62 results

Aquatic Animal Health Subprogram: facilitating the establishment of the Aquatic Animal Health Consultative Committee (AAHCC) as the primary industry-government interface for aquatic animal health issues in Australia

Project number: 2002-600
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $18,372.75
Principal Investigator: Mark S. Crane
Organisation: Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry
Project start/end date: 26 Jun 2002 - 31 Oct 2005
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The report (Attachment 2 ) of the Working Group to review FHMC was considered by FHMC at its meeting on 29 November 2001. FHMC agreed with the Working Group’s recommendation to reconstitute FHMC into a new body, named the Aquatic Animal Health Consultative Committee (AAHCC). Subsequently, a 2-page summary document was prepared, with the suggested Terms of Reference for the new AAHCC, its membership, modus operandi, and funding arrangements (Attachment 3 ). FHMC also suggested that a business plan for AAHCC be developed, which would, inter alia, incorporate the FHMC-endorsed plan for the Australian Aquatic Animal Health Information System (AAAHIS) (Attachment 4 ). FHMC agreed that the 2-page summary document on the suggested AAHCC needed to be widely circulated to stakeholders, accompanied by an AAHCC business plan, by the FHMC Working Group Report, and by the revised AAAHIS Business/Operational Plan. This consultation process is planned for the second and third quarter 2002 (see Attachment 5 for a flow-chart). Following endorsement by stakeholders, the AAHCC business plan is to be presented to the Primary Industries Standing Committee (PISC) for endorsement at their in-session meeting in September 2002.
The project application seeks funding for the consultancy to develop the draft AAHCC business plan and support the subsequent stakeholder consultation process.

Objectives

1. To prepare a draft business plan for the suggested Aquatic Animal Health Consultative Committee.
2. To facilitate the stakeholder consultation process on the ‘AAHCC package’ including the draft business plan for AAHCC and the AAAHIS business plan.
3. To finalise the ‘AAHCC package’ including the final business plan for AAHCC and the AAAHIS business plan, and submit it to the Primary Industries Standing Committee (PISC) and key industry stakeholders for endorsement.
4. To facilitate the establishment of AAHCC.

Final report

ISBN: 0-9752347-1-4
Author: Eva-Maria Bernoth
Final Report • 2004-04-16 • 710.99 KB
2002-600-DLD.pdf

Summary

The development and implementation of AQUAPLAN, Australia’s National Strategic Plan for Aquatic Animal Health 1998-2003, was overseen by an interim joint industry/government committee, the Fish Health Management Committee (FHMC). In November 2001, a working group established to review FHMC found that FHMC had fulfilled its terms of references, and that a new body, the Aquatic Animal Health Consultative Committee (AAHCC) should be formed. FHMC agreed with the working group’s recommendations and suggested that a business plan for AAHCC be developed, which would, amongst others, incorporate the FHMC-endorsed plan for the Australian Aquatic Animal Health Information System (AAAHIS). Following a stakeholder consultation process, the AAHCC business plan was to be presented to the Primary Industries Standing Committee (PISC) for endorsement at their in-session meeting in September 2002.

The aim of this project was to support a consultancy to develop the draft AAHCC business plan and to support the subsequent stakeholder consultation process.

Keywords: aquatic animal health; disease; aquaculture; consultation; policy development

Mentoring women in the seafood industry

Project number: 2002-316
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $0.00
Principal Investigator: Shelley Spriggs
Organisation: Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry
Project start/end date: 19 Oct 2002 - 30 Jun 2004
Contact:
FRDC

Objectives

1. #Missing at time of Migration - No Objective provided by applicant

Aquatic Animal Health Subprogram: enhancement of emergency disease management capability in the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and the redclaw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) industry

Project number: 2001-660
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $11,755.00
Principal Investigator: Iain East
Organisation: Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry
Project start/end date: 12 Sep 2001 - 30 Jun 2002
Contact:
FRDC
SPECIES

Need

Few major disease incidents have occurred in Australian aquaculture, and as a result, State/Territory departments and industries have relatively little experience in incident management for emergency aquatic animal diseases. No jurisdiction to date, has conducted a large scale response to eradicate an exotic disease in aquaculture, and thus expertise in these areas is limited. In the absence of real-life emergency events to provide "on-the-job" training, simulation exercises provide a practical alternative to expose staff to aspects of emergency management.

