10 results

Capability and Capacity: International Artificial Reef Study Tour

Project number: 2024-051
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $30,000.00
Principal Investigator: James Florisson
Organisation: Recfishwest
Project start/end date: 21 Feb 2025 - 29 Apr 2025
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Study tour participants will travel to various locations around the Gulf of Mexico to meet with Petroleum Industry members, as well as regulators. The purpose is to gain an understanding of the decommissioning landscape and regulatory environment around the Rigs-to-Reefs program, including any new policy developments. Amongst this, personnel will visit some of the offshore infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico (GoM).

There will also be an opportunity to meet with local stakeholders, other regulators and the local seafood industry to understand their views on the Rigs-to-Reefs program and the impact on their fishing experiences. As a community organisation and regulator, this would be very insightful and provide immense value to Recfishwest and DPIRD respectively. In addition, it will have national application to the seafood industry and assist fisheries in becoming a major stakeholder in the $50B emerging Australian decommissioning industry.

Following the study tour, Recfishwest and DPIRD personnel will attend the 12th International Conference on Artificial Reefs and Related Aquatic Habitats (CARAH) in Santa Marta, Colombia. This international conference focuses on the study, development, and management of artificial reefs and aquatic habitats. These collectives typically bring together researchers, practitioners, and policymakers from around the world to share knowledge, present research findings, and discuss best practices.

These conferences aim to enhance collaboration, and attendees usually include marine biologists, ecologists, oceanographers, and representatives from non-government organisations and government agencies.

There is a great opportunity at CARAH for Recfishwest personnel to present on the outcomes of FRDC Project 2021-055 and extend upon FRDC Project 2014-005 by sharing Recfishwest’s own experiences in the artificial reef space. Sharing artificial reef knowledge from Australia will help to foster good working relationships at the international level and may contribute towards shared goals of sustainable fisheries management.

Objectives of the project include:
1. Gather knowledge and experiences of projects, assets and Rigs to Reefs policy and research outcomes in the Gulf of Mexico.
2. Meet with United States regulators to learn about the management of offshore oil and gas operations and alternative decommissioning. Identify risks to Government and marine environment from leaving decommissioned infrastructure in situ and potential mitigation measures.
3. Meet with stakeholders and end-users to get a local view on decommissioning.
4. Gather knowledge on international policy, legislative frameworks, research and management with regards to artificial reefs and aquatic habitats.
5. Share knowledge and experience from an Australian context.
6. Create a network of international artificial reef experts, including the establishment of an international artificial reef committee.
7. Bring this knowledge and these connections back to Australia to grow community and regulator capacity around artificial reefs and assist with alternative decommissioning opportunities and policy development.

Developing biomass assessment approaches, harvest methodologies and biosecurity knowledge for wild-harvest of seaweeds in southern Australia

Project number: 2021-112
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $576,519.00
Principal Investigator: Jason E. Tanner
Organisation: University of Adelaide
Project start/end date: 30 Mar 2023 - 29 Jan 2026
Contact:
FRDC

Need

After many years of interest but little on ground activity apart from a few established operations based on the harvest of beach-cast material, the seaweed industry is starting to gain momentum in southern Australia. There is particular interest in the farming of Asparagopsis for its methane reducing properties in ruminants, but also in several species for human consumption and other uses, including the golden kelp Ecklonia radiata. While much of the focus is on the development of an aquaculture industry, this needs to be supported by the wild harvest of seedstock, at least in the early years, and there is also some interest in wild-harvest for product. However, the knowledge base and tools available for managers to regulate this emerging industry are limited. This proposal aims to start filling in some of these gaps. The first is to develop an understanding of the biomass present in targeted areas, and importantly, the development of a rapid assessment tool to do this, which can then be used to form the basis of a stock assessment methodology as the industry expands. The second is to develop harvest methodologies that allow for the recovery of local stocks, and which can be used to inform rotational harvest strategies by documenting how long recovery takes. The third is to develop an understanding of some of the biosecurity issues likely to be faced by industry and regulators, which will allow managers to make informed decisions around translocation policies to both prevent the spread of disease, and to maintain the genetic integrity of natural populations.

