Meeting the challenge of preparing and adapting for climate change is arguably the most important task confronting the management of our national marine resources. Climate change is expected to result in significant impacts for marine ecosystems with flow on social and economic implications for resource users and communities. Importantly, coastal rural communities have greater dependency on marine industries that provide social and economic benefits through fishing, aquaculture and tourism (e.g. recreational fishing and diving). The success of adaptation decisions in terms of meeting objectives, capturing opportunities and overcoming barriers, being cost effective and minimising negative flow on effects will be influenced by the level of understanding of the needs, priorities, perceptions and attitudes of stakeholders including knowledge of the social and economic consequences of adaptation options. Without such information, our ability to make timely and effective adaptation decisions will be limited. Developing the tools that provide the relevant information to reduce risks and increase capacity to cope with, and benefit from, change is urgently needed for these coastal communities. These tools need to cross discipline boundaries and provide linkages between the vulnerabilities of the biological system with the adaptive capacity and vulnerabilities of the human system.
To meet this need, this project brings together leading marine multi-disciplinary researchers with proven expertise in inter-disciplinary, participatory research approaches to engage stakeholders in the process of developing a suite of strategically targeted marine adaptation tools that will represent a blueprint for marine stakeholders nationally. The blueprint will facilitate these tools being readily adopted by different marine communities, industries and individuals enabling them to make informed decisions based on a range of climate change adaptation options designed to minimise impacts and maximise opportunities. The project focuses on NARP themes 2 and 4, and addresses areas 2 and 3 of the regional programs.

Fisheries resources are managed for biological, economic and social purposes or objectives. Recommendations made at the Advisory Committee (MACs and FACs) level have significant economic implications for key stakeholders and for the wider community who have an interest in the returns gained from resource utility.

The current low level of understanding of fisheries resource economics amongst those in decision-making roles precludes the capacity to integrate economic parameters and indicators into assessment and decision-making processes. This generates lost opportunity in current management and is a barrier to the development of economic targets for fisheries and the selection of optimal fisheries management & harvest systems.

A recently completed FRDC report, ‘Evaluating the Performance of Australian Marine Capture Fisheries’ (2009), examined the performance of Australian marine capture fisheries and found a massive gap between actual and potential performance. The same project identified the need for more strategic management as the highest priority in closing this gap, which is targeted through this project.

Increasing the understanding of fisheries resource economics amongst members of MACs and FACs is therefore considered necessary to assist the uptake of management tools that would enhance the economic performance of wild-catch fisheries (AFMA, 2007: Economics in Commonwealth fisheries management - Workshop final report, 2 March 2007, Canberra). Most significantly, increasing the understanding of fisheries resource economics principles will support the achievement of Future Harvest outcomes.

The target audiences for the Future Harvest Master Class includes fisheries managers, advising fisheries biologists, & industry representatives associated with key CRC partner investors in the Future Harvest business theme. Specificially, the Master Classes will be offered to members of those MACs or FACs which advise on those fisheries of interest to the key CRC partner investors.