The need for these exercises can be summarised as follows:
1. Both government and industries have relatively little experience with real emergencies
2. In some jurisdictions, there are no emergency plans extant and there is a lack of clarity about the roles and responsibilities of various individuals and departments especially where fisheries are managed separately from terrestrial animal industries.
3. The lack of previous disease incidents has lead to complacency within several industries
4. Lack of experience with emergency management will invariably lead to a delayed response to a disease emergency, and that in turn may lead to a greater spread of the disease, loss of Australia's disease free status and severe impacts on export industries.

All simulation exercises are initiated by requests from clients - both industry and government. Both the QDPI and the redclaw crayfish industry have requested the proposed exercise and actively support this proposal. The proposed exercise has also attracted interest from the NSW Department of Fisheries, the Northern Territory Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries and the New Zealand Ministry of Fisheries, all of whom have requested to send observers to the exercise.

Objectives

1. To examine and test the skills and abilities of the participants in group problem solving and decision making skills.
2. To increase the participants' knowledge of the communication routes to be used in an emergency disease response by working through a scenario which mimics a real emergency situation.
3. To improve the participants' ability to manage tasks by prioritising a number of competing demands during the operational phase of an emergency response.
4. To increase participants' understanding of the operational effects of specific requests to field staff operating at infected premises.
5. To familiarise participants with operating practices on a redclaw crayfish farm and to enhance the identification of methods of disease control applicable to this industry.
6. To identify key issues for future development of emergency management in a range of subjects including planning, communication, staffing and resourcing.

Final report

Aquatic Animal Health Subprogram: strategic planning, project management and adoption

Project number: 2001-093
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $284,064.00
Principal Investigator: Mark S. Crane
Organisation: Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry
Project start/end date: 29 Jun 2001 - 15 Aug 2004
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Overseas experience demonstrates how diseases reduce profitability, sustainability and competitiveness of aquatic animal industries (for references see ATTACHMENT 6). Despite a rapid and continuous expansion in aquaculture, Australia has not experienced significant disease emergencies in farmed aquatic animal populations. However, pilchard mortality events in 1995 and 1998 have provided warning signals and demonstrated the need to increase our capability to respond to – and preferably prevent – aquatic animal disease outbreaks.

Since 1992, the FRDC as the biggest research investor has contributed more than $11million to over fifty projects related to aquatic animal health. Due to project diversity and cross-linkages to several FRDC Programs and existing Subprograms, well-facilitated project management is a fundamental requirement to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in delivering and extending results and would be facilitated by a dedicated Subprogram with its leader and supporting infrastructure.

With the development of a strategic R&D plan for aquatic animal health as a highest priority task, the Subprogram would contribute to preventing duplication of research, increase cooperation amongst researchers and thus achieve one of AQUAPLAN’s key priority objectives. It would thus underpin stability in aquatic animal health research and provide a greater level of service to research output beneficiaries.

The FRDC Subprogram would not only manage traditional R&D projects, but also develop Program Activity Plans and deliver projects under an AFFA/FRDC Agreement ([…] for the delivery of Program Activities under the Building of a National Approach to Animal and Plant Health program). FRDC will be advised by FHMC’s AQUAPLAN Business Group (ABG), chaired by ASIC and NAC, fulfilling the role of the Subprogram steering committee. Thus, the national approach can be developed in tandem to the R&D strategy, and guaranteeing links among the two. Significant components of the AQUAPLAN Workplan could be achieved.

Objectives

1. Coordinate the FRDC Subprogram Aquatic Animal Health (project applications, workshops, communication) including the Program Activities funded under the AFFA/FRDC Agreement (Agreement between Commonwealth of Australia and Fisheries Research and Development Corporation ABN 74 311 094 913 for the delivery of Program Activities under the Building of a National Approach to Animal and Plant Health program).
2. Set strategic directions for aquatic animal health R&D in Australia.
3. Facilitate the dissemination of information on, and results from, aquatic animal health R&D.
4. Develop and implement a dedicated communication strategy for aquatic animal health R&D in Australia.

