Project Search

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PROJECT NUMBER • 2017-012

PROJECT STATUS:

COMPLETED

Investigating social acceptance for the wild catch commercial fishing industry of Southeast Queensland

This research project aimed to develop an engagement strategy that would assist the Southeast Queensland (SEQ) wild catch commercial fishing industry to gain social acceptance, or a Social Licence to Operate (SLO). SLO is needed to maintain access to the resource and market confidence. A scan of...

ORGANISATION:

University of the Sunshine Coast (USC)

TAGS

Wild Catch

Survey

Stakeholder

Resource Access And Allocation

SPECIES

Improving and promoting fish-trawl selectivity in the Commonwealth Trawl Sector (CTS) and Great Australian Bight Trawl Sector (GABTS) of the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF)

Project number: 2019-027

Project Status:

Completed

Budget expenditure: $776,141.00

Principal Investigator: Matt K. Broadhurst

Organisation: Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (NSW)

Project start/end date: 29 Jul 2020 - 29 Sep 2024

Contact:

FRDC

TAGS

Need

It is very clear that fishing-technology research to improve resource harvesting is a priority need for the future sustainability of fish trawling in Australia. The issue is quite poignant, considering that over the past 15 years, there has been a massive reduction in the total number of trawlers in Australia, and lower profits among remaining operators struggling to remain viable. Innovative modifications and refinements to existing systems that improve selectivity and reduce environmental impacts and costs are an urgent priority to ensure economic viability. Such developments are difficult to achieve by individual fishers without quality research, development and extension that is adequately resourced.

More specifically, there is a clear need to maintain progress towards developing innovative, high-priority technological modifications to fish trawls in the CTS and GABTS that mitigate sustainability issues while maintaining target catches at existing levels. Equally important, ratified designs then need to be tested across fleets to encourage adoption and refinement as a precursor to eventual legislation. Ultimately, satisfying these needs will contribute towards improving the social licence and economic return of trawl fisheries in the SESSF, while helping to ensure their ongoing sustainability and address what remains one of the most controversial issues facing bottom trawling.

Objectives

1. Review the available domestic and international literature and data, and consult with a project stakeholder committee (comprising representatives of the CTS, GABTS, NSW PFA and AFMA) to prioritise modifications to be formally assessed for their utility in minimising bycatch, while maintaining target catches among trawls used in the CTS and GABTS.

2. Based on the outcomes of 1 above, assess the utility of existing and new modifications to trawls for minimising bycatch, while maintaining target catches in the CTS and GABTS.

3. By providing strong economic incentives through improved efficiencies, and via applied extension activities, encourage the wide-scale voluntary adoption and ongoing exploration of appropriate best-practice technologies that cumulatively reduce bycatches, while maintaining target catches in the CTS and GABTS.

Final report

ISBN: 978-1-76058-820-5

Author: Matt K Broadhurst

Final Report • 2024-11-18 • 21.33 MB

2019-027-DLD.pdf

Summary

This project sought to produce the first-ever review of technical options for improving fish-trawl selectivity around the planet and then use this information to address a deficit in experimental work quantifying the utility of industry-developed and new selective-gear modifications in the Commonwealth Trawl Sector (CTS) and Great Australian Bight Trawl Sector (GABTS) of the Southern and Eastern Scalefish and Shark Fishery (SESSF). The work was completed during a four-year collaboration (from September 2020) between the New South Wales Department of Primary industries (NSW DPI), Fishwell Consulting, the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA), Commonwealth Scientific and Industry Research Organisation (CSIRO), South East Trawl Fishing Industry Association (SETFIA) and the Great Australian Bight Industry Association (GABIA). Ultimately, by highlighting regional industry efforts and identifying and validating the benefits of new options to reduce one of the most controversial issues facing bottom trawling, the project contributes towards improving the social licence and economic return of trawl fisheries in the SESSF, and supports ongoing Australian research into technological solutions to ensure fishery sustainability.

Sustainable Fishing Families: Developing industry human capital through health, wellbeing, safety and resilience

Project number: 2016-400

Project Status:

Completed

Budget expenditure: $122,840.52

Principal Investigator: Tanya King

Organisation: Deakin University Geelong Waterfront Campus

Project start/end date: 30 Jun 2016 - 29 Sep 2017

Contact:

FRDC

TAGS

Need

By developing an evidence-based health and safety training program for Australian fishing communities, this project meets the needs of the commercial wild-catch and aquaculture industry identified in FRDC’s RD&E Program 3, ‘Communities’ and particularly theme 10, which promotes resilient and supportive communities who are able to adapt to the social impacts of change in industry business environments.

