if they could get them. Therefore there is a need to understand the impediments that face workers in shifting between sectors of the industry.

This project aims to begin to identify these impediments and provide the foundations for programs to mobilise the pool of workers.