Final report

World's Best Practice in Environmental Management of Shrimp Farming

Project number: 2000-196
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $7,500.00
Principal Investigator: Simon Wilkinson
Organisation: Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry
Project start/end date: 17 Dec 2000 - 8 Nov 2003
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Domestic need

Within Australia, the regulatory frameworks for ecologically sustainable development (ESD) are at a critical point in their development. At the Commonwealth level, aquaculture will be directly affected by amendments to Schedule 4 of the Wildlife Protection (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1982 (WPA); by the introduction of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC); and in Queensland, by the introduction of the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (Aquaculture) Regulations 1999. Environmental legislation regulating shrimp culture in Queensland is also currently under review.

The Standing Committee on Fisheries and Aquaculture (SCFA) has established a Working Group on ESD. The working group aims to develop ESD indicators for assessing fisheries and aquaculture in environmental, social and economic contexts. It is anticipated that the ESD assessment process developed through this work will form the basis for Environment Australia’s assessment of fisheries and aquaculture under WPA and EPBC. The first aquaculture case study was held on shrimp farming, 3-4 October 2000.

The Australian Prawn Farmers Association (APFA) convened a National Shrimp Farming Environmental Management Workshop 24-25 May 2000. One of the outcomes of the workshop was for Australian industry “…by 2010, to have technology and farming practices and strategies that achieve worlds best practice and nil tangible water quality impacts…APFA to establish a comprehensive strategy for ESD by fully supporting SCFA Case Study for developing ESD Indicators.”

Given these developments, the expert consultation is ideally placed to facilitate the development of appropriate ESD policy, legal frameworks and good management practices for shrimp culture in Australia. It is expected that the outcomes of the consultation will provide guidance and a common platform for the policy development currently being undertaken by SCFA, Environment Australia and the Australian Prawn Farmer’s Association. This will occur through the interaction of key Australian policy officers with international experts at the consultation, and through the guidelines arising from the workshop.

International need

In December 1997, FAO convened the Technical Consultation on Policies for Sustainable Shrimp Culture. This consultation brought together government delegates and observers from 12 countries of Asia and America accounting for about 90 % of the global production and major consuming countries.

The Consultation noted that the achievement of sustainable shrimp culture is dependent on effective government policy and regulatory actions, as well as the co-operation of industry in utilising sound technology in its planning, development and operations. In this regard, the Consultation recommended that: FAO convene expert meetings to elaborate best practices for shrimp culture and the legal and other regulatory instruments for coastal aquaculture.

Objectives

1. Provide a recognised international forum for discussion on the promotion of sustainable shrimp culture practices, and related institutional and legal instruments
2. Continue facilitating the process of consensus-building among major stakeholders concerned with shrimp culture development and management
and
3. Identify/determine avenues, as well as specific benefits and limitations, for the development and implementation of Good Management Practices and Good Legal and Institutional Arrangements leading to improvements in shrimp aquaculture management practices at farm and institutional levels.
4. Development of a range of guidelines to implement good management practices for sustainable prawn farming

Final report

ISBN: 92-5-104730-8
Author: Simon Wilkinson

Southern Bluefin Tuna Aquaculture Subprogram: development of a strategic plan for the propagation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (SBT)

Project number: 1999-376
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $25,243.00
Principal Investigator: Paula Shoulder
Organisation: Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry
Project start/end date: 28 Jun 2000 - 1 Nov 2001
Contact:
FRDC

Need

1. To maintain future growth of the SBT aquaculture industry.
Current SBT quota restrictions mean that the value of tuna production in Australia, despite high demand, is unlikely to rise above $300 million per annum. However, supplementing the wild and aquaculture stocks with hatchery produced juveniles will make a major contribution to increasing the potential for this industry to expand.

2. Enhancement of wild stocks.
Not only does it provide a useful management tool, the ability to enhance wild stocks also demonstrates to the international community Australia’s commitment to the ecologically sustainable development of SBT and fisheries in general.

3. Fostering international collaboration on fisheries research and development.
This project will create and enhance new and existing collaborative research, development and investor links between Australia and those countries with an interest in tuna propagation and stock enhancement.

Objectives

1. To develop a strategic plan for the propagation and enhancement of Southern Bluefin Tuna (SBT) in Australia.
2. Document the current FRDC, FRAB and Subprogram arrangements.

