The need to know the impacts and benefits to society from commercial fishing industry activities is essential. A like study commissioned by the CRFC in 1995 has been of immense value. Repeating and improving this now in the climate that faces the industry will provide a first benchmark for the Coffs Harbour and Ballina regions whilst allowing for comparative analysis in the Clarence region with the 1995 report.
With the inclusion of Coffs Harbour and Ballina in the study we will be able to assess on a regional basis the benefits that the industry has on the North Coast of NSW. With challenges facing the viability of fishing cooperatives this evaluation will assist the cooperatives and the PFA in promoting the role, worth and importance of commercial fishing in their respective regions.

ETBF Pilot Progect
In 2007, an AFMA commissioned cost benefit study and business case showed reduced costs if electronic monitoring technologies were adopted in several Commonwealth fisheries. However, there is considerable uncertainty regarding the extent to which onboard observer coverage can be replaced in the ETBF and the costs involved in intergrating electronic monitoring into AFMA management practices. This pilot project will collect suffiecient information to enable an in-depth cost benefit analysis of future monitoring options. It will resolve the uncertainty surrounding the utility of electronic monitoring technologies in the ETBF and the costs associated with integrating an electronic monitoring program within AFMA.

In addition to the time and cost savings from reduced onboard observer requirements, there are also potential efficiencies for both industry and AFMA from the use of electronic monitoring reporting. Some of these efficiencies include;
1. better understanding of fishing effort,
2. better understanding and management of fishing operations, and
3. increased data accuracy (resulting in more responsive fisheries management).

Pilbara Trawl Fishery Pilot Project
Monitoring of remote small vessel fisheries in Australia is often difficult and always costly. Travel costs, observer wages, and operational inefficiencies and restrictions of small vessels in accommodating on-board observers are all factors which act to restrict monitoring coverage while still incurring a relatively high cost to industry. With the a growing need for accurate catch and effort data and the high costs and operational restrictions of using human observers there is a subsequent need to find a cost-effective alternative that will not only improve coverage levels but also reduce costs.