The demand for alternative proteins is increasing globally, and although the impact on the fishing and aquaculture sectors is lagging, it is an opportune time to review the potential risks and opportunities. This will help us reposition the sector to make use of the opportunities and mitigate the risks.

Our multidisciplinary team will deliver a detailed assessment of risks and opportunities, and engage stakeholders to understand their needs, concerns and impact pathways. We will use our analysis to demonstrate the potential pathways they can use to make use of the opportunities and mitigate the risks.

Our project will:
- Understand the opportunities and risks for the growing trend of alternative proteins on the fishing and aquaculture sectors and supply chain
- Assess the potential impacts of alternative proteins on the fishing and aquaculture sectors and supply chain through scenario modelling
- Engage deeply with fishing, aquaculture and related stakeholders to co-design interpretation of insights into risks and opportunities as well as formulating options and responses
- Make recommendations on how fishing and aquaculture sectors and enterprises might re-position to embrace benefits associated with alternative proteins, and respond to associated risks.

Relevant outcomes:
Outcome 1: Growth for enduring prosperity
Outcome 3: A culture that is inclusive and forward thinking
Outcome 5: Community trust, respect and value
Enabling strategy III: Promote innovation and entrepreneurship
Enabling Strategy IV: Build capability and capacity

The need for this project is to activate and engage industry in viable options towards climate resilience by 2030. This includes the need to demonstrate that immediate options exist and are viable and meaningful, while also gaining support for a clear plan to transform the industry and supply chain with support both internally and beyond the sector. The key needs are:

01 | Industry awareness of the problems and solutions around climate change and resilience is below where it needs to be to activate broad transformation. There is little action towards climate resilience (1 player) in comparison to other agricultural sectors.

02 | There will be increasing competition within the protein market to validate and promote sustainable practices and positive contributions to the environment/climate.

03 | Leaders and innovators in the industry are attempting to act in isolation with few resources to support industry and supply chain coordination and acceleration.

04 | Change around the edges that can be achieved by some stakeholders operating alone will not deliver the transformation at a scale or pace that is required to meet growing and broadly felt consumer expectations that indicate demonstrable action on climate change.

05 | There is a surplus of tools, resources and research around climate change and resilience, but to this point, little of that work has been translated into forms fishers find usable and valuable.

06 | There is a need to identify early adopters and innovators in the space to lead new ways operating into the future.

07 | There is an FRDC funded project to undertake a Lifecycle Assessment being concluded early November. This work has been preliminarily identified fuel, transport, and refrigeration as key challenges requiring new solutions/opportunities for industry.

08 | Propulsion and fuel have been identified as key challenges in wild catch fisheries achieving climate resilience and reducing carbon emissions, and will be the focus of this project.

Australian and New Zealand Rock Lobster is a high value product that has strong recognition in their local and export markets. There is significant capital investment across the combined jurisdictions of the Trans-Tasman lobster fisheries. As with most other wild caught fisheries and seafood sectors Trans-Tasman lobster fisheries face similar challenges in regards to, sustainability, threats to / competition for the resource and resource access, product quality and food safety, implications from aquaculture production and applying and taking advantage of new and emerging technologies. In addition to these common industry issues, lobster fisheries produce a product that is predominantly for live export which adds further challenges such as barriers to trade and trade agreements, complex supply chains and understanding the ‘what and where’ of new market opportunities.

Well organised and educational forums such as Trans-Tasman Rock Lobster Congresses enable a sharing of information and a collaborative approach to addressing challenges and sharing successes. Since first being held in 1999 the biennial Rock Lobster conferences have become the pre-eminent forum for the respective Trans-Tasman lobster industries to consider and address the many challenges across the supply chain. There is never a shortage of key issues and topics to address and bring together in a common theme to deliver a successful Trans-Tasman Industry Congress that has the support of all the key industry bodies and wider stakeholders.

The history of successful Trans-Tasman Industry Congresses, speaks for itself.
Trans-Tasman Congresses have well established support of all the key industry bodies and wider stakeholder interests with all lobster producing jurisdictions having now hosted an event. This history combined with the experience, existing contacts, establishing themes, producing engaging programmes, having informative exhibitions, attracting quality keynote speakers - both local and international, continuing sponsorship from service providers and the ability to attract the general support of industry ensure there is a pool of support and knowledge to deliver successful congresses

Initial Contributions (2023):
• Total combined initial contributions will be to a maximum of $30,000.00.
• Request a cash contribution from the NZRLIC.
• Request a contribution from the Eastern Rock Lobster Industry.
• Contribution from the SRL IPA.
• Contribution from the WRL IPA.

Proposed Governance Arrangements:
• The Managing Entity (ME) i.e. the industry body responsible for administering the congress in a particular year, will be responsible for holding and managing the ‘kitty’ of funds.
• ‘Surplus’ funds will be used to fund the administration, hosting and attendance of any planning meetings conducted in the ‘interim year’, this process will be managed by the ME responsible for hosting the most recent (past) Trans Tasman Congress.
• PI & Co-Investigators will discuss and confirm the amount required for future initial contributions.