For aquaculture in Australia to remain internationally competitive farmers need to hear about the latest technology and issues that will govern how they operate and expand. Scientists and technicians need to share their data and ideas and hear first hand from industry what their priorities are. Policy makers need to understand the industry they regulate. All groups benefit from understanding Australian aquaculture in the context of international developments. There are many lessons to be learnt from aquaculturists overseas. An international aquaculture conference will meet these needs. Industry needs to learn of research outcomes occurring internationally and developments in new technology demonstrated at the trade show. It is a costly exercise for industry to tour overseas, however, a conference and trade show offers the opportunity to expose Australian industry to new ideas ensuring the industry remains informed and can exploit new opportunities and/or adapt to remain competitive.

Many events such as these fail to meet the needs of industry because industry is not involved with the planning and organisation of the conference. The organisation of Australasia Aquaculture 2008, will be carried out by the National Aquaculture Council (NAC) of Australia, the Asian Pacific Chapter of the World Aquaculture Society (WAS) and lcoal industry organisations. The NAC will ensure the conference is strongly focused to Australian aquaculture industry needs.WAS will assist in ensuring the event is attended by international experts and equipment suppliers.

This conference will be the premium aquaculture conference to be held in Australia in the Asia Pacific region and replaces the previous Tasmanian biennial aquaculture conference.

Large scale artificial reef construction, other than scuttling vessels, has not previously been attempted in Australia; consequently there is a significant knowledge gap. During the development stage of the NSW offshore artificial reefs project and the EA the Project Managers need a thorough understanding of the practical elements of reef manufacture, deployment, monitoring and subsequent management to deliver the best possible outcomes. The best way to ensure DPI and Australia adopt state-of-the-art management is by conducting site visits and in-depth discussion with experienced artificial reef manufacturers, installers, managers and researchers. This will allow better planning and management of artificial reefs in NSW with broader applications Australia wide.

This project addresses the FRDC strategic challenges of ‘Natural Resources Sustainability’ (NRP-1 & RRDP-2) by developing tools to assist in broader scale assessments of the impacts of the recreational fishing sector. It also meets the challenges of ‘Resource Access and Resource Allocation’ (NRP-1 & RRDP-1) by developing methods to examine economic, social and ecological impacts of planning policies; developing processes to inform and define inter-sectoral resource allocation; developing methods to determine allocation between different recreational activities. It also addresses ‘Response to Demand; Profitability’ (NRP-3 & RRDP–4) by increasing the profitability of businesses supporting recreational fishing; developing the capacity to produce more fish for the recreational fishing sector; increasing the quality and enjoyment of recreational fishing experiences and taking advantage of expanding fishing tourism opportunities by providing sustainable quality fishing opportunities within the recreational fishing sector. The addresses ‘People Development’ (NRP-4 & RRDP-7) by enhancing opportunities for information and technology transfer; promoting best-practice training, developing industry experts to bridge the gap between Australian and overseas countries and enhancing scientific skills. It meets the challenges of ‘Community and Consumer Support’ (NRP-4 & RRDP-7) by communicating the benefits of government and industry investment in R&D.