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Seafood CