By-catch from fishing methods is one of the most significant issues facing the world’s fisheries. Over the past decade or so, researchers in Australia, the US and Canada have been quite successful at reducing some of the more serious by-catch problems, particularly those concerning the huge discarding and wastage problems associated with trawling. Various projects have shown that the most effective way of reducing discards is to follow a staged scientific protocol involving: (i) identifying and quantifying by-catches to determine places and times of particularly problematic by-catches and (ii) doing experimental tests of modified fishing practices that reduce the identified by-catches. The ONLY way to achieve the first, quantification stage accurately is to have scientific observers going out on typical fishing trips to record information on catches and discards (these are termed Observer Programmes). Significant advances in identifying and quantifying by-catches have been made in several countries, including Australia, the US and Canada through Observer Programmes. As well as quantifying bycatches and discarding, Observer Programmes have proven invaluable in providing information on levels of compliance of commercial fisheries to regulations and codes of conduct. They also provide excellent material for biological work on species that would otherwise be very expensive or problematic to collect (e.g. gut contents, sizes, age information, otoliths etc.), operational information on fleet dynamics and changes in fishing effort. Such programmes are also increasingly being used as on-deck extension and educational services, teaching fishers first-hand about a range of scientific, compliance and management issues.

In 1998, Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the United States’ NOAA Fisheries sponsored the first of a series of biennial international conferences on Fisheries Observer Programmes. This series of conferences (previously held in Seattle, St. Johns and New Orleans) brings together the key stakeholder groups, scientists, technicians and managers responsible for the design, management and safe delivery of at-sea fisheries observer programs throughout the world. It provides the main international forum to address the many facets of these very important data-gathering programmes. NSW Fisheries has been successful in the bid to host the 4th International Fisheries Observer Conference in Sydney in November 2004.

The hosting of this conference in Sydney has been discussed and endorsed at the last 3 meetings of the AFMF Research Committee.

All Australian prawn fisheries face a number of common national and international issues. In particular the community expectations and perception of trawl fisheries is having a major impact on current, and future, activities operations. Many prawn fisheries are under pressure to change practices due to real or perceived negative impacts on the marine environment or other marine species. There is no common policy or public approach to these issues and the fisheries are not exchanging information on their experiences in a constructive manner.

Additionally, international markets are increasing their demands for accreditation of fishing practices from supplier countries and fisheries. Again, there is a need to develop a national approach to this issue and for fisheries to exchange information on how the threat to future sales is being addressed.

International markets are also being overwhelmed by production of prawns from aquaculture and there is no credible marketing approach from wild fisheries to this threat.

In short there is a need for funding support to develop the momentum for a national prawn (fishing) industry conference to be held in 2004 which will provide an opportunity for industry members to be exposed to the key threats and opportunities in their industry and will encourage networks and information exchange between States and fisheries.

Such a forum will address issues identified in the FRDC Strategic Plan relating to Fisheries Management, Industry Development and Human Capital Development. The conference program will provide opportunities for improving management across all prawn fisheries through the exchange of information, it will assist industry development by providing opportunities for coordination of activities at a national level and will provide a forum for providing members of the industry with better information, therefore contributing to the human capital in the industry.

The Australian Seafood Industry Council (ASIC) and other key industry bodies continue to support the holding of a biennial national seafood industry conference to review and discuss priority issues affecting the seafood sector and to use this forum as a means of providing the basis for future planning and direction.

The success of the previous Seafood Directions conferences substantiate the need for future conferences to facilitate industry involvement in the development of industry goals and objectives.

The major problem for marine fish culture is husbandry of the early life stages in which the control of larval nutrition is a key element. The use of live food for hatchery culture of marine fish larvae is currently considered obligatory for success. Live food is expensive (up to $400-500 / kg), especially during recent years where global harvests of Artemia cysts have decreased sharply leading to a worldwide shortage. Compounding the problem of poor supply are new AQIS regulations and biosecurity issues, which may limit future importation. The reliance of Australian hatcheries on imported Artemia is a major constraint to the sustainable development and expansion of this industry. The FRDC R&D Plan for hatchery feeds put a high priority on R&D projects to find local solutions to reduce this dependency. In particular, the Plan emphasised three specific research needs: (1) to assess the potential of Australian Artemia strains (will investigated in a parallel project involving Cognis Australia Pty Ltd); (2) to determine the effectiveness of currently available artificial diets for fish larvae; and (3) to develop ‘local’ artificial diets and protocols for weaning and co-feeding of live and dry diets. The need to find solutions is even greater now than 3 years ago due to the rapid development of the marine fish industry in Australia e.g. yellowtail kingfish from almost zero production to 2000 mt, and Barramundi with estimated production of 4000 mt. Any shortage of fish larvae feeds, live or dry, due to global shortage, or change in importation regulations will restricted the current production and put at risk further development of this industry

The attempts by SmartStart (Australia) to introduce the SmartStart Health Intervention Program to various States has been limited by a lack of resources. There has been extensive consultation with Australian Government agencies, most of whom have agreed with the concept and stressed the importance of promoting the need for a commitment to a national benchmarking program through the State Governments and their Education and Health Departments. The Australian Government Ministers and Departments of Education and Health have been very supportive of the concept and have given positive indications of support. Due to the fact that both education and health are predominately State responsibilities, it is essential that SmartStart has an opportunity to present its program and the findings and issues identified from the last five years of its operation to all the major States and other significant State based stakeholders.