There is need for a coordinated, nationally consistent approach to developing harvest strategies for Australian fisheries. The Commonwealth Harvest Strategies Policy and Guidelines (2007) provide a foundation for harvest strategy development in Commonwealth managed fisheries. AFMF has identified the need to build upon these strategies to encompass fisheries managed by both Commonwealth and State Governments. The proposed project will deliver an agreed set of overarching principles for Harvest Strategies across Australia.

Presently, the key elements of harvest strategies (defined objectives, indicators, assessments, reference points, trigger points and decision rules) vary in their implementation across jurisdictions. There are also gaps for some mixed sector fisheries where recreational or indigenous sectors dominate and/or commercial fisheries have low data.

The AFMF, in consultation with FRDC, recognise:
- There is a common objective of ESD across jurisdictions
- Harvest Strategies need to balance flexibility (to allow for changing circumstances) with providing certainty for how a fishery will be managed
- Harvest Strategies for shared/straddling stocks need further consideration and collaboration across jurisdictions to enhance stock management and data sharing
- A multi-jurisdictional harvest strategy for a shared stock will assist fisheries managers, industry and others with facilitating trade between states and managing the impacts of climate change.
- There are common challenges across jurisdictions to develop and apply harvest strategies in data poor fisheries; and incorporating non-commercial sectors into harvest strategies.
- Further work is required to include economic goals and indicators in harvest strategies, and subsequently on economic data collection
- Further work is required to identify recreational and social objectives and indicators.

The proposed project will focus on components of fisheries management considered less developed than other areas. These areas are:
- Cross-jurisdictional fisheries management arrangements
- Recreational fisheries management arrangements
- Incorporating triple bottom line analysis into fisheries management decision-making

1. The South Australian Government has clearly defined that the development of aquaculture, in particular finfish farming, is a high priority outcome. To ensure this happens it has identified outputs of defined specification to address the delivery of this outcome. This will be an ongoing program over many years that requires a novel program structure as opposed to the normal project structure undertaken by FRDC and PIRSA. The project will address this need by:
1.1 Providing the opportunity to improve the current level of management adoption of research within South Australia. This is consistent with the FRDC’s recent call for management to have a greater influence on the direction of research and development and an increased role in the management, adoption and execution of research and development;
1.2 Providing a framework for better management of State funds in the context of research and development and management to ensure timely delivery of results; and
1.3 Providing greater certainty in planning research and development in the future as it gives a quantifiable investment that will be put into a specific program. This means there is an obligation by all parties to ensure that they meet their financial commitment.