Currently reporting processes are highly manual with exchange of documents between authors and reviewers as well as copy-editing/formatting administered by the FRDC. Automation of reports would remove these manual inefficiencies freeing up the time of FRDC, authors and reviewers alike, enabling them to focus more on the research and less on the reporting commitments of SAFS. Automation of reporting could also disrupt the current biannual timeline currently applied to SAFS. With automated reporting, jurisdictions do not require FRDC administration of the authoring process and would be able to update reports on timelines that align with other jurisdictional commitments (i.e. the production of their own status reports) - this will also enable a more timely update should stock status change. More so, jurisdictions currently undertake SAFS reporting in addition to their own jurisdictional reporting, as they are often required to report on broader issues that are consider too 'bespoke' to be considered in a national report. Automation of reports, enables jurisdictions to produce reports that align with SAFS as well as their own jurisdictional requirements in one system, streamlining the concurrent reporting processes into one reporting process. This works by ensuring that a the system is built to support reporting of fields critical for SAFS as well as fields necessary for the relevant jurisdictional reporting (FRDC then generate the SAFS reports pulling fields only relevant to SAFS whilst the jurisdictions can report more broadly by publishing the fields they require - acknowledging that bespoke jurisdictional reports would still be subject to the same rigorous peer review process of the SAFS report to ensure integrity of the reports)

Australian fisheries data is currently stored in a segregated manner and connectivity is minimal between sources, leaving data to be relatively inaccessible. The majority of Australia's wild catch fishers continue to complete their catch and effort reporting via paper log books that then require data entry capacity to ensure these can be utilised by the appropriate users - stock assessments, SAFS, etc... The move to electronic, real time data reporting would enable a higher level of data to be collected but would also allow fine scale management of fishing operation and ultimately greater sustainability of fish stocks.

As a result of this, corresponding jurisdictional management agency investment in improving infrastructure is also often segregated. Harmonising fisheries digital data could derive not only efficiencies in the data use (data can be collected once and used many times) but also in infrastructure investment. Harmonised investment in infrastructure as well as innovative change in regards to how a range of services and information are utilised in fishing and aquaculture could deliver greater profit and improve timeliness of decision making. It is however important that and framework proposed has the confidence and support of both government and industry. This project seeks to ensure that industry is involved in progressing the data framework, and that suit a framework suits their needs.

For FRDC to further investment into the fisheries data space, it must first understand industry needs as well as concerns. It is hoped that this workshop will devlop a way forward for FRDC in the data-space, informing a plan that enables both industry and commercial entities to benefit.

The ICES working group will be meeting in the southern hemisphere and this is a perfect opportunity for Australian based industry members and researchers to be exposed to the working group on fishing gear as well as acoustics to exchange ideas.

It is clear that just providing access to base line data and research reports is not what end users (industry, opinion leaders (journalists and chefs), and consumers) are after, rather the feedback is that they need material compiled, synthesised and analysed for them.

The FRDC will implement two phases of activities targeting industry and opinion leaders; and secondly consumers. The first phase will focus on presenting information in an easy accessible format. The second aims to deliver the key messages to consumers via the media and in particular regular digital content.