17 results
People
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2020-093
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Discussion Papers on seafood traceability and labelling

All food sold in Australia must comply with the Food Standards Code. Food label claims are subject to Australian Consumer Law, prohibiting false, misleading or deceptive behaviour. Australian seafood consumers face existing risks and confusion regarding species, nomenclature, and...
ORGANISATION:
Intuitive Food Solutions
Industry
Communities
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Development and ongoing Maintenance of an Australian Standard for aquatic plant names

Project number: 2017-212
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $67,976.00
Principal Investigator: Alan J. Snow
Organisation: Alan Snow Konsulting
Project start/end date: 9 Apr 2018 - 30 Jan 2021
:

Need

This standard will define the standard names for aquatic plant names including algae, microalgae, samphire, etc to be used in Australia; and specify when standard names are to be used. Annex A of the standard will provide a list of agreed standard names for aquatic plants and will form part of the standard.

Plants from marine and freshwater environments are covered by this standard, irrespective of the country of origin.

The scope of the standard is intentionally broad, but the species to be considered initially for inclusion in the Australian Standard for aquatic plant names will be limited to edible marine algae, microalgae, and samphire from marine environments but species from freshwater environments can be included as necessary.

Other commercial species may be added at a later time as necessary.

Not developing a standard would result in marketplace confusion.

This project is to get the process rolling and develop an initial standard.

The project will also include the maintenance of the proposed standard for the first three years

Objectives

1. To assign standard names for current and potential edible aquatic plant names that are sold for human consumption – including commercially important algae and samphire species.
2. To achieve stakeholder support for the proposed names
3. To develop an appropriate Australian Standard for aquatic plant names incorporating the agreed list of edible marine algae.
4. To maintain the Australian Standard for Aquatic Plant Names for 3 years

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-6450899-0-5
Author: Alan J Snow
Final Report • 2021-01-25 • 1.11 MB
2017-212-DLD.pdf

Summary

This project has started as a concept and has culminated in the publishing of AS 5301- the Australian Standard for Aquatic Plant Names. This is recognised as being a “world’s first” and has resulted in an industry agreed list of names at the start of this highly important developing industry.
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2018-006
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

FRDC Resource: Development and ongoing maintenance of Australian Fish Names Standard 2019-2020

This project focuses on the ongoing development and maintenance of the Australian Fish Names Standard. Initiated by Seafood Services Australia in 1999, the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) took carriage of the development of the Fish Names Standard in 2013. Initial accreditation...
ORGANISATION:
Alan Snow Konsulting
People

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
:

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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