27 results
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2023-026
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Biosecurity threats and vulnerabilities of the Southern Rock Lobster Fishery

Ausvet undertook an assessment of biosecurity threats and vulnerabilities of the Southern Rock Lobster Fishery on behalf of the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) for Southern Rocklobster Limited. This report identifies key biosecurity threats, barriers/impediments and solutions...
ORGANISATION:
AusVet Pty Ltd
TAGS
Biosecurity
SPECIES
Southern Rock Lobster
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2018-120
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

NCCP: Population dynamics and Carp biomass estimates

This study was undertaken by the Arthur Rylah Institute for the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning. Carp (Cyprinus carpio) is Australia’s most invasive pest fish. To facilitate more effective management, the Australian Government is considering release of a Carp herpesvirus...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Environment Land Water and Planning (DELWP)
TAGS
Reproduction
Population Dynamics
Modelling
Invasive Species
Habitat
SPECIES
European Carp

Energy use and carbon emissions assessments in the Australian fishing and aquaculture sectors: Audit, self-assessment and guidance tools for footprint reduction

Project number: 2020-089
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $98,500.00
Principal Investigator: Robert A. Bell
Organisation: Blueshift Consulting
Project start/end date: 21 Feb 2021 - 23 Jul 2021
Contact:
FRDC
TAGS
Efficiency
Climate Change

Need

As identified in the EOI scope and from previous FRDC and other research, there are multiple needs for further information on energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the Australian fisheries and aquaculture sectors (F&A).
Firstly, at the top-level, a national account of these sector’s performance is necessary to provide a clear determination of the overall F&A contribution within the Agriculture, Forestry & Fishing Industry classification (AFF Industry) classification within National Inventory Data. The AFF Industry is second largest emissions sector and there is a need to disaggregate the F&A sector from the broader agricultural data, and to also develop industry baselines against which further performance can be measured (and potentially benchmarked against other sectors).
Second, there is a need for sub-sectors (specific managed fisheries or industry groups) as well as individual companies to be able measure, assess and then potentially manage their own energy use and emissions.
Finally, once companies, subsectors and the F&A sectors have data, there is a need for education and tools to assist them to improve energy efficiency and profitability, lower emissions and related risks but also importantly how to create positive engagement with stakeholders, particularly customers becoming more discerning in product selection based on carbon footprint, to maintain competitiveness in consumer protein selection decision-making.

Objectives

1. Program 1: Establish energy use and GHG profile of Australian F&A sectors
2. Program 2: Develop and self-assessment tool for Australian F&A sectors energy efficiency and GHG
3. Program 3: Develop a toolbox and examples for emissions reduction opportunities in the fisheries & aquaculture sectors

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-646-86114-2
Author: Robert A. Bell
Final Report • 2022-05-31 • 2.58 MB
2020-089_DLD.pdf

Summary

This project is the first examination of the total carbon emissions of the Australian fishing and aquaculture (F&A) sectors and component seafood production industries. To date, some work had been done on energy consumption and efficiency improvements, but the carbon emissions of the Australian F&A sectors had never been calculated.
 
In Australia’s National Greenhouse Accounts, emissions from the F&A sectors are currently included within the aggregated ‘agriculture, forestry and fishing’ segment. This segment is the third largest in Australia’s inventory, and the ‘fishing industry’ data is overwhelmed within the large, aggregated datasets of these combined sectors and therefore often unintentionally overlooked.
 
However, measuring the carbon footprint of the F&A sectors was a complicated task that required an account of all the emissions generated directly and indirectly by the sectors. This included fuel burnt directly to power fishing vessels, to purchased electricity, refrigeration emissions and the emissions from services and products bought from external suppliers such as bait and aquaculture feed. The study measured the carbon emissions and energy use of Australia’s largest F&A producer industries, which together constitute about 82% of Australia’s domestic seafood production by gross value of production (GVP). While some of the other industries that make supply chain inputs to the F&A sectors are discussed (such as aquaculture feeds and fishing bait), the project focus is on the Australian seafood primary producers.
 
The information is a vital step in providing a competitive advantage for seafood as a low- emissions protein. Seafood consumers are increasingly wanting to know the stories behind the products they’re buying, including efforts by fishers and farmers to reduce their carbon footprint. It also highlights how seafood production may need to adapt in the future. 
 
As part of the project work, three GHG emissions calculator tools were developed to help fishers and farmers better understand what drives their GHG emissions and how to measure them. And once they have been measured, what can be done to better manage emissions, and utilise the information in their operations and customer discussions.
 
The project has identified five recommendations and opportunities for government departments and agencies to update and improve their GHG emissions reporting methodologies for the fishing and aquaculture sectors.

