2 results

Victorian Indigenous Seafood Corporation "Whole of Government' workshop

Project number: 2009-326
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $6,305.50
Principal Investigator: Phillip Kerr
Organisation: Victorian Indigenous Seafood Corporation (VISC)
Project start/end date: 26 Jan 2010 - 25 Feb 2010
:

Need

It is essential that the visions of Indigenous communities are accepted in holistic terms.

It is also important to note that while the visions of Indigenous communities could be the same or similar, they will also be independent due to the inherent cultural diversity of each community in relation to traditions, sites, stories and cultural practices.

Distinct rights exist for Indigenous people as part of their rights to self-determination. These rights should be recognised as inherent and holistic. They are:

• Customary fishing rights of Indigenous communities along the coastal and river systems; and
• Human rights to maintain a cultural economy

Customary rights relate to cultural self-determination and the preservation of distinctive cultural identities.

Human rights to maintain a ‘cultural economy’ relate to Indigenous communities being able to undertake activities that secure sustainable capital from the natural resources that traditionally and historically belong to each community.

Indigenous people want to be actively involved at all levels of management of fisheries resources throughout their traditional lands.

Indigenous people are very proud that they have survived the onslaughts of colonisation, assimilation and different forms of indoctrination and discrimination.

Indigenous communities believe that economic, cultural, environmental and social values should be given equal status when policy and management decisions are made.

A strong level of interest and enthusiasm for Indigenous involvement in the seafood industry already exists within Victoria’s Indigenous communities, but many communities are often unaware of the opportunities available or are unable to adequately assess them.

Numerous Indigenous communities have recognised that opportunities are not being made available within their regions to retain their youth. Many groups believe that economic development (particularly in the seafood sector) may act as a logical pathway to retaining youth and achieving more healthy vibrant communities and futures for their families.

Objectives

1. Ensure adequate financial support is obtained in a 'whole of government' approach
2. Ensure programs are strategically administered to reach optimal outcomes

Investigating the development process of a large scale aquaculture farm incorporating Indigenous cultural considerations

Project number: 2010-214
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $75,000.00
Principal Investigator: Phillip Kerr
Organisation: Victorian Indigenous Seafood Corporation (VISC)
Project start/end date: 31 May 2010 - 30 Nov 2011
:

Need

Indigenous

Distinct rights exist for Indigenous people as part of their rights to self-determination. These rights should be recognised as inherent and holistic. They are:

- Customary fishing rights of Indigenous communities along the coastal and river systems; and
- Human rights to maintain a cultural economy

Human rights to maintain a ‘cultural economy’ relate to Indigenous communities being able to undertake activities that secure sustainable capital from the natural resources that traditionally and historically belong to each community.

Victorian Commercial Eel Industry

A large component of eel production is from stock enhancement of open waters. Small eels are stocked into selected waters for extensive on growing under natural conditions.

The wild harvest component of the fishery is comprised largely of migrating adult eels.

Since 1994, a protracted drought has seen a significant decrease from both stock-enhanced and wild eel production. This has resulted in a need to re-evaluate the viability of the Victorian fishery to ensure future sustainability.

Intensive eel aquaculture production is dominated by one company, Australian Aquaculture Products (AAP) who have a 120 tonne per annum system based in Euroa.

AAP have realised that growing eels to a previous market size of 1 kilo plus is financially unviable using a 120 tonne intensive system. They now grow glass eels (sourced from QLD) to approximately 60 grams, where these ‘advanced stockers’ are then sold live overseas to be grown out in farm dams to a currently production volume of 2500-3000 tonne per annum.

The specific needs identified include;

- Indigenous Human Rights to maintain a cultural economy
- Protracted drought conditions have resulted in the Victorian eel wild catch and stock enhancement sector becoming unviable
- The Australian seafood industry is missing out on an opportunity to ongrow 2,500 – 3,000 tonne per annum of eels.

Objectives

1. Build on, and coordinate strategies to address recommendations and actions identified in the ‘Feasibility assessment for a large scale Eel farm in South West Victoria’.
2. Develop a process of incorporating cultural considerations into development of a joint business between the eel industry MOU participants and the Framlingham Aboriginal Trust
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Research

Organisation