Aquaculture-Community Futures: North West Tasmania
FRDC Community Engagement Strategy Evaluation Framework
Our Pledge: Australian seafood industry response to community values and expectations
Tactical Research Fund: To explore ways to engage successfully with the indigenous community on fisheries R&D issues
FRDC have conservatively described engagement with the indigenous community as challenging. Indigenous fishing is one of three core topic areas within the current FRDC priority areas and, despite significant opportunity, has received limited interest from the target market.
This project aims to develop and test guidelines for engagement with indigenous applicants and to test the current FRDC funding application process for its "user-friendliness" to this target audience.
Testing the guidelines for engagement will involve people with limited experience with indigenous communities supported by more experienced team members. It is also hoped that FRDC staff will participate in the testing phase.
Final report
Indigenous fishing subprogram: Business Nous - Indigenous business development opportunities and impediments in the fishing and seafood industry
Pathways to social license for the emerging Tasmanian seaweed industry
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.