R&D includes the activities companies and groups undertake to innovate and introduce new products and services or to improve their existing offerings. The FRDC invests in RD&E to generate knowledge that can be used to create change which will benefit the fishing and aquaculture sectors and this, in turn, benefits Australia more broadly. This research is needed now to provide knowledge to clarify directions and roles in the context of national seafood leadership. Importantly, there is a need for Seafood Industry Australia and NAC to confirm their respective focus to the satisfaction of members, noting that SIA also has an aquaculture remit.

NAC has been representing the sector with severely limiting resources and at the end of last year, the Tasmanian Salmon Growers Association (TSGA), the largest aquaculture sector determined not to renew its membership on a wait and see basis. It is critical and timely for NAC to consult with its current and past members, and sectors not previously represented - including smaller and emerging sectors - and with other key stakeholders, to understand what their needs are for national representation. This includes understanding the RD&E for the sectors, and where these intersect with the objective to confirm what direction should be taken.

In addition, the research and priority setting would provide guidance to FRDC's RD&E planning to align with industry priorities and building on the work completed to date to inform the 2020-2025 vision.
Should it be determined that the NAC is needed and supported, a second phase of work (outside the scope of this application) would be identified to identify the structural, human, and financial resources needed to deliver the value for members. (The implementation of any operating models discerned, will be beyond the scope of FRDC-funded research).

Recent studies into the effects of seismic energy on molluscs have demonstrated a number of cumulative and sub-lethal impacts that indicated impairment of immune systems, cellular damage and adverse changes in behaviour. In scallops, cumulative exposure to seismic energy resulted in increased rates of mortality after 120 days (R Day et al. (2017)). These findings are of critical importance to the pearling industry, which relies on the harvest and husbandry of pearl oysters in coastal shelf water . Pearl oyster crops are typically 2 years duration, so long term effects will have a chronic sub-lethal effect on pearl production. In addition, as the oysters were still not fully recovered at the day 180 sampling, there is concern that the long recovery time may result in a reduction of the reproductive output for up to one year. Energetically compromised oysters will have a reduced reproductive output, and a higher proportion of male oysters, as egg production is more energy intensive.

This would have major ramifications for recruitment into the wildstock pearl oyster fishery and the pearling industry it underpins.

To these ends it became apparent that a 4th sampling round was critical in order to provide a condition data from the oyster sample set after 360 days; so that the responses of the oysters to seismic treatment may be better understood after the completion of one year – bearing in mind that at different times of the year oysters do different things.

The overarching objective of this experiment is to measure the impact of seismic surveys on wild harvested pearl oysters in a way that provides information that is useful to stakeholders in the pearl production and oil and gas industries and to the managers of these resources. The uncertainty surrounding the long-term impacts of seismic surveys on the health of pearl oysters and their pearl production capacity is the key driver of this study.

The current application is to produce the SAFS reports in 2020 and address strategic issues outlined above. In order to ensure the continuation of SAFS beyond 2020, it is essential for jurisdictions to develop ownership of the reports and to embed SAFS processes in core business, and for efficiencies in production and report management to continue to progress. A parallel project to develop jurisdictional reporting services is also underway to assist jurisdiction develop their jurisdictional chapters. As documented in the independent audit of SAFS 2016 (FRDC project 2016-143), the process of compiling SAFS on a co-operative basis between FRDC, Australian government agencies and all fisheries jurisdictions has led to greater joint collaboration, as well as transfers of methodologies and processes, to deliver higher quality and more credible stock status reporting which can be accessed nationally and internationally, as well as assisting in policy decisions regarding changes to particular fisheries management arrangements and in research priorities. Primary drivers for National reporting of the SAFS include: (i) the State of the Environment Report 2011, i.e., ‘lack of a nationally integrated approach inhibits effective marine management’; (ii) a recommendation of the House of Representatives Inquiry into the Role of Science for Fisheries and Aquaculture (Netting the Benefits Report 2012), i.e., ‘producing national status report regularly’; (iii) the Australian Fisheries Management Forum national statement of intent, i.e. a key outcome of ‘Goal 1’ is the National Status of Australian Fish Stocks Report; (iv) the National Fishing and Aquaculture Strategy 2015–20, i.e., ‘Goal 1’ of this strategy will be partially measured by an increased number of fisheries assessed as environmentally sustainable in the Status of Australian Fish Stocks Reports (this includes reducing the number of stocks assessed as uncertain); (v) the FRDC RD&E Plan 2015–20, i.e., key targets for deliverables against National Priority One include (i) “Increase the number of species to 200 in the national Status of Australian Fish Stocks Reports” and (ii) “Reduce the number of species classified as ‘undefined’ from the current figure of approximately