Until the establishment of the SEF Industry Development Subprogram, there was a dearth of R&D projects focused on industry development for the SESSF. The Subprogram was established in 2000 and has since accessed over $700K in funding (of which almost half has been from sources external to FRDC) to increase the value of the fishery by value-adding to fish products, adopting new technologies and improving utilisation of catches. The current Subprogram project finishes in December 2003 but there are sufficient funds to extend its work until June 2004. Members of the Seafood Industry involved in the SESSF see the need for R&D into industry development projects to continue and are supporting the submission of this proposal to continue the Subprogram.

Many of the economic indicators for the commonwealth scalefish fisheries in south eastern Australia are poor. The low profitability in the fisheries is recognised by most operators in the catching sector and this has flow-on effects throughout the supply chain. Industry is now looking to investigate the impediments to economic efficiency in the fishery. To achieve the complementary outcomes of sustainability and economic benefits to the stakeholders in the SEF, a whole of chain approach to R&D is required (which is in accordance with government direction on R&D planning). Current practice focuses on the biology and fishery management which has precluded more innovative ways of adding value and meeting sustainability performance measures.

Recognising that catch levels are unlikely to increase in the future, fishers are looking for various options to improve profitability by increasing the value of their catch. This type of industry development is a primary goal of the SESSF Industry Development Subprogram.

By continuing to link groups of people in the seafood industry with expertise in the whole of supply chain, the Subprogram will continue to deliver the successful outcomes for the seafood industry involved in the SESSF. The through-chain approach being adopted by the Subprogram for industry development is continuing to attract interest from a wide range of stakeholders and will continue to be successful in accessing considerable funds that are not usually available to the seafood industry. For example, the Subprogram has recently accessed $10,000 to develop up a $500,000 through-chain market development and innovation project under the National Food Industry Strategy program. In this manner, the Subprogram easily pays for the initial investment it receives from the FRDC. Nevertheless, through the involvement of FRDC in various industry development projects under the Subprogram (eg. as an ASCo shareholder), the Subprogram intends to return dividends to the FRDC that will make the Subprogram cost neutral to the FRDC by the end of this project.

There are inherent challenges in managing small scale multi-species, multi method fisheries, particularly in a community based fishery context, which require careful consideration in the development of appropriate harvest strategies. While there is a significant degree of targeting involved in multi-species fisheries, the majority of target species will not always be caught during individual gear sets, and the species composition of the catch may be spatially or temporally specific. It can be difficult to ensure that all species caught are fished sustainably (and not only the target species) because species have various life-history characteristics and productivities, and different degrees of susceptibility to the gear. Many species are caught by a variety of gears and it is often difficult to account for all sources of mortality in assessments and the different life stages targeted by particular gear types. The development of harvest strategies for data-poor fisheries presents additional challenges in attempting to reconcile available information and capacity with formal, defensible strategies that achieve the desired objectives for the fishery and fisheries legislation. There is a need for harvest strategies, particularly for community-based fisheries, to be easily understood and accepted by key stakeholders, pragmatic and cost effective.

The LCF is a small scale multi-species, multi-method community based fishery located at the end of the Murray-Darling system and is subject to varying environmental conditions (drought and flooding). The primary target species include Pipi, Yellow-eye Mullet, Golden Perch, Mulloway, Greenback Flounder and Black Bream. A number of other marine, estuarine and freshwater species (native and exotic) are also taken. The fishery contributes to the socio-economic well-being of regional coastal communities in the Lakes and Coorong region through commercial and recreational activity and harbors significant cultural and spiritual significance for the Ngarrindjeri people.