Final report

ISBN: 0-642-70528-3
Author: Paula Shoulder

Implementation of the National Recreational and Indigenous Fishing Survey

Project number: 1999-158.90
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $10,303.77
Principal Investigator: Kylie Dunstan
Organisation: Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry
Project start/end date: 10 Aug 2003 - 15 Sep 2003
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Equitable fisheries management requires an information base on all extractive and non-extractive users of the resource. This has been well implemented for the commercial fishing sector where legislated catch and effort returns are standard practice. However, many inshore fisheries incorporate a significant recreational sector and efforts to collect comprehensive data from this sector have generally been ad hoc, responding to critical management needs rather than an orderly, routine monitoring program.

Although increased research effort has been allocated to recreational fishery data collection, a national assessment of the sector has not recently been attempted. The only previous national survey in Australia was conducted in 1983 by PA Management Consultants. Their results drew widespread attention to the scale and economic impact of recreational fishing in Australia and, although subject to some criticism, are still cited today despite the passage of 15 years.

An urgent need therefore exists to produce relevant and up to date recreational fishery statistics. The adoption of the National Policy by SCFA and MCFFA recognises this need and has provided the impetus for the work of the Steering Committee to date, and for this application to implement the National Survey. The primary focus of the Survey is to collect nationally consistent and comparable data on catch, effort, participation rates, demographics, economic activity, attitudes and awareness covering all aspects of ‘non-commercial’ fishing. These comprehensive datasets will then be available for incorporation into stock assessments of the nation's fisheries and resource allocation decisions.

In addition to the telephone / diary survey of the general population, two other components of the overall Survey are being designed – development of a survey of indigenous communities and of international visiting fishers. While these latter components will have different value to each State and Territory, the combination of recreational, indigenous and international fishing data will provide a comprehensive picture of non-commercial fishing, and allow exhaustive analysis of the extractive sectors of Australia’s fishing resources.

Objectives

1. To determine the participation rate in recreational fishing nationally, by States and Territories and regionally, and profile the demographic characteristics of recreational fishers
2. To quantify catch and effort of the recreational fishing sector nationally, by States and Territories and, where appropriate, regionally
3. Collect data on expenditure by the recreational fishing sector nationally and regionally.
4. To establish attitudes and awareness of recreational fishers to issues relevant to their fishery
5. To quantify fishing activity by indigenous fishing communities (where significant) in terms of participation, catch and effort and attitudes
6. To quantify fishing activity of overseas fishers in terms of participation, effort and attitudes

Implementation of the National Recreational and Indigenous Fishing Survey

Project number: 1999-158
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $821,947.09
Principal Investigator: Stan Jarzynski
Organisation: Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry
Project start/end date: 25 Jul 1999 - 19 Mar 2004
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Equitable fisheries management requires an information base on all extractive and non-extractive users of the resource. This has been well implemented for the commercial fishing sector where legislated catch and effort returns are standard practice. However, many inshore fisheries incorporate a significant recreational sector and efforts to collect comprehensive data from this sector have generally been ad hoc, responding to critical management needs rather than an orderly, routine monitoring program.

Although increased research effort has been allocated to recreational fishery data collection, a national assessment of the sector has not recently been attempted. The only previous national survey in Australia was conducted in 1983 by PA Management Consultants. Their results drew widespread attention to the scale and economic impact of recreational fishing in Australia and, although subject to some criticism, are still cited today despite the passage of 15 years.

An urgent need therefore exists to produce relevant and up to date recreational fishery statistics. The adoption of the National Policy by SCFA and MCFFA recognises this need and has provided the impetus for the work of the Steering Committee to date, and for this application to implement the National Survey. The primary focus of the Survey is to collect nationally consistent and comparable data on catch, effort, participation rates, demographics, economic activity, attitudes and awareness covering all aspects of ‘non-commercial’ fishing. These comprehensive datasets will then be available for incorporation into stock assessments of the nation's fisheries and resource allocation decisions.

In addition to the telephone / diary survey of the general population, two other components of the overall Survey are being designed – development of a survey of indigenous communities and of international visiting fishers. While these latter components will have different value to each State and Territory, the combination of recreational, indigenous and international fishing data will provide a comprehensive picture of non-commercial fishing, and allow exhaustive analysis of the extractive sectors of Australia’s fishing resources.

