Fisheries managers workshop
Given increasing complexity in fisheries management and additional scrutiny on managers, there is a need for fisheries managers from the different jurisdictions to meet as a group to exchange ideas and initiatives and build networks. The Australian Fisheries Management Forum (AFMF), comprised of the respective heads of Commonwealth and State/Territory management agencies, supports the need for such a forum.
Similar cross-fertilisation forums exist between researchers through the Australian Society for Fish Biology (ASFB) and the National Compliance Committee for compliance officers.
It has been a considerable period since fisheries managers workshops were last held. Previous workshops occurred in the 1980s and early 1990s. In March 2014, a two-day national fisheries management workshop was held in Adelaide at the South Australian Aquatic Sciences Centre. This workshop was overseen by the AFMF’s Fisheries Management Sub-Committee (FMSC), with funding support from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC). Recommendations arising from this workshop included convening a subsequent fisheries managers workshop in 12-24 months and the formation of an Australian Professional Fisheries Management Society.
As an interim arrangement pending the potential formation of a professional fisheries managers society as a chapter of ASFB, the FMSC has agreed to hold another fisheries managers workshop, which Queensland will host in October 2017.
Future workshops will be held to coincide with ASFB annually (starting in 2018).
Global review: Incentivising small and medium scale aquaculture businesses to measure and report Environmental, Social, and Governance outcomes
The Australian aquaculture industry is faced with a number of environmental, social and governance (ESG) expectations and challenges now and into the future as we see a growing expectation from major retailers and an investor and increasingly government focus on offsetting carbon, nutrients and land. Specific challenges include measuring and reporting on greenhouse gas emissions, disease and antibiotic use, use of forage fish in feeds, habitat destruction, fish welfare and husbandry, and effluent discharge. While larger corporate businesses and some sectors have made some progress in these areas, the small-medium business enterprises will require support given they often have little to no resources to measure, report and allocate new funding and action to address ESG challenges. This is particularly important in areas where some of the challenges will become expectation e.g. market access and carbon emissions reporting.
There is a substantial disparity on how key ESG indicators are reported and assured across different sectors of the seafood industry, which is dependent on many different factors. These can include (but are not limited to):
- the size of the enterprise;
- local, State or Federal legislation;
- third-party certification requirements;
- global best practices;
- investor expectations
- export market requirements
- company policies
Consistency of reporting across the industry is vital to improve ESG policy and practices, ensure accountability of organisations, and increase consumer confidence of the seafood sector. A review of ESG challenges, and existing reporting frameworks/incentive programs both nationally and internationally will be key to developing a centralised reporting framework that both satisfies compliance and regulation and leads to tangible improvement outcomes for SME in the ESG space.
Scoping study to assess the potential to develop an Indigenous Fisheries Centre of Excellence (IFCoE)
Around 2.5% of Australia’s population is Indigenous, with the NT higher at 30%. Many remote communities in northern Australia are largely Indigenous.
Current discussion between the NTG and Indigenous groups is likely to see increased opportunities for Indigenous engagement in a broad range of fishing industry activities. The need for improved, coordinated, culturally appropriate RD&E and capacity building has been raised a number of times.
Despite extensive funding for Indigenous employment, training and education, Australia still lacks numbers of appropriately qualified Indigenous people, particularly in remote areas. Many previous attempts to provide these opportunities have largely been unsuccessful. Therefore to maximise these opportunities there is a need to have innovative and coordinated RD&E to assist in building capacity.
A number of institutions are undertaking Indigenous RD&E across Australia. Many Indigenous people feel that better results would be achieved by undertaking this in Indigenous communities where existing seafood industry and resource management activities already occur. Top End Indigenous groups have expressed an interest in developing local institutions to deliver RD&E and training related to the seafood industry, including wild-harvest, research, aquaculture, fishing tourism and resource management through a coordinated vehicle.
There is a need to investigate Indigenous people’s aspirations to scope the types of services required and delivery models which will address needs in a culturally appropriate manner, through Indigenous specific programs.
The NT is well placed to take a lead role in investigating the potential for a national investment in Indigenous Fisheries-RD&E. The aim of the project is to assess the potential for the establishment of a CoE in which investments can be planned, coordinated and funded across a range of prospective partners. However, before such a decision can be made, it is considered prudent to undertake a scoping study.
Final report
A number of individual, organisations and institutions across Australia are undertaking some form of Indigenous focussed Research, Development and Extension (RD&E) that has a fishing and seafood focus. However in many instances this RD&E to the Indigenous sector has not been delivered in a strategic and coordinated manner.
A number of Indigenous groups have expressed an interest in developing local institutions to deliver training, and to a lesser extent undertake RD&E, related to the seafood industry, including wild-harvest, research, aquaculture, fishing tourism, compliance and resource management. It has been proposed that optimised outcomes may be best achieved by developing a coordinated approach through a more formalised service delivery vehicle, thereby allowing the development of areas of expertise across northern Australia to enhance delivery of RD&E to Indigenous people, service providers and funders.
Many Indigenous people have expressed a view that greater involvement and better results would be achieved by undertaking RD&E in Indigenous communities, in close collaboration with, or being lead by Indigenous people. Discussions have also shown that there is a need to focus RD&E towards programs that provide real socio/economic benefit to Indigenous people.
This Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) supported project sought to collect information that would allow an assessment of the feasibility of establishing an Indigenous Fisheries Centre of Excellence (IFCoE) to cover northern Australia.
Keywords: Indigenous, Research, Development & Extension (RD&E), fishing and seafood industry.