Carbon Farming Outreach Program. Integrated approaches to building fishing and aquaculture emission knowledge - Gap analysis
FRDC will analyse fishing and aquaculture emissions reduction and carbon sequestration information to support development of the Carbon Farming Outreach Program's knowledge bank. FRDC will identify gaps in publicly available information on emissions reduction, emissions intensity, and carbon sequestration, and provide actionable insights/recommendations to avoid duplication and ensure cross-commodity consistency. The project will collaborate across stakeholders, RDCs, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, and the broader supply chain. The project will engage a consultant with extensive knowledge of fishing and aquaculture and other commodities to conduct the analysis, ensuring it is informed by industry-specific expertise and includes collaborative opportunities with other RDCs. The project will involve systematic stakeholder consultations to identify and prioritise gaps and develop actionable recommendations for producers to lower emissions and sequester carbon.
Linking ecosystem services to the profitability of prawn fisheries linked to 2017-188
FRDC communication of evidence-based information on the healthfulness and sustainability of seafood to Health Professionals
The present application will build extensively on the previous nutrition research of Somerset and Bowerman by engaging health professionals in evidence-based and practical communication material which they can use to assist consumers in integrating seafood towards more healthy and sustainable dietary choices.
Dr Gabrielle O’Kane, a board member of the Dietitians Association of Australia, has also been conducting multi-disciplinary research focusing on the barriers and drivers of fish consumption in Australia. On the 18 May 2017, Dr O’Kane gave an oral presentation ‘Aligning sustainability and nutrition goals in Australian seafood consumption’ at the 34th National DAA conference in Hobart, reporting on the findings of the advice related to seafood consumption provided by APDs and PHNs to their clients. The findings showed that APDs and PHNs are uncertain as to where to find reliable evidence-based information on sustainable seafood stocks. The conference had over 600 delegates and there was keen interest in the Nutrition in Public Health, Community and the Environment stream of concurrent sessions, of which this presentation was a part. See the link http://daa2017.com.au/cms/wp-content/uploads/DAA-2017-Final-Program-as-of-24-April-2017.pdf. Dr Carolyn Stewardson was able to assist Dr O’Kane with sourcing clear, summarised information on the status of Australian wild fish stocks in advance of the conference, which was well-received by delegates. One of the key take home message of Dr O’Kane's presentation was to check the sites www.fish.gov.au and www.fishfiles.com.au.
There is a clear gap in the provision of evidence-based information on (i) performance of fisheries management/status of Australia’s fish stocks and (ii) the health benefits and recommendations around eating fish, to this sector. Dietary recommendations for fish intake presents a conflict between desired outcomes for environmental sustainability and health.
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Comparative evaluation of Integrated Coastal Marine Management in Australia - Workshop
There is widespread evidence, in Australia and internationally, of increased need for an improved, practical approach to integrated management (IM) of fisheries and other coastal marine activities that is able to fully embrace the social, economic and institutional aspects (the so-called ‘human dimensions), of management. Assessment and management systems traditionally neglect the human dimensions. Further, they treat sectors separately, often with different authorities managing diverse activities in different ways, resulting in inconsistencies in management across activities. The result is that there is almost no consideration of the cumulative social, economic or ecological impacts of multiple activities, and no way of informing trade-offs among activities in management decision-making.
Experience to date is that IM has been only partially successful. Management of multiple activities has been additive…squeezing one activity in among others (e.g aquaculture in light of others). While there are some examples of movement toward IM, these have resulted in partial or temporary success. There are examples where management has started toward IM, but progress has been stalled or has fallen back. In general, many preconditions exist, but it has been hypothesized that management is missing key aspects of intentional design that would allow IM to proceed.
The proposed workshop will bring together those with both the science knowledge and the operational knowledge of 8-10 Australian IM case studies and a few with international expertise, to evaluate and compare experience towards identifying key elements of success and failure of Integrated Management.