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Workshop: The workshop is being hosted Tiffany Morrison, Pip Cohen, Gretta Pecl and Emily Ogier. Their approach is to bring together a small group of exceptional multi-disciplinary researchers and practitioners with expertise in governance, fisheries, climate science, blue carbon, blue finance, blue conservation, Indigenous governance, co-management, and community resilience. It is our aim that discussions will be focused towards producing a jointly authored paper targeted at Nature or Science, complemented by a marine intervention governance protocol and self-assessment tool.

Similarly the ECCWO5 symposium will bring together experts from around the world to better understand climate impacts on ocean ecosystems, the ecosystem services they provide, and the people, businesses and communities that depend on them. The 2023 event will highlight the latest information on how oceans are changing, what is at risk, responses that are underway, and strategies for increasing climate resilience, mitigation and adaptation. It aims to identify key knowledge gaps, promote collaborations, and stimulate the next generation of science and actions.

Climate resilient wild catch fisheries

Project number: 2021-089

Project Status:

Completed

Budget expenditure: $292,985.00

Principal Investigator: Veronica Papacosta

Organisation: Seafood Industry Australia (SIA)

Project start/end date: 30 Jan 2022 - 29 Sep 2022

Contact:

FRDC

TAGS

Climate Resilience

Climate Mitigation

Need

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.

Objectives

1. To understand challenges facing the commercial wild-harvest sector relating to a changing climate

2. To determine opportunities to respond to those challenges, and validate solutions

3. To engage with industry leaders and innovators to explore and validate viable, feasible and scalable options towards climate resilience

4. To demonstrate rapid and practical progress towards climate resilience and elements of SIA’s Our Pledge

5. To build partnerships and relationships with global leaders to enable advancement of prioritised solutions that will enable improved climate resilience

Final report

Authors: Veronica Papacosta Clayton Nelson Tom Cosentino Allen Haroutonian Angus McDonald

Final Report • 2023-12-12 • 8.11 MB

2021-089-DLD.pdf

Summary

This report outlines the impending need for the fishing industry to reduce GHG emissions by 2030. Over 8 months, the project evaluated alternative fuels' potential to cut emissions, recognising challenges in regulatory stimulus and incomplete research. Among numerous options, certain solutions emerged, while others like ammonia and liquid hydrogen faced constraints. The analysis prioritised solutions based on maturity and industry suitability. Economic assessments underscored the significance of fuel prices in shaping viability. The report introduces the "energy transition paradox," emphasising incremental positive steps toward change. Scenarios and roadmaps were crafted, identifying renewable diesel and battery/electric outboards as short-term solutions, while green methanol and emissions capture show promise for the medium term.

Final Report • 2023-12-12 • 8.11 MB

2021-089-DLD.pdf

Summary

PROJECT NUMBER • 2022-027

PROJECT STATUS:

CURRENT

Targeting behavioural change in fisheries and aquaculture

ORGANISATION:

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) Hobart

TAGS

Adaptation

Investigating drivers of environmental change in Pipe Clay Lagoon

Project number: 2023-176

Project Status:

Current

Budget expenditure: $38,400.00

Principal Investigator: Carryn Manicom

Organisation: Marine Solutions Tasmania Pty Ltd

Project start/end date: 15 Sep 2024 - 29 Jun 2025

Contact:

FRDC

TAGS

Need

Coastal lagoon systems in Tasmania form a fundamental part of coastal ecosystems. Healthy lagoons support local biodiversity, and play a key role in nutrient cycling and flood protection. They provide opportunities for sustainable aquaculture, fishing and tourism, while also being appreciated for their recreational amenity and cultural values. Sustainable management of coastal lagoons is essential to environmental and socioeconomic development.

There is limited information about the ecosystem drivers that are influencing the changes being observed in Pipe Clay Lagoon, leading to knowledge gaps in decision making tools and monitoring strategies required to identify and mitigate these changes. The proposed application is a multifaceted approach to investigate the environmental drivers of change in Pipe Clay Lagoon. The findings can then be used to provide valuable guidance for the management and conservation of other coastal lagoons in Tasmania facing similar challenges, providing a model for proactive monitoring and ongoing sustainability.

