Indigenous fishing subprogram: Business Nous - Indigenous business development opportunities and impediments in the fishing and seafood industry
Fisheries Research Development Corporation Indigenous Reference Group (FRDC-IRG) has identified the following need:-
Indigenous business development opportunities and impediments in the fishing and seafood industry, the components that have been detailed by the FRDC-IRG include understanding opportunities and impediments for business development, identify the supply chain and research business structures to build enterprise development.
The indigenous fishing sector have commenced the important work of building businesses that can provide product needed by the market and communities; develop employment opportunities for indigenous people; community development through economic development and; recognition of the value of indigenous people and their knowledge and skills.
Additionally this project will address needs developed through the FRDC Indigenous Reference Group principles developed in Cairns in 2012. This project address Principle 4 RD&E - Leads to Improved Capacity That Empowers Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders.
Against the IRG document the project will also address the following identified concepts:-
• Provide Resourcing Options in a User Friendly and Culturally Appropriate Manner to Encourage Greater Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Involvement
• Leads to Agencies Developing Capacity to Recognise and Utilise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Expertise, Processes and Knowledge
• Leads To an Increased Value for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders (Economic, Social, Cultural, Trade, Health, Environmental)
• Leads To Benefit Sharing
This project will also address a number of key areas in the Federal Governments ‘Our North, Our Future – White Paper.’ Specifically it will move some way to addressing these areas:-
• Making it easier to use natural assets, in close consultation with, and the support of,
• Indigenous communities
• Investing in infrastructure to lower business and household costs
• Reducing barriers to employing people
• Improving governance.
Final report
Twenty-two individuals from twenty-one existing, closed or about to commence businesses were interviewed. These twenty-two people were drawn from a range of locations but were from Northern Territory, Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania.
Interviewees were drawn from many age groups, but the highest percentage were from the 55+ age group. Both males and females were interviewed the gender bias was skewed to males. Interviewees were from both fishing and non-fishing businesses and most were sole traders.
The interviewees were generous with their information and were able to provide insight into the skills and knowledge they had used to build and grow their businesses. The interviewees were also able to detail the areas of knowledge that all business owners should have been commencing or running a business.
The findings from twenty-one interviews were the base for developing the information presented on the Business Nous website. However, it should be noted that this output was modified from a decision-making tree. The working group presented the decision-making tree to the Indigenous Reference Group (IRG) and the consensus was that the decision-making tree would either be too complex or too simplistic in assisting Indigenous fishers with relevant fishing business nous.
The key findings suggest that to manage and/or own an Indigenous fishing business, standard principles need to be followed and structures implemented. Business concepts that most business owners understand such as:
• Payroll
• Book-keeping
• Regulations
• Cash-flow
• Staff Management
• Planning and marketing
All of the interviewees indicated that they understood and adopted many of the above and one business embraced all standard business practices covered by the questionnaire.
Additionally, the Indigenous business owners interviewed highlighted a second layer of expectations that were regularly considered when planning for and opening a business. This additional layer of requirements included consideration for:
• Community expectations.
• Cultural obligations.
• Guidance from Elders.
• Consideration of Traditional Knowledge.
The above and other expectations highlighted one of the fundamental questions the working group considered - Is it different for Indigenous people to plan and operate a successful fishing business?
The BN project has developed materials that will assist people think through the essential elements when operating a fishing business.
The three main outputs for Indigenous fishing businesses are:
• Business Nous Website – https://www.irgbusinessnous.com.au/
• Business Nous promotional videos – https://www.irgbusinessnous.com.au/about-business-nous-project
• Business Nous workshop materials – found in Appendix 9
There are key project materials that have been managed to ensure the above outputs were delivered.