Objectives

1. To determine the participation rate in recreational fishing nationally, by States and Territories and regionally, and profile the demographic characteristics of recreational fishers
2. To quantify catch and effort of the recreational fishing sector nationally, by States and Territories and, where appropriate, regionally
3. Collect data on expenditure by the recreational fishing sector nationally and regionally.
4. To establish attitudes and awareness of recreational fishers to issues relevant to their fishery
5. To quantify fishing activity by indigenous fishing communities (where significant) in terms of participation, catch and effort and attitudes
6. To quantify fishing activity of overseas fishers in terms of participation, effort and attitudes

Final report

ISBN: 642539847
Author: Stan Jarzynski
Final Report • 2012-03-29 • 3.28 MB
1999-158-DLD.pdf

Summary

A national survey of recreational and indigenous fishing was conducted in Australia during 2000-01. The survey was a joint initiative of Commonwealth and State governments. Grants from the Natural Heritage Trust, Fisheries Research and Development Corporation, State and Territory fisheries agencies supported the project. The national survey was a multifaceted project designed to provide a range of information about non-commercial fishing in Australia. The project comprised three independent surveys, the National Recreational Fishing Survey, the Indigenous Fishing Survey of Northern Australia and the Overseas Visitor Fishing Survey. Different methodologies and analytical approaches were required for each of these surveys, reflecting their varying characteristics. A telephone/diary survey methodology was developed to collect information on recreational fishing in Australia with non-response and behavioural biases being assessed by a suite of innovative follow-up surveys. Modified on-site survey techniques were used to collect information from indigenous fishers in northern Australia while an existing survey instrument developed by the Bureau of Tourism Research was used to obtain information on overseas visiting fishers.

Project products

Report • 2005-06-01 • 1.79 MB
1999-158 - The 2000-01 National Recreational Fishing Survey - Economic Report.pdf

Summary

This report is a companion to The National Recreational and Indigenous Fishing Survey, released in July 2003 (Henry and Lyle), which provides a detailed background for the survey and the methodology used to collect recreational fishing data. The economic results released in July 2003 are examined in more detail in this report and some revisions have been made. This report refers only to the recreational fishing component of the 2003 report. For reasons of completeness, the expenditure information presented in the 2003 report is included in this report.
Brochure • 2005-06-01 • 613.08 KB
1999-158 Gone Fishing Summary Brochure.pdf

Summary

Catch all the fishing facts and figures - A survey of recreational fishing in Australian from 2001-2002.

Development of a national recreational and traditional fishing survey

Project number: 1998-169
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $168,029.00
Principal Investigator: Stan Jarzynski
Organisation: Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry
Project start/end date: 7 Sep 1998 - 30 Jun 2000
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Fisheries management requires an information base on all extractive and non-extractive users of the resource. This has generally been well implemented for the commercial fishing sector where legislated catch and effort returns are standard practice. However, many inshore fisheries incorporate a significant recreational sector and efforts to collect data from this sector have generally been as a response to critical management needs, rather than an orderly, routine monitoring program. (It is noted, however, that some States have made progress towards routine data collection). Many States have conducted surveys of parts of their recreational fisheries but have not had the resources to survey whole fisheries. This total fishery information is most important for resource allocation and stock assessment.

Further need for a National Survey has arisen from the increasing numbers of recreational fishers (evident from NSW surveys), their apparent greater impact and knowledge (due to increasing technological improvements and knowledge) and the increasingly political nature of the resource allocation debate (e.g. black marlin).

Although increased research effort has been allocated to recreational fishery data collection, a national assessment of the sector has not recently been attempted. The only previous national survey in Australia was conducted in 1983 by PA Management Consultants. Their results drew widespread attention to the scale and economic impact of recreational fishing in Australia and, although subject to criticism, are still cited today despite the passage of 15 years, due to the lack of alternative data.

An urgent need therefore exists to produce relevant and up to date national recreational fishery statistics on resource use and participation. The adoption of the National Policy by SCFA and MCFFA recognises this need and has provided the impetus for the work of the Steering Committee to date, and for this application to develop the National Survey to a stage ready for implementation. (It should be noted that this application refers only to development of the Survey - the implementation phase is a separate project which is intended to follow development and would be subject to separate funding applications).

The primary focus of the Survey is to collect nationally consistent and comparable data on catch, effort, and participation rates, in all 'non-commercial' fishing. The results of the Survey will complement the research activities at State level by adding a significant layer of information about recreational fishing activity at the macro level, as well providing detailed catch and effort data on individual fisheries (planned for high levels of precision (cv 20%) for fisheries at the level of 1% of State recreational harvest which can often be cost-prohibitive to survey in isolation). In addition, and importantly in some fisheries, data is also to be collected from the indigenous and overseas fishing sectors. These sectors have generally been ignored in other resource allocation research activities but are considered to contribute significantly economically and/or biologically to some fisheries.