The project will address a national need, identified by VicFRAB, to better understand the social and economic contribution of commercial fisheries, by identifying and addressing potential losses incurred through the poor health and wellbeing of the industry’s human capital.

Fishers tend to work in rural and remote communities, which means they have higher rates of mortality, disease and health risk factors than urban dwellers, further impacted by reduced access to primary health care services. Fishers are at particular risk of certain kinds of illnesses (eg. skin and diet-related), as well as injury (fatality rates are more than double those in the agricultural sector). Mental health concerns are higher than average in the fishing industry, exacerbated by uncertainties within the industry including often high debt and insecurity of tenure and licencing. While both women and men are at risk, 86.9% of fishers are male, a factor placing them at greater risk of suicide.

Fisher ‘attitudes’ also impact health, such as the culture of self-reliance, particularly among males. This may make fishers resilient, but also makes them less likely to adopt preventative health practices or to use health services, and they will usually wait longer before seeking medical assistance, particularly for issues of chronic poor mental health.

The Sustainable Fishing Families project will benefit fishing families’ health, safety and resilience by promoting a self-awareness of the value of the industry’s human capital, and building their health capacity.

Objectives

1. To improve the health and wellbeing of fishing families by promoting safer and healthier work practices

2. To develop strategies to inform fisher families of appropriate physical and mental health care programs and information, including strategies to address barriers to uptake

3. To provide rigorous research that will raise the profile of the health issues and needs of Australian fishing families, and inform government, industry and health services of specific health issues and needs of, and effective support pathways for, fishing families as distinct from farming families.

4. To develop a targeted, industry-led program that will address the health issues and needs of fishing families based on the proven Sustainable Farm FamiliesTM protocol

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-646-98116-1

Authors: Tanya J. King Kirsten Abernethy Susan Brumby Tracey Hatherell Sue Kilpatrick Katarina Munksgaard & Rachel Turner

Final Report • 2019-01-21 • 4.30 MB

2016-400-DLD.pdf

Summary

This project conducted the first national survey of the health, safety and wellbeing of the Australian professional fishing industry in 2017. The results of the survey provide a baseline for the state of the wild-catch industry members across a range of indicators, including reported physical and mental health, factors affecting health and safety, factors affecting levels of stress, health and safety behaviours, and access to health services and information.

The project also conducted and evaluated an intensive pilot program on health, safety and wellbeing tailored specifically for fishing families. The program was modelled on an existing and highly successful program with farming families, Sustainable Farm FamiliesTM developed and delivered by the National Centre for Farmer Health, at the Western District Health Service, Victoria. The materials and presentations were reviewed and modified to reflect the specific strengths and challenges of the fishing industry. For the first time, this award-winning program is now available for use by fishing communities across the country.

Project products

Brochure • 2019-10-01 • 3.65 MB

2016-400 Fishing Families-Key Survey Findings Final.pdf

Summary

In 2017, the National Health, Safety and Wellbeing survey was posted to 4,584 professional wild catch fishers across all jurisdictions of Australia through peak bodies, industry associations and large fishing companies. The survey was also made available online to capture those fishers without membership to an industry organisation. 872 surveys were returned for analysis. The survey focussed on self-reported health relating to work, and asked respondents about their physical and mental health status and perceived causes, health and safety behaviours, and access to health services and information. The survey was part of the project Sustainable Fishing Families (FRDC Project 2016-400).

Educational material • 2019-10-01 • 7.49 MB

2016-400 Managing Stress for Fishers Book Final.pdf

Summary

This resource is a way of enabling fishing families to understand stress, its impact, and learn skills to help balance stress when fishing in difficult times.

This is a resource for all people who work in the business of fishing — from deckhands to skippers to office staff.

