The 4 key needs are:

1 - the need to ensure multiple investors - FRDC, DCC and States plus possibly DAFF all achieve the outputs and outcomes they seek from pooled investment while where possible also value adding on their core investment such as through inkind research contributions or other partnership opportunities. Importantly to ensure that the investment activity is collaborative in nature and focuses on the needs of end-users of the research outputs.

2 - the need to translate Climate Adaptation and Mitigation, somewhat long term and challenging policy concepts into meaningful and useful research outputs that Australia's fishing industry can adopt as part of their industry development and management planning [industry here is taken in its broadest sense to include commercial, recreational, indigenous and conservation outcomes]

3 - the need to select and then project manage to successful completion a key and agenda setting combination of research, communication and knowledge exchange activities

4 - the need to conceptually develop an integrated package of activities that while meaningful and useful as outputs in themselves also combine and synergise to produce higher level Program outcomes far greater in benefit to Australia's fishing industry than the component parts

1 - Recreatiopnal Fishing - As identified at the 2012 Recreational Fishing Conference, the vast majority of recreational fishing is inshore. The Conference agreed that habitat protection and repair was one of its four priorities.
RESPONSE- This project spports this priority with the objective of collecting and disseminating in clear and unambiguous terms the loss of inshore productivity due to habitat decline and thence the opportunity for productivity improvement with habitat repair.

2 - Aquaculture - A recent FRDC project developing an Oyster Portal for the oyster industry has clearly identified the decline in Sydney Rock production, much of which can be directly attributed to habitat loss/ net primary productivity decline.
RESPONSE - SRO will be included as one of the indicator fisheries. Growing technology has improved, demand for product is high but production continues to decline.

3 - Commercial Fishing - The Coorong fishery, the prawn fisheries and the barramundi fishery have all been interacting with the PI seeking repair of inshore productivity. All have specific areas of habitat repair and legitimate proposals - eg Burdekin floodplain - over 1500 bunds prohibiting barramundi accessing previous estuarine to freshwater systems; eg Coorong- proposals to maximise the benefits of the increased fresh water in the Murray.
RESPONSE - barramundi, school prawns and coorong fishery will all be case studies

4 - Investor Interest - the Australian Government is keen to invest its Biodiversity Fund in major repair works to theAustralian landscape.
RESPONSE - The companion FRDC funded Business case for habitat repair will suggest a major program of about $300M, including about $10M for further research. This small investment will collate and promate summary facts and figures on the productivity declinne in Australia's estuary fisheries and therefore the benefits of inshore habitat repair.