The FRDC has a responsibility to ensure that research is undertaken to assist in the management of fisheries and aquaculture resources for ongoing sustainability. The changes being experienced in Pipe Clay Lagoon will have implications on the availability and suitability of the lagoon as a sustainable aquaculture site. The planned approach and objectives of the application align with the FRDC’s R&D Plan for 2020-2025 through:

- Building people's capacity and capability
- Ensuring that resulting knowledge and innovation is adopted for impact through awareness of the needs of the ‘adopter’, local context and effective networking
- Continual improvement and collaboration of industry and community to deliver competitive advantage, healthier ecosystems and community support
- Provision of foundational information

Equally and importantly the application aligns with the NRM Strategy for Southern Tasmania 2030 for Pipe Clay Lagoon and similar systems in that wetland health is improved for socio-economically important systems by working with key partners and encouraging investment in monitoring, land and water management practices and on-ground works.
The enthusiasm of those engaged in the stakeholder consultation process was a strong indication of the need, interest and urgency of the application.

Objectives

1. Characterise and quantify environmental changes in Pipe Clay Lagoon, providing an evidence base for anecdotal observations of change.

2. Understand the drivers and interactions behind observed environmental changes in Pipe Clay Lagoon.

3. Identify management mechanisms to safeguard the values of Pipe Clay Lagoon and other Tasmanian coastal lagoons, including sustainability of the aquaculture industry.

4. Capacity building and increased marine literacy within community and industry to help observe and report change.

5. The applicant would welcome feedback and suggestions from FRDC and/or key beneficiaries for additional objectives.

Voluntary behaviour change in recreational fisheries to support sustainability and amenity

Project number: 2023-141

Project Status:

Current

Budget expenditure: $193,128.00

Principal Investigator: Matthew Navarro

Organisation: University of Western Australia (UWA)

Project start/end date: 22 Sep 2024 - 29 Sep 2026

Contact:

FRDC

TAGS

Behaviour

Need

This project responds to an FRDC identified opportunity to review and build on previous experiences aimed towards encouraging recreational fishers to voluntarily diversify their target species.

This project targets three outcomes in the FRDC R&D Plan 2020-25:
-Outcome 1. Growth for enduring prosperity
-Outcome 2. Best practices and production systems
-Outcome 4. Fair and secure access to aquatic resources

Our project consists of two phases, each addressing a discrete need identified through conversations with stakeholders.

Phase 1 – Developing a knowledge base and roadmap:
A robust knowledge base, including data on the the magnitude of behaviour changes achieved by previous initiatives, is required to support the use of voluntary behaviour change interventions for diversifying target species as alternatives to direct regulations. Phase 1 will consist of a backwards looking scan of past-experience to construct this knowledge base from case studies that have implemented an initiative to promote voluntary diversification of recreational target species. This will include a global literature scan, and interviews with stakeholders and managers in Australia to document case studies, identify their successes or failures and compile data on the magnitude of behaviour change achieved. The knowledge base will then be used to identify key knowledge gaps and develop a roadmap of research and information needed to support voluntary behaviour change strategies aimed at diversifying target species as genuine alternatives to direct regulations.

Phase 2 – Improving effectiveness:
Effective behavioural change interventions require careful targeting to ensure they are appropriate and acceptable within a specific context. Phase 2 will look forward with a focus on the future implementation of voluntary approaches that can confidently be applied to promote the voluntary diversification of target species for recreational fishers. This will include a forward-looking test of approaches identified through Phase 1 through interviews, focus groups and a survey of recreational fishers to delve deeply into which approaches are acceptable, where they are acceptable and which approaches are most likely to influence change. The outputs of Phase 2 will include clear advice on which strategies are likely to work in different situations relevant to Australian recreational fisheries.