Flyer • 2019-10-01 • 2.55 MB

2016-400 Sustainable Fishing Families Flyer Final.pdf

Summary

Sustainable Fishing Families is a health program specifically designed for fishing families to address the health, wellbeing and safety issues facing the fishing industry through an evidence-based health program run by rural health experts

PROJECT NUMBER • 2019-015

PROJECT STATUS:

CURRENT

Understanding the relationship between commercial prawn species population dynamics, fishing patterns and climate in the Shark Bay World Heritage area in Western Australia

ORGANISATION:

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) WA

TAGS

SPECIES

PROJECT NUMBER • 2020-088

PROJECT STATUS:

COMPLETED

Quantifying inter-sectoral values within and among the Indigenous, commercial and recreational sectors

This study explored the extent to which values are shared (or not shared) by fishers across three key sectors (i.e., Indigenous, commercial and recreational). The study was run online using Q-Method Software (https://qmethodsoftware.com), a semi-quantitative technique used to explore human...

ORGANISATION:

Natural Capital Economics

TAGS

Values & Ethics

Social Science

Resource Access And Allocation

Recreational Fishing

Valuing Victoria's Wild-catch fisheries and aquaculture industries

Project number: 2017-092

Project Status:

Completed

Budget expenditure: $507,438.75

Principal Investigator: Kate Barclay

Organisation: University of Technology Sydney (UTS)

Project start/end date: 28 Feb 2018 - 31 May 2022

Contact:

FRDC

TAGS

Need

A study which measures the contribution of Victorian wild-catch and aquaculture fisheries to community wellbeing will meet multiple needs:

• Generate detailed, spatially-defined knowledge on the economic and social contributions of fisheries to community wellbeing, and elicit where contributions could be enhanced
• Inform government (local, state) of the importance of fisheries and likely impacts of policy or management decisions on regional and metropolitan communities
• Enhance community engagement and support for fisheries through demonstrating the benefits that flow from professional fishing and aquaculture sectors into communities

Audience: 1) industry representative organizations; 2) government; 3) general public. Currently, very little data exists about the economic and/or social benefits of professional fisheries to communities in Victoria. Existing data only calculate total value of production (beach/farm gate price x volume), and the number of business owners or fisheries employees identified in the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Census. There is no reporting of the multiplier effects in communities of having businesses based there, through service industries or seafood product going into markets. The lack of sophisticated information about the contributions of professional fishing puts the industry as a group at a disadvantage compared to competing resource users which do have such reporting and have been persuasive in negotiations.

Information on social contributions dovetails with economic contributions to build a picture of the overall contributions fisheries make. This can help address the lack of community support for fisheries and consumer influence on the regulatory environment, which has grown to constitute a threat to the continued viability of fisheries. While information generated via this project will not fix the problem – relationships between industry and community must be improved via sustained, strategic engagement – credible data on the social and economic contributions commercial fisheries make to Victoria is useful for boosting the industry’s ‘social license to operate’.

Objectives

1. Evaluate the economic contribution of commercial wild-catch fisheries and aquaculture to community wellbeing for seven regions of Victoria, including the regional economic impacts such as multiplier effects and employment and contributions to related sectors within regions, building on previous Australian studies.

2. Evaluate the social contributions of commercial wild-catch fisheries and aquaculture to community wellbeing for the same regions, including the social aspects of economic contributions, food provision, health and nutrition, services and infrastructure, interactions with tourism, consumers, and recreational fishers, contributions to community identity and heritage, and knowledge networks, building on previous Australian studies.

3. Build on and refine a methodology to be used for ongoing social and economic evaluations of industry as part of FRDC national framework.

4. Disseminate findings, identifying the social and economic contributions of seafood production to community wellbeing for each study region, highlighting threats to sustainability and viability, as well as opportunities, in a form suitable for engaging: 1) local and state government agencies

and 2) the general public, to raise awareness of the role of professional wild-catch fisheries and aquaculture in Victorian communities.

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-9953662-5-1

Authors: Abernethy K. Barclay K. McIlgorm A. Gilmour P. McClean N. Davey J.

Final Report • 2020-06-29 • 6.04 MB

2017-092-DLD.pdf

Summary

This project provides the first evaluation of the social and economic contributions of wildcatch professional fisheries and aquaculture of Victoria to the communities in which the industries are located and to the entire state. This project was developed in consultation with the Victorian seafood industry who identified the need to communicate the economic value of their industry, inclusive of the economic contribution of businesses supplying or being supplied by seafood producers. In addition, there was no evaluation of the social benefits of the industry to Victoria.