14 results
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PROJECT NUMBER • 2019-011
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Optimising Compliance Outcomes in Recreational Fisheries

This study investigated strategies to enhance compliant participation among recreational fishers, using the Peel-Harvey Blue Swimmer Crab fishery in Western Australia (WA) and the Blue Swimmer Crab fishery in South Australia (SA) as case studies. 
ORGANISATION:
University of Western Australia (UWA)
TAGS
Sustainability
Recreational Fishing
Rac Wa
Rac Sa
Human Dimensions Research
SPECIES
Blue Swimmer Crab
Adoption
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2017-021
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Southern Ocean IPA - Stock Connectivity of Antarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni)

This project, undertaken by the department of environment and Energy, Australian Antarctic Division, delineates the stock structure of the Antarctic Toothfish in the Southern Ocean, and evaluates the species' suitability for the close-kin mark-recapture method for estimation of biomass in East...
ORGANISATION:
Australian Antarctic Division (AAD)
TAGS
Tagging
Sustainability
Stock Assessment
Fishing Gear
Compliance
SPECIES
Patagonian Toothfish
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2017-013
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Rebuilding Southern Rock Lobster stocks on the east coast of Tasmania: informing options for management

Understanding relationships between fisher behaviour, their expectations/aspirations, responses to changes in stock status and to management intervention is critical when implementing effective management strategies. This project aims to inform on the practical challenges to achieving the stock...
ORGANISATION:
University of Tasmania (UTAS)
TAGS
Wild Catch
Survey
Stock Assessment
Stakeholder
Responsible Fishing
SPECIES
Southern Rock Lobster
People
Industry
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Adoption
PROJECT NUMBER • 2019-078
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Fishing for change: A social marketing approach to reduce the recreational harvest of Snapper and Pearl Perch in Queensland

The ‘Fishing for Change’ project used a social marketing approach that engaged stakeholders to codesign, implement and evaluate solutions to voluntarily change people’s recreational fishing behaviour.
ORGANISATION:
Currie Communications
TAGS
Sustainability
Social Science
Social Science
Recreational Fishing
Rac Qld
SPECIES
Snapper
Pearl Perches
Adoption

Practicing aquatic animal welfare: Identifying and mitigating obstacles to uptake and adoption by the Australian Fishing Industry

Project number: 2019-023
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $100,100.00
Principal Investigator: Nicki Mazur
Organisation: ENVision Environmental Consulting
Project start/end date: 1 Dec 2019 - 14 Dec 2020
Contact:
FRDC
TAGS
Wellbeing
Human Dimensions Research
Fisheries Management
Community
Animal Welfare

Need

Recent research shows general public support for Australia’s fishing industry (Sparks 2017; Voyer et al 2016) that depends on people’s assessments of industry’s commitment to implement best practice and demonstration of being effective environmental stewards (Mazur et al 2014). The FRDC has recognised external pressure for the fishing industry to move beyond compliance with environmental and other regulations and improve its performance in key areas, including animal welfare. As noted above, the FRDC has provided support for a range of research and industry initiatives to achieve positive aquatic animal welfare outcomes. The FRDC also recognises that further improvement to the seafood industry’s aquatic animal welfare practices are required.

Recent FRDC project investments has produced valuable knowledge about how when change is called for it is very important to recognise that multiple factors influence – positively and/or negatively - people’s decisions to take up those new, innovative, and/or different practices (i.e. 2017-133, 2017-046, 2017-221). These factors typically include personal values and belief systems, access to different kinds of resources required to make changes, particular features of the recommended practices, as well as a range of macro-levels factors that while they may be outside of people’s direct control still affect their choices. FRDC Project 2017-133 generated important insights about how and to what extent these kinds of factors have been keeping the seafood industry from making more substantive progress towards building greater stakeholder and community trust (Mazur & Brooks 2018).

Further work of this nature is now needed to shed greater light on aquatic animal welfare in the seafood industry (FRDC 2017-221). In particular the research should be focused on identifying the particular features of ‘best care’ for aquatic animals, the range of factors that may be obstructing industry members’ use of those practices, and examples of recent (extension) initiatives used to encourage better aquatic animal welfare.

Objectives

1. Identifying best practice in (aquatic) animal welfare.
2. Identify the extent to which fishers and finfish aquaculture farms are applying best practice in Australia
3. Identify factors impeding the uptake and adoption of a selection of recommended aquatic animal welfare practices in wild-catch commercial fishing and finfish aquaculture
4. Identify appropriate strategies to mitigate obstacles to improved uptake and adoption of those recommended practices
5. Help build the Australian fishing industry's capacity to design and implement extension programs, especially those targeting increased uptake and adoption of recommended aquatic animal welfare practices
6. Contribute to increased likelihood of more widespread and enduring practice-change in the seafood industry's aquatic animal welfare practices in wild-catch commercial fishing and finfish aquaculture

Final report

Author: Dr. Nicole (Nicki) Mazur and Mr Andy Bodsworth
Final Report • 2022-03-31 • 1.78 MB
2019-023-DLD.pdf

Summary

This FRDC funded research  focuses on the obstacles to, and drivers of, positive practice change relating to aquatic animal welfare (AAW) in Australia’s wild-catch commercial fishing and finfish aquaculture sectors. It was conducted between December 2019 and March 2022 in response to growing societal expectations that production animals, including fish and crustaceans, be treated humanely ; and the need to understand how the Australian seafood industry can, and should, respond. 

A mixed-method approach was used to collect data and information for this research. These included a desk-top review, stakeholder consultation, and a set of interviews. 

This Project identified a range of AAW practices used by some seafood producers that they believed to be ‘humane’. The Project also identified some factors enabling and impeding seafood producers’ approaches. Key factors supporting AAW uptake and adoption included a seafood producers’ openness to change and interest in learning, the relative advantages of using recommended practices, well designed and resourced extension, and positive relationships across industry, government and interest group networks. 

This Project provides highly useful insights about AAW practices used by a small sample of Australian seafood industry members, which were primarily representatives of the wild-catch commercial fishing sector with two from the finfish aquaculture sector. This project’s findings support results from other recent Australian seafood industry research and policy initiatives, which have found that more appropriately designed and consistently-funded extension programs can help improve AAW uptake and adoption. However, AAW is a complex issue, and requires more than just extension.  A range of carefully conceived and integrated policy instruments (e.g., market instruments, regulations) are needed to achieve substantive and lasting AAW practice change. Five recommendations have been formulated to help amplify enablers of and mitigate obstacles to AAW uptake and adoption. Suggested next steps include a workshop to draw out policy and industry-led options to enhance adoption, including feasibility of a risk assessment; and a case studies to test risk assessment and options to improve adoption.
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