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Capability & Capacity: 2024 Australian/NZ eDNA conference - Early Career Research bursaries

Project number: 2024-016
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $5,000.00
Principal Investigator: Maarten De Brauwer
Organisation: Southern Cross University (SCU) National Marine Science Centre
Project start/end date: 12 Sep 2024 - 6 Mar 2025
:

Need

This conference is organised by the Southern eDNA Society (SeDNAs - sednasociety.com), Australia and New Zealand's scientific society for the environmental DNA discipline. SeDNAS aims to promote best practices and help the adoption of methods across sectors, by closely working together with researchers, industry, and government. Conferences are organised biannually, alternating between Australia and New Zealand. The first conference (Hobart 2023) was uniformly well received by the attendees, particularly the focus on end-user applications and collaboration. Unlike many other scientific conferences, SeDNAs makes a point of inviting key stakeholders from industry and government to both attend the conference and present their own work or research needs. We found this stimulated discussions to be more likely to develop real-world research collaborations of higher relevance to end-users.

Including and supporting ECRs is an integral part of the mission of SeDNAs. We offer a range of sponsorship opportunities, but as part of our drive to ensure eDNA research benefits industry stakeholders, we are reaching out to key organisations interested in supporting ECRs to travel to the conference. FRDC bursaries would showcase the relevance of FRDC to upcoming molecular fisheries researchers and the broader eDNA community, while also offering FRDC a cost-efficient opportunity to remain abreast of the most cutting edge developments in the field.

Objectives

1. Develop eDNA early career researcher capability and capacity
2. 2 ECRs attend 2024 Australian/NZ eDNA conference
3. Enable eDNA contacts, networks and stakeholder engagement
Communities
Adoption

Review and quantify the cumulative effects of expanding industrial coastal developments and emerging offshore renewable energy on the fishing industry in WA

Project number: 2022-104
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $220,000.00
Principal Investigator: Carli Telfer
Organisation: Western Australian Fishing Industry Council Inc (WAFIC)
Project start/end date: 30 Mar 2023 - 30 Jun 2024
:

Need

The fishing industry in WA and Offshore renewable sector has the opportunity to develop and set a framework for how the industries will work side-by-side to build long term collaborative relationship. Currently, the offshore renewable sector has clearly defined statutory basis, however no marine spatial planning has been provided, to date, and no statutory authority or priority policy that allows or considers the fishing industry. Exclusions zone around infrastructure ultimately claims authority over the water with fishers excluded. In Scotland, 10 years has passed since the establishment of the first offshore wind farm and the Scottish Fishermans Federation are still grappling with the impacts from this industry. In Scotland, first it was the oil and gas sector, then decommissioning and now offshore renewable, so there are real opportunities to learn from overseas and our own WA experiences to work towards developing a framework, to avoid ongoing conflict.

The fishing industry in WA is a defender of a healthy marine environment and is supportive of low carbon emissions, sustainable marine environments and aquatic resources, with the fishing industry also playing one of the most important roles for the community by providing food security. There is currently insufficient protection for the fishing industry with existing plans, legislation, tools and mechanisms bringing balance to some industries and not others. However, in Australia we have an opportunity before wind farms are placed in Australian waters to adequately understand the science of the impacts, by reviewing the literature and learning from other jurisdictions, to provide evidence-based decision-making outcomes for both sectors.

A framework is required that values and protects a legitimate, sustainable and long-established fishing industry which remains at the core of our coastal communities and contributes to our national food security. This new framework will work to provide a key role for the fishing industry in marine spatial planning, particularly in relation to offshore renewable sector and we can jointly understand the potential impacts, co-existence opportunities and avoid displacement to ensure the long-term economic viability of the fishing industry remains.

A full assessment of the spatial squeeze that restricts fishing throughout WA needs to be understood to assess cumulative impacts and avoid displacement of the fishing industry. There is a clear need to understand the potential effects associated with offshore renewable projects and assess how fishing industries can co-design or coexist. If displacement is unavoidable an established compensation process may need to be developed. This project will therefore work with State and Commonwealth Governments to establish important marine spatial planning principles for the fishing industry.

Objectives

1. Evaluate the cumulative impacts on the fishing industry resulting in restrictive access to fish resources.
2. Review the international literature on the spatial impacts that affect fishing businesses and develop a recommended coexistence governance framework which could be adopted at a state level or potentially even nationally for future renewable energy projects or developments that impact coastal environments and aquatic resources.
Industry
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2022-137
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Ensuring market-focused value adding capabilities are available to SA Seafood companies today and through to 2030

Context Fresh premium seafood has long been the best pathway to a viable consumer. That remains true for premium SA wildcatch species (e.g., rock lobster, prawn, abalone) that are, and will continue to be, prosperous. But processing and value adding have never been more critical to attract retail...
ORGANISATION:
Ridge Partners
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