Objectives

1. Develop a rapid assessment tool for species specific subtidal macroalgal biomass, initially for Asparagopsis armata, A. taxiformis and E. radiata.
2. Develop harvesting methods for the above species that ensure that local populations are not depleted, and that ecosystem function is not compromised.
3. Review literature on macroalgae diseases, pests, health management strategies and population structure.
4. Identify information and approaches to define health management units.
5. Collate information and build an initial basic approach to translocation.
Environment
Industry
Communities
PROJECT NUMBER • 2018-053
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Enhancing the understanding of the value provided to fisheries by man-made aquatic structures

In 2018, the state’s recreational and commercial fishers (represented by the peak bodies Recfishwest and WAFIC) commissioned a program of research as part of a Fisheries Research Development Corporation project aimed at documenting the social and economic values and benefits that stakeholders...
ORGANISATION:
Curtin University

Ensuring market-focused value adding capabilities are available to SA Seafood companies today and through to 2030

Project number: 2022-137
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $61,500.00
Principal Investigator: Ewan A. Colquhoun
Organisation: Ridge Partners
Project start/end date: 18 May 2023 - 30 Aug 2023
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Commercial in confidence. To know more about this project please contact FRDC.

Objectives

Commercial in confidence

Final report

Author: Ewan Colquhoun and Catherine Sayer
Final Report • 2024-02-01 • 1.19 MB
2022-137-DLD.pdf

Summary

Context
Fresh premium seafood has long been the best pathway to a viable consumer. That remains true for premium SA wildcatch species (e.g., rock lobster, prawn, abalone) that are, and will continue to be, prosperous. But processing and value adding have never been more critical to attract retail consumers than they are today. Modern seafood consumers (retail, food service, or online) are informed and agile, and increasingly choosing retail offers that are consumer meals ready-to-eat. Fishers, farmers, and chain partners must engage in this reality if they are to remain competitive and viable.
 
The rising frequency of product recalls by SA seafood manufacturers prompted this review. A Preferred Investment Pathway offers direction to resolve gaps by 2030.
Globally and nationally, aquaculture is the largest seafood supplier, setting baseline prices for retail and online product formats. Its easy access, scalable supply, chain efficiency, and species control over yield and product format, can more easily attract investment. SA aquafarms and a few wildcatch fisheries (e.g., Jackets, Pipi) are approaching economic scale in supply and along integrated supply chains. Both are seeking to integrate or access technology and capability to value-add to tight national retail and food service client specifications. Efficient market-focused seafood value adding will build SA’s capability and retain investment and employment, particularly in regional communities.
 
Consultation
This review consulted widely (fishers, farmers, processors, value adders, investors, regulators) regarding processing and value adding capacity and capability that exists and is required to ensure SA’s successful market focused value adding by 2030. Unsurprisingly capacity gaps already exist and will grow (without clear heads) as supply increases 25,000 tonnes (32%) by 2030. Eighteen core issues and risks are identified.
Human capacity (skills, collaboration, leadership), Technology transfer (NPD, batch trials), and Markets (intelligence, unique selling points) are the most critical and challenging. Most new investment is by industry’s private account, but indirectly coinvestment by government will enable and leverage community outcomes.
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2016-257
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Implementing and evaluating the Australian Seafood Trade Agenda 2016 - 2018 - Seafood Trade Advisory Group (STAG)

This report details the activities and achievements of the STAG for the period 2016 to 2018 including: 1.Consultation with seafood exporters and industry associations to determine and agree on trade and market access priorities for inclusion in the Seafood Trade and Market Access Agenda andAction...
ORGANISATION:
Honey and Fox Pty Ltd
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2018-020
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Cumulative impacts across fisheries in Australia's marine environment

The world is changing more rapidly than any one individual can track. The Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (1999) (EPBC Act) requires for all human activities, such as fisheries, to be sustainable not only in isolation but in combination with other anthropogenic...
ORGANISATION:
CSIRO Oceans and Atmosphere Hobart