Based on the Government ESD and Oceans Policies the pearling industry is currently facing several significant concerns. These include the need to:
- demonstrate objectively that pearling activities have minimal, if any, adverse ecological impact on the marine environment.
- identify challenges and threats to the fishery's continued variability from an ESD perspective
- demonstrate objectively that the fishery is environmentally sustainable
- obtain broad ecological information to assist the industry in identifying what environmental characteristics are key elements of successful pearl farming; and
- identify what areas of research are required to substantiate the pearling industry's claim of ongoing ESD.
Overseas experience demonstrates how diseases reduce profitability, sustainability and competitiveness of aquatic animal industries (for references see ATTACHMENT 6). Despite a rapid and continuous expansion in aquaculture, Australia has not experienced significant disease emergencies in farmed aquatic animal populations. However, pilchard mortality events in 1995 and 1998 have provided warning signals and demonstrated the need to increase our capability to respond to – and preferably prevent – aquatic animal disease outbreaks.
Since 1992, the FRDC as the biggest research investor has contributed more than $11million to over fifty projects related to aquatic animal health. Due to project diversity and cross-linkages to several FRDC Programs and existing Subprograms, well-facilitated project management is a fundamental requirement to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in delivering and extending results and would be facilitated by a dedicated Subprogram with its leader and supporting infrastructure.
With the development of a strategic R&D plan for aquatic animal health as a highest priority task, the Subprogram would contribute to preventing duplication of research, increase cooperation amongst researchers and thus achieve one of AQUAPLAN’s key priority objectives. It would thus underpin stability in aquatic animal health research and provide a greater level of service to research output beneficiaries.
The FRDC Subprogram would not only manage traditional R&D projects, but also develop Program Activity Plans and deliver projects under an AFFA/FRDC Agreement ([…] for the delivery of Program Activities under the Building of a National Approach to Animal and Plant Health program). FRDC will be advised by FHMC’s AQUAPLAN Business Group (ABG), chaired by ASIC and NAC, fulfilling the role of the Subprogram steering committee. Thus, the national approach can be developed in tandem to the R&D strategy, and guaranteeing links among the two. Significant components of the AQUAPLAN Workplan could be achieved.
A significant amount of work will be required over the next 3-5 years to incorporate ESD into ongoing fisheries management across Australia to complete this process. A number of studies are already in progress addressing some of the issues. These include the SCFA-FRDC study to develop the guidelines for reporting on ESD (FRDC 2000/145), the Seafood Services project (FRDC 2000/146) which is assisting fishers to develop EMS processes to improve their environmental standards. Moreover, a number of issues, such as those identified at the recent ESD case study workshop or in previous reviews, will require alterations to current studies but more generally the development of a suite of new projects. The issues to be addressed include:
developing relevant expertise to collect and interpret data for the social and economic components,
effective communication of the issues to all major stakeholder groups,
development of methods to ensure active participation of indigenous groups in the process,
developing the framework and the guidelines to enable the process to become a method of assessment, as well as a reporting system.
development of ecological indicators
testing of the robustness of currently used and proposed indicators
The effective coordination of all current and future ESD related projects will be essential if the ultimate aim of having a nationally agreed system is to be successful. Given that the majority of these projects are likely to be at least partly funded by FRDC provides the opportunity to supply the necessary coordination through the formation of an ESD “Sub-Program”.
Using the Sub-Program structure would result in all relevant projects being administered through a common system. Thus, their objectives and the appropriate elements of their methodology would be coordinated to ensure maximum effectiveness, efficiency and thereby minimising duplication. Having such a group would also provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences in a timely fashion which should greatly enhance the synergy and consequently the ultimate outputs from each project.
Such a sub-program would ideally utilise the SCFA Working Group in combination with the ESD ‘Reference Group’ as its steering committee. The Reference Group includes representatives from other relevant areas of government, commercial industry, indigenous interests, recreational fishing, aquaculture, FRDC and environmental groups.