The Feasibility Study prepared by Kewagama Research detailed the overall survey methodology which has been adopted by the NRFSSC. This concept now needs to be developed into working documents (e.g. interviewer manuals, questionnaires, workflow plans) and sampling plans ready for implementation by the States and Territories. Additionally, database and analytical tools need to be developed for ready implementation, and the training of key personnel is needed in each State and Territory.

The expertise for preparation of this material is not universally available, although more generalised expertise in recreational fisheries research does exist in each State and Territory. The preferred approach is therefore the establishment of a core development team with relevant expertise to prepare all material for implementation of the Survey. The team would work closely with representatives from each State and Territory to ensure their needs were met.

In addition to the telephone / diary survey of the general population, two other components of the overall Survey were agreed to by the NRFSSC - development of a survey of indigenous communities and of international visiting fishers. These components require more fundamental development as they have been only broadly discussed, designed and costed. While these latter components will have different value to each State and Territory, the combination of recreational, indigenous and international fishing data will provide a comprehensive picture of non-commercial fishing, and allow complete analysis of the extractive sectors of Australia's fishing resources.

Objectives

1. To develop/refine the output specifications (as per Feasibility Study), sampling design, questionnaires and other survey instruments for a national screening and diary survey of recreational fishers
2. To develop/refine the output specifications (as per Feasibility Study), sampling design and survey instruments for a survey of indigenous fishing communities
3. To develop/refine the output specifications (as per Feasibility Study), sampling design, questionnaires and other survey instruments for a survey of visiting international fishers
4. To pilot test the questionnaires and diary instruments on a small sample in each State / Territory
5. To train a key Survey Manager in each State / Territory in the conduct of the different survey components
6. To develop database systems for data entry, editing and storage of survey information, and analytical tools for analysis and reporting
7. To prepare final documentation for the implementation of a National Survey by all States and Territories (including indigenous communities and international visitors where appropriate) and final costings

Final report

Author: Stan Jarzynski
Final Report • 2000-10-10 • 16.59 MB
1998-169-DLD.pdf

Summary

The National Recreational and Indigenous Fishing Survey (National Survey) is a joint initiative of the Commonwealth and State/Territory Governments to obtain fisheries statistics to support the management of non-commercial fishing in Australia.  The National Survey has been progressively developed by a Steering Committee for the past four years.  A feasibility study was conducted in 1997-98 to select an appropriate survey method for Australian recreational fisheries.  It recommended a national telephone screening/diary survey with on-site field surveys and separate components for visiting international fishers and certain indigenous fishing activities.  Final development of the National Survey was undertaken during 1998-99 by a Working Group comprising specialist fisheries agency/consultant staff.  Funding for the development phase was provided by the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC), Natural Heritage Trust (NHT) (Fisheries Action Program) and State/Territory fisheries agencies.

The objective of the development phase was to advance the National Survey concept (as per the feasibility study), into working documents and sampling plans ready for implementation by the States/ Territories.  This required finalisation/ refinement of the output specifications sampling design, questionnaires and other survey instruments for the three major components of the National Survey: the Recreational Fishing Survey (including On-Site Surveys); the Indigenous Fishing Survey; and the Visiting International Fisher Survey.  The survey instrument was to be pilot tested on a sample of the general community and the fishing population in each State/ Territory.  Key National Survey staff in each State/ Territory were to be trained in the conduct of the various survey components and database management systems, final documentation and costing for the implementation of the National Survey prepared.

To undertake this work, the Working Group adopted a transparent and inclusive approach where inputs were sought from all fisheries agencies and key stakeholders (including peak recreational and commercial fishing bodies).  The nature and progress of the project were also broadly publicised to these organisations and through the fishing media.  Although six formal workshops/meetings were held throughout the project to discuss and endorse progress, much of the work was necessarily conducted out-of-session.  A multi-tasked approach was employed where individual members and small teams were assigned specialist tasks/responsibilities, including for particular survey components (e.g. the Indigenous Fishing Survey) and areas of technical expertise (e.g. statistician).  In such cases and throughout the project generally, extensive consultation occurred within the group and externally (expert colleagues/stakeholders).

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