63,148 results
Environment

Resource Sharing in Australian Fisheries Workshop - Progress to Date, Lessons Learnt and Next Steps towards a harmonised approach

Project number: 2019-142
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $11,750.00
Principal Investigator: Nick D. Rayns
Organisation: FutureCatch Consulting
Project start/end date: 13 Nov 2019 - 30 Dec 2019
Contact:
FRDC

Need

There is an urgent need to reflect on the current state of fisheries resource sharing in Australia and how it can meet future demands. Over the past 20 years individual Australian jurisdictions have developed and implemented resource sharing arrangements. These generally apply to commercial and recreational fisheries, and in some cases indigenous cultural fishers. The resource sharing arrangements stem from the objectives of fisheries legislation in Australia which is based on the principles of ESD that include consideration of all fishery resource users in the management of fisheries. Understandably when management resources are limited the focus is on those having the greatest impact on fish stock which for most species is the commercial sector, and sometimes the recreational sector. The use of OCS provisions in fisheries legislation was both an effort to simplify commercial fisheries management and reduce the need to have resource sharing arrangements. While this was largely successful it has run its course due to the value of commercial rights ($billions) that have now accrued under current OCS agreements making it almost impossible to make further significant changes. Alongside these developments a component of the recreational fishing sector has been increasing its range and capacity to catch fish using larger boats and technology similar to that employed by some commercial fishers. This has led to traditionally commercial species being accessed by recreational fishers with growing concerns from the former sector about their fishing future. Various policies and statutes have been implemented by the states/NT in an effort to allocate the shares of a fish stock. This has become easier as a growing number of fish stocks are subject to TACs with the commercial fishers subject to ITQs and recreational fishers to increasingly stock-specific possession limits. Despite this those states/NT who have implemented resource sharing have experienced its contentious, costly and drawn out nature, and are only starting to confront stocks which cross both jurisdictions and fishing sectors. It is time to reflect on experience to date and find the best way to manage fisheries resource sharing in the future.

Objectives

1. To find common ground on resource sharing across Australian jurisdictions and consider the benefits of working towards a harmonised approach.
2. If objective 1 achieved, hold conversations with AFMF and leaders in various fishery stakeholder groups to determine the next steps

Workshop

ISBN: 978-0-6487824-0-7
Author: Dr Nick Rayns
Workshop • 2020-01-01 • 829.13 KB
2019-142-DLD.pdf

Summary

Resource sharing is a high priority for the Australian Fisheries Managers Forum (AFMF) with all Australian jurisdictions in the process of developing or having developed policies associated with this issue. Some have gone further and implemented resource sharing with limited success. It has been many years since fisheries managers collectively discussed the status of these policies and their experiences implementing them. As a first step towards a more harmonised approach for fishery resource sharing in Australia FRDC funded this workshop to develop a preferred pathway(s) to doing so. AFMF considered the workshop outcomes and has provided its advice on the next steps which will centre around a fisheries managers’ toolkit that is developed in association with the AFMF Fisheries Management Committee using a development process like that of the National Harvest Strategy Guidelines and Co-Management Report. This will involve a further application for FRDC funding and engagement with key fishery stakeholders.
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2019-139
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Evaluation of nanobubble technology in aquaculture

Nanobubble (NB) technology, i.e. the production of ultrafine bubbles with diameters <1 µm, is an emerging field which has the potential to greatly improve oxygenation efficiencies in aquaculture production. Before this technology can be considered for adoption by the aquaculture...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (NSW)
Adoption
Industry

Assessing the biosecurity risk of uncooked whole and eviscerated barramundi and grouper in relation to exotic viruses

Project number: 2019-126
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $69,279.00
Principal Investigator: Matthew A. Landos
Organisation: Future Fisheries Veterinary Service Pty Ltd (FFVS)
Project start/end date: 19 Apr 2020 - 28 Feb 2021
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The Australian farmed Barramundi is estimated at over $37.1 million AUD with a production of over 3,772 tonnes annually (Savage, 2015). The value of the wild-catch sector was estimated to be $9.9 million AUD with 1,073 tonnes produced (Savage, 2015). These sectors of the industry as well as recreational and Indigenous fishers, are all at risk of being exposed to hazards potentially introduced by imported Barramundi and grouper products, which could pose significant consequences. The Australian Federal Department of Agriculture does not consider there is sufficient evidence to suggest that the import conditions for uncooked barramundi do not effectively manage the risk of pests and diseases of concern arriving in Australia. Until further evidence is generated to demonstrate that importation of uncooked barramundi products poses a risk that exceeds Australia's Appropriate Level of Protection, then regulatory actions to mitigate these perceived biosecurity risks are unlikely to be implemented. Risk mitigation requirements for importation of whole farmed barramundi include that the exporting country must, among other things, declare it has in place health surveillance and monitoring and that the fish were not derived from a population slaughtered as an official disease control measure. However, this self-declaration is not supported by rigorous testing to ensure compliance. There are current and have been no previous protocols in place to test for the target iridoviruses in imported barramundi and grouper product, so the efficacy of the existing import controls has not been subject to assessment at retail level. Sampling at retail outlets of uncooked whole and eviscerated barramundi and grouper commodities is proposed in order to better assess the efficacy of import conditions. This project will focus on determining the presence or absence of exotic virus genetic material in imported uncooked potential high risk barramundi and grouper commodity. Should any positive genetic material be detected confirmatory re-testing will be performed in order to reduce the risk of a false positive PCR test result and a subsequent project will be prepared o

Objectives

1. To determine the presence of Red sea bream iridovirus (RSIV), Infectious Spleen and Kidney Necrosis Virus (ISKNV), Scale drop syndrome virus (SDSV) and Singapore Grouper Iridovirus (SGIV) in high risk imported uncooked barramundi and grouper collected from seafood retail outlets throughout Australia, using PCR.
2. Review of imported uncooked barramundi and grouper commodity types and relevance to current import risk assessment and published literature.

Final report

ISBN: 9781639441143
Authors: Matt A. Landos James Fensham Paul Hick Alison Tweedie Jo-Anne Ruscoe
Final Report • 2021-10-01 • 3.42 MB
2019-126-DLD.pdf

Summary

Presently, the Australian Barramundi farming industry enjoys freedom from numerous internationally significant diseases including all from the Megalocytivirus genus of iridoviruses. These diseases are known to be causing severe impacts on farmed Barramundi and other species in southeast Asia and elsewhere. Australia’s biosecurity system is the primary barrier to keep such disease risks offshore. The importation of Barramundi and other finfish commodities for human consumption from countries where these diseases have been reported had not been fully assessed as a risk pathway for disease incursion prior to this project.
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