Project products

Technology • 2022-05-31 • 1.81 MB
2020-089_Greenhouse Gases Emissions Calculator Tool_Aquaculture_Offshore_Tool_v1.0.xlsx
Technology • 2022-05-31 • 1.80 MB
2020-089_Greenhouse Gases Emissions Calculator Tool_Aquaculture_Onshore_Tool_v1.0.xlsx
Technology • 2022-05-31 • 1.88 MB
2020-089_Greenhouse Gases Emissions Calculator Tool_Fisheries_Tool_v1.0.xlsx
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2018-114
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Completing Australia’s First National Bycatch Report

Bycatch (non-targeted organisms that are unintentionally caught when fishing for particular species or sizes of species) remains an important issue concerning the world’s fisheries. Discards are considered the most important component of bycatch because they represent a perceived wastage of...
ORGANISATION:
IC Independent Consulting Pty Ltd
TAGS
Stock Assessment
Recreational Fishing
Modelling
Fishing Gear
Fisheries Management
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
TAGS
Sustainability
Rac Cmwth
Marine Park
Habitat
Fishing Effort

Our Pledge: Australian seafood industry response to community values and expectations

Project number: 2017-242
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $153,484.97
Principal Investigator: Jane D. Lovell
Organisation: Seafood Industry Australia (SIA)
Project start/end date: 14 Aug 2018 - 30 Jul 2019
Contact:
FRDC
TAGS
Wellbeing
Value Add
Sustainability
Human Dimensions Research
Health And Safety

Need

Despite considerable investment in RD&E to understand why the Australian seafood industry has been experiencing diminished levels of socio-political and community acceptability, there is still uncertainty regarding the significant values of different segments of the Australian community for coastal and marine systems, their management and industry (Essence Communications 2015). Further, there is evidence these values and associated expectations are highly changeable and can have significant individual, business and national repercussions. While the seafood industry already operates from a strong values-based position of its own - ‘sustainability’, there is evidence the community's concerns have expanded to include animal welfare, supply chain integrity, modern slavery for example.

Understanding community values and expectations is important but not enough. Industry must articulate and demonstrate its commitments to addressing kncommunity expectations. This is critical to breaking the reactive negative cycle that threatens resource access, mental health and viability of our industry. A means of monitoring and tracking industry's success in responding to the community's changing expectations and values must also be developed.

Seafood Industry Australia's (SIA) members have identified social licence. This project is a tangible commitment to a national conversation and action to address community values. It is an opportunity to build seafood industry unity on the basis of a set of shared values and supporting practices.

Australian Council of Prawn Fisheries (ACPF) has initiated a lot of this listening and values-related work relevant to wild catch prawns. ACPF is ready to design, implement and evaluate activities that embed these values as messages and convey the supporting or changing behaviours as proof. ACPF needs to ensure that its outputs reflect the direction of the Australia seafood industry and sees advantages in liaising with SIA as it produces outputs at sector level. In doing so, it will provide a test case for how other seafood industry sectors can undertake to acknowledge and respond to community values and expectations, and make a national set of shared industry-community values their own.

Objectives

1. Identify values of major segments of the Australian community for fisheries resources and seafood industries, and expectations of industry behaviours that support those values
2. Identify values of the Australian seafood industry that are common across the industry at national and sector/regional scales
3. Establish industry response to community values and expectations, including measurable benchmarks of industry behaviours and performance that demonstrate commitment
4. Demonstrate and evaluate the effectiveness of a community engagement and communication strategy that is built on recognised shared values and committment to supporting industry behaviours (Extension proof of concept – Prawns)
5. Increase capacity of industry's current and emerging leaders to engage in values-and-behaviours conversations with community leaders on an ongoing basis

Report

Author: Futureye
Report • 2020-09-07 • 1.02 MB
2017-242_Review of Community Attitudes.pdf

Summary

Seafood Industry Australia commissioned Futureye to review existing research into the Australian communities attitudes toward seafood, as well as other market research, that has been undertaken since 2014. The findings from this review were used to make recommendations to Seafood Industry Australia about what to address in their pledge to demonstrate the industry’s intent to earn its ‘social licence to operate.’

Project products

Report • 2020-09-07 • 354.06 KB
2017-242_The Pledge - Industry Values & Practices.pdf

Summary

Seafood Industry Australia commissioned Sea Change Consulting Australia to review values statements and recorded practices of 52 Australian seafood organisations. This review collated the most common Australian industry values and underpinning behaviours (practices), which provides evidence to demonstrate the industry’s effort and performance regarding to meet shared practices and values to earn its social licence to operate.

Report • 2020-09-07 • 1.12 MB
2017-242_Community Sentiment Research.pdf

Summary

Essence was engaged by Seafood Industry Australia to undertake a research program to help inform the development of a pledge to the Australian community and provide a benchmark of community sentiment towards the Australian seafood industry.

Final Report • 2020-09-15 • 3.70 MB
2017-242-DLD.pdf

Summary

The Australian seafood industry has clearly identified social licence and community perceptions as critical issues for its ongoing viability and prosperity. This is because current research shows substantial proportions of the Australian public are concerned or knows little about the ethics, environmental impact and governance of the seafood industry. To help improve industry’s social licence, this project aimed to develop a clearer understanding of community and industry values and underpinning behaviours to identify both threats to social license and behaviours community would like to see reinforced by industry.

Adoption
PROJECT NUMBER • 2018-077
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Implementation workshop for the effective adoption of the outcomes from the SESSF Declining Indicators project

The key outcome of this project is the implementation plan at Appendix 1 which provides a comprehensive, prioritised list of actions for the SESSF as it transitions to a new harvest strategy framework. The implementation plan also provides a framework for ongoing governance and reporting to ensure...
ORGANISATION:
Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA)
TAGS
Survey
Stakeholder
Rac Cmwth
Harvest Strategy
Fishing Technology
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