Improving bycatch reduction strategies and escape vents in Queensland Mud Crab fisheries
Bursaries to attend the 2022 New Zealand Seafood Industry Conference
Bursary recipient will attend five sessions over the two day conference:
- Fishing with care and precision
- Thriving coastal communities
- Growing market value
- Healthy marine environments
- Modernising fisheries management
Additional conference activities will be attended were possible, including networking functions and FRDC meetings.
Benefits of including the bursary recipient in the Australian delegation to New Zealand include:
- Improvements in trans-tasman industry relationships
- Enhanced learning and sharing on important industry issues (notably electronic monitoring of fleets)
- Relevance and input to group discussion and thinking regarding important session topics and ideas
- Increased understanding of government policy decisions and drivers and other external impacts on fishing industry productivity
A global review on implications of plastic in seafood
The project will review and synthesise available global data on the potential effects and implications that plastic is causing in seafood species in the context of the impacts they generate to fishing and aquaculture sectors. Concurrently, using published literature on sources of marine pollution, the abundance of plastic entering aquatic systems from seafood related sources will be quantified, with particular focus to the Australian context. Ultimately, this will give the fisheries sector, particularly in an Australian setting, the knowledge to evaluate where appropriate mitigation strategies are necessary and reduce the presence and impacts of microplastics in seafood.
This project aligns with FRDC R&D Plan Outcome 1: Growth and Enduring prosperity; In particular, it targets the priorities of:
- Improving the understanding of the cause and extent of impacts to aquatic systems and what is needed to improve them
- Promote a circular economy to remove waste from the processing system, keep products and materials in use and promote the repair of natural systems
Providing information on how marine pollution may affect the seafood industry and seafood species fished will guide the urgency of future research and allow management and mitigation strategies that support the seafood sector to be developed. Ultimately, quantifying the amount of plastic contributed by the seafood sector to marine plastics will allow us to advance with solutions and uncover where plastic alternatives are most needed.
Final report
report provides clear-sighted recommendations on the threats and opportunities that plastics hold for the seafood sector, as well as avenues for potential mitigation and reduction.