A project evaluation will take place at the end of phase 1 to evaluate the feasibility of the remaining components, and guide case study selection and strategy for phase 2. This will be based on the interim short report based on phase 1 submitted to the FRDC in the milestone schedule below, as well as progress report 1.

To facilitate co-design and research impact, the research team have engaged with the Australian Fisheries Management Forum (AFMF), the AFSB Fisheries Management Committee (on advice from the AFMF), and the Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation (ARFF). Input from recreational fishing stakeholders into the project will be facilitated through an ARFF advisory panel, with representatives from different jurisdictions across Australia. The advisory panel plan to meet with the research team on 5 occasions across the project (front loaded to facilitate co-design). The model for input from fisheries managers is an on-going discussion but will likely take a similar advisory panel across jurisdictions.

Project risks:
The project relies heavily on the inputs of recreational fishing stakeholders and managers, with potential risks around a lack of availability to participate as well as lack of interest. To manage this risk the project team will work closely with the ARFF advisory group to identify and manage relationships with participants. A secondary project risk is the potential for sharing and disclosure of sensitive information from interviews and focus groups. To manage this risk, the research protocol will be subject to a human ethics review against the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research. Through this process, issues of anonymity, data management and retention and data sharing will be addressed in-line with national standards and carried throughout the project.

Objectives

1. To develop a global knowledge base of behaviour change strategies that have been used to promote diversification of recreational target species.

2. To identify the magnitude of behaviour change achieved by different strategies.

3. To identify key knowledge gaps forming a road map for supporting voluntary behaviour change strategies aimed at diversifying target species as genuine alternatives to direct regulations.

4. To identify success factors that may have driven success or failure of past behavioural change strategies.

5. To develop a shortlist of strategies that experiences suggest will be effective in an Australian context.

6. To test the shortlist of potential behaviour change strategies from Phase 1 in terms of their acceptability, likelihood to influence change to deepen understanding of success factors (e.g., motivators, species, and/or incentives) within the Australian context.

7. To package key insights, lessons and recommendations for behaviour change initiatives to diversify fish species for recreational fishers.

8. To ensure this knowledge is easily accessed and practical, and framed so as to speak to the values and drivers of recreational fishers.

9. To maximise the reach and amplification of this knowledge through building the capability of fisheries managers.

National Fish Habitat and Climate Response Partnership

Project number: 2023-021

Project Status:

Current

Budget expenditure: $360,000.00

Principal Investigator: Craig Copeland

Organisation: OzFish Unlimited

Project start/end date: 31 Mar 2024 - 1 Mar 2026

Contact:

FRDC

TAGS

Need

In Australia, up to 90% of critical fish habitat for coastal fisheries, including seagrass, giant kelp, saltmarsh, and shellfish reefs, has been lost or significantly degraded. Many research studies have linked habitat with fisheries productivity, with habitat loss particularly impacting juvenile nurseries. Yet despite this information fish habitat restoration is not a recognised management tool in fisheries/harvest management strategies. Given this situation there is a strong need for a cohesive partnership across all fisheries sectors to support repairing productivity through fish habitat restoration and to create a forum where key sectors concerned for or dependent on aquatic habitat condition, can discuss problems and opportunities. This project will address a number of barriers limiting the restoration of fish habitat around Australia; accessibility of data relating fisheries production to habitat condition, limited penetration of this information into management and building a forum for the key fishing sectors to consider this information and develop responses.

Objectives

1. Create a collaborative space for key stakeholders in which to understand, interpret, compile and communicate knowledge resources required to support and inform the future habitat and climate resilience challenges facing fisheries and environment agencies and decision makers

2. Use the partnership to

a. Measure the status of waterways in relation to fisheries productivityb. Communicate within and between sectors the implications of the resulting status information.c. Develop waterway ecosystem protection and restoration targets.d. Contribute to environmental and fisheries policy development utilising the partnership to codesign policies to include principles and actions to address the need for waterway ecosystem protection and restoration as well as affect Future of the Industry report and various stock assessments.