Integrating recreational fishing information into harvest strategies for multi-sector fisheries
Fishing and Aquaculture Workforce Capability Framework
The objective of this foundational work is to collaborate with industry to produce a Fishing and Aquaculture Workforce Capability Framework. The Framework will be used by fishing and aquaculture sectors / communities for workforce planning and career mapping. It will support a more strategic and consistent approach to workforce planning. This in turn, will enable industry to build its capacity through better understanding of capability needs.
In addition to the universal challenges associated with a tight labour market (e.g. attracting people, barriers to entry, addressing skills needs), the industry is operating in a changing environment. Other challenges and opportunities for the fishing and aquaculture sectors include:
• Adapting to climate change
• Biosecurity
• Managing resources efficiently
• Meeting sustainability standards / social license to operate
• Moving to a circular economy
• Managing global supply chains (developing traceability, addressing counterfeit)
• Competing with other proteins
• New markets through free trade agreements
• Adopting digital technology, and;
• Attracting and retaining people to drive responses to changes that impact on the F&A community.
The AgriFood Supply Chain Resilience report (KPMG, 2022) identified ‘labour supply, wellbeing and succession’ as one of the significant stresses for seafood supply chains. Other significant stresses were weather and climate change, cold chain and freight space availability, sustainability and social licence, pests and disease and market access.
Fish Forever (2030 vision for Australia’s fishing and aquaculture community) highlights opportunities for the F&A community and contains outcomes under each of the following missions:
1. Growth for enduring prosperity
2. Best practices and production systems
3. A culture that is inclusive and forward thinking
4. Equitable and secure resource access
5. Society and consumers trust, respect and value.
This project will identify the capability needs (current and future) to address these challenges and opportunities. Further, it will support industry, to attract and retain people and to provide pathways to build capability. Sectors will be better informed as to how to address capability needs.
Addressing these needs will ensure industry is better equipped to respond to changes, challenges and opportunities that impact the fishing and aquaculture communities. The fishing and aquaculture map (FRDC website) highlights the “complex systems behind Indigenous, commercial and recreational fishing and aquaculture in Australia and how the elements are connected”. It also highlights how issues or events in one part of the system can have impacts on other sectors. Therefore, industry needs to be prepared for changes.
This project will engage with all key F&A sectors to ensure the capability framework is industry-driven and collectively owned. In addition, the project approach is designed to utilise existing sector/industry plans and not replace existing frameworks. RMCG will work collaboratively with industry.
Final report
The case studies included in this document offer real-world examples of where innovative thinking has been used to solve issues around workforce planning, attraction and retention of staff, and broader geographical and social challenges.
The research and the development of this Framework emphasises the need to think differently, innovate and enable collaboration.
National Recreational Fishing Forum Series (2025-2029)
ARFF proposes to run a 1-day National Recreational Fishing Forum on Tuesday 22nd July 2025. With the set up and additional meetings around recreational fishing to be held on Wed 23rd, the AFTA Trade Show held on Thurs 24th, Fri 25th and Saturday 26th. Allowing participants to travel to the event on Monday 21st and home on Sunday 27th (if not prior). Followed by Annual events in the two years following.
Target Audience/s – Leaders in recreational fishing sector, future leaders of recreational fishing sector, key leaders of other fishing sectors (commercial wild and indigenous), decision makers in governments/departments relevant to recreational fishing. We expect between 150-300 participants.
ARFF will engage a conference organising agency (preferred proposal attached) on the Gold Coast, and set up a forum organising committee from their broader membership. Together they will;
- Determine the logistics of the location and set up, and alignment with AFTA events
- Set up online information and registration
- Promote broadly to recreational fishing groups, peak bodies and recreational fishers
- Determine a program, themes/topics and call for speakers
- Run the event smoothly including all pre event and post event logistics
FRDC will have the opportunity to receive,
- A place on the organising committee
- A mutually agreed number of complimentary registrations
- Any signage provided by FRDC for the forum on stage or at strategic meeting places in the forum break-out/gathering areas
- Logo on all materials, both hard copy and digital including conference website
- Ability to promote the event