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Commercial fisheries and aquaculture activities with insufficient levels of social support can negatively affect industry member well-being and contribute to restricted resource access. More & appropriate engagement is needed to improve stakeholder and community trust & support, both with those affected by industry activity, and with those who affect industry activity (i.e. decision-makers and influencers).

This project addresses the need to ensure that the range of engagement activities and strategies undertaken by organisations and operators within fisheries and aquaculture are effective at:
- building relationships and trustworthiness;
- understanding concerns and needs arising from industry activity; and
- influencing preferences and decisions.

Limited evaluation has been undertaken regarding the effectiveness of engagement strategies and activities in meeting predefined goals. Similarly, limited opportunities exist to transfer knowledge between industry organisations of successful and future engagement practice; or to support improved return on investment of engagement strategies.
The NSW Fishing Industry has a need to improve relationships and trustworthiness with key stakeholders, and to achieve specific outcomes for PFA members, which include; improve social license by industry taking the lead on its own imagery, and an increase in the consumption and variety of NSW seafood.

In addition, there is limited feedback on whether communication strategies about to embark on will be effective at achieving the PFA’s desired outcomes, and there is information to help develop long term engagement strategies and direct limited resources to the most effective activities.

Therefore, there is a need to select a range of community engagement strategies and activities, and evaluate these against predefined goals. Engagement successes need to be extended to other industry organisations,
and if appropriate, decision support materials to be developed to extend knowledge adoption of the findings and materials.

Objectives

1. Evaluate these engagement activities and strategies against their predefined goals, applying an engagement evaluation framework developed by Clear Horizon as part of "FRDC project 2018-201" using standardised and defensible monitoring and evaluation methods.

2. Pilot and refine the evaluation framework using the above.

3. Develop materials to support other industry organisations based on the specific case studies, in selecting, designing, implementing and evaluating types of engagement activities and strategies which have been demonstrated to be highly effective at achieving specific engagement goals. (REVIEW with Stop/Go point)

4. Contribute to extension and knowledge mobilisation of these findings and materials. (REVIEW with Stop/Go point)

Resource list

Summary

This user-friendly tool helps you choose the most suitable engagement activities based on your specific goals, target audience, and resources. By considering factors like budget and expertise, the tool suggests effective strategies to connect with your community.

Project products

Guide • 599.67 KB

How-To-Resources Engagement for Success.pdf

Summary

How can this Digital Toolkit help you?

The seafood industry plays a vital role in economies worldwide. However, its success often hinges on strong relationships with local communities and stakeholders. This toolkit is designed to help fisheries and aquaculture businesses build trust, transparency, and influence decisions effectively by providing resources that will help you engage with your community in a deeper way and effectively communicate your business’s value.

What's Inside?

Our toolkit offers two primary resources:

Interactive Selection Tool

You can access this tool above.

How-to Informational Resources

These PDFs guides provide step-by-step instructions for implementing various engagement activities. Learn how to organize community meetings, develop effective communication materials, and measure the impact of your efforts.

National Seafood Industry Leadership Program 2018 - 2021

Project number: 2017-003

Project Status:

Current

Budget expenditure: $933,988.00

Principal Investigator: Jill Briggs

Organisation: Affectus Pty Ltd

Project start/end date: 31 Dec 2017 - 30 Dec 2020

TAGS

Need

FRDC has developed the 2015-2020 Strategic Plan. The plan details the areas of investment for the industry and provides direction regarding the leadership requirements for the Australia seafood industry. Relevant sections of that document state the following:-
“All sectors of Australian fishing and aquaculture need strong, effective, connected leadership to respond well to the challenges and opportunities before them...Having strong leadership capacity will generate strong fishing and aquaculture communities that are productive, profitable and resilient to change, therefore people development remains an important focus for RD&E...projects include the National Seafood Industry Leadership Program"

The above indicates the ongoing need and support for the NSILP 2018-2020. Additionally, although the NSILP 2015-2017 project is yet to be fully evaluated, there is data indicating a significant increase industry need for the NSILP. This data includes 70 unsuccessful applicants over the course of the project time frame; applicant nominators requesting the reason for unsuccessful application responses and; extremely high caliber applicants who should be accepted into the NSILP being ‘rejected’ over two consecutive years. However, the greatest need remains the ongoing succession of the industry and the need for ongoing opportunity to skill-up and build the knowledge of the individuals who will step into leadership roles.

The NSILP 2018-2020 will address the needs discussed above through providing skill development in key leadership areas such as inter-personal communication, team building and strategy planning. The NSILP will also build industry sector understanding through ensuring an annual diverse participant cohort and seek guests and program speakers who reflect industry breadth and deliver addresses that reflect the range of the industry. The NSILP will raise the positive profile of the industry through building professionalism amongst the participants and through the delivery of a number of participant addresses to the industry.

Objectives

1. To update the current NSILP through a review and desktop research process

2. To provide NSILP learning materials reflecting the above updated program

3. To facilitate a NSILP application and selection process that results in a diverse cohort of program participants

4. To provide a professionally facilitated nine-day industry leadership program for the seafood community

5. To manage the support and development of (a minimum) fifteen (15) NSILP participants/graduates

6. To create strong networks and succession opportunities between the seafood community and NSILP participants/graduates

7. To create strong networks and succession opportunities between the seafood community and NSILP participants/graduates

PROJECT NUMBER • 2020-021

PROJECT STATUS:

CURRENT

Contextualising shellfish food safety in Northern Australia

ORGANISATION:

University of Tasmania

TAGS

Rac Wa

SPECIES

Oysters

Pathways to social license for the emerging Tasmanian seaweed industry

Project number: 2023-101

Project Status:

Current

Budget expenditure: $103,598.00

Principal Investigator: Scott A. Condie

Organisation: CSIRO

Project start/end date: 10 Jan 2025 - 14 Jun 2026

TAGS

Seaweed

Rac Tas

Fisheries Management

Need

Sectors in the blue economy need to understand and manage social expectations in order to maintain their social license and ensure a satisfactory triple bottom line. This is a particular challenge for emerging industries, where data relating to community attitudes and expectations is limited. In the case of Tasmanian seaweed aquaculture, securing social license may be further complicated by existing perceptions and conflict surrounding salmon aquaculture.
The key elements needed to address the challenge of establishing and maintaining a social license for seaweed aquaculture in Tasmania are:
1. A survey of current community attitudes to industry expansion.
2. A tool to understand the evolution of attitudes and test communication strategies, policy options and industry practices in relation to managing social risk.
3. A coherent set of strategies for navigating pathways towards a social licence for seaweed aquaculture.