ARDC: Food Security Data Challenges: Increasing food security through liberation of fishing and aquaculture data
The development of digital and data systems (DSS) across fisheries & aquaculture, as well as the agriculture sector more broadly is disparate. How data is collected, how it is stored, and how it can subsequently be used is greatly influenced by factors such as sector digital maturity, or available funding to develop (or upgrade) DSS.
This project seeks to develop a national fisheries and aquaculture data ingestion and storage system (Activity 1), ensuring that information derived from fisheries and aquaculture activities is findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR).
The ingestion and storage system will be bolstered by a complementary data catalogue (detailing the data sets available on the platform) (Activity 2) and analytical tools (able to gain insights without moving data outside the storage platform) (Activity 6).
The platform will be underpinned by metadata (Activity 3) and a robust governance framework (Activity 4). Use of the system will be tested through 3 case studies, supporting capacity and capability improvement of the sector (Activity 5).
The production of and use of data cuts across industry and government, and covers activities throughout the fisheries supply chain (from pre-fishing quota management, to post-fishing processing and subsequent traceability). Consequently there is no one organisation across fishing and aquaculture that is best placed to co-ordinate and trial this technology. FRDC is capable to the leadership required to ensure a fit for purpose product for end users, additionally the leverage of Australia Research Data Commons investment will contribute to the development of a nationally coherent eResearch infrastructure
This project received investment from the Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC). The ARDC is funded by the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS).
Attendance at the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations, Tenure and User Rights Conference in Yeosu, Korea 10 to 14 September 2018
Opportunities and impacts of range extending scalefish species: understanding population dynamics, ecosystem impacts and management needs
Species-level responses to ocean warming is a priority research area as they underpin the structure and function of marine ecosystems and the productivity of fisheries that operate within them.
There are a number of range extending species that have become increasingly abundant in Tasmanian waters, providing new fishing opportunities for recreational and, to a lesser extent, commercial fishers. Species in this group include Pink Snapper, King George Whiting and Yellowtail Kingfish. While King George Whiting are known to spawn off the north coast it is unclear as to whether the other species have or are likely to become established as self-sustaining populations in Tasmanian waters or simply persist as spill-over from populations that are centered off mainland Australia. If the former is the case, it will be especially important to consider population attributes such as growth, mortality and reproductive dynamics relevant to the Tasmanian populations when developing and refining management arrangements to maximise the opportunities these 'new' species bring.
In addition, the broader ecosystem impacts of such range extending species, including competition with resident species at similar trophic levels, are unknown but could have consequences for other recreationally and commercially important species. Understanding these relationships will have benefits for the assessment and management of the Tasmanian recreational fishery more generally.
Final report
This work set out to quantify the biology and diet of three key range-shifting species in Tasmania with both recreational and commercial fishery value. The project was heavily reliant on engagement from the recreational fishing community and multiple citizen science initiatives, as well as historical data.
The information collected was used in modelling to predict how suitable habitats for each species may shift under future climate change projections. The work also indicated the potential changes to the ecosystem (such as food web) if these species’ ranges were to move.
SafeFish 2018-2021
Maintaining and enhancing market access for Australian seafood is critical for future industry growth. SafeFish makes a significant contribution to this by carrying out three types of projects:
1. Food safety incident responses. The SafeFish partners come together during each incident to provide industry and government with immediate technical information required to respond to the incident. Subsequently, technical input is provided to update policies for prevention of similar incidents and respond to them should they recur. Appropriate technical responses reduce the impact of food safety incidents and ensure better outcomes for future management.
2. Technical input to inter-government consultations on food regulations and market access. It is essential for the Australian seafood industry to participate in consultations such as Codex to ensure that proposed new, or modified, regulations are pragmatic and cost-effective for the Australian seafood industry. It is far easier to influence standards under development than after they have been finalised. Similarly, it is essential for the seafood industry to stay in close contact with Food Safety Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) when domestic food safety regulations are reviewed.
3. Proactive research, risk analyses and training. The safety of Australian seafood is not negotiable in domestic and international markets. Over recent years SafeFish has conducted many activities to assist the industry anticipate and minimize food safety risks. The objective of the activities has always been to identify and mitigate risks before they cause a problem, or to grow knowledge to enable us to improve our risk management in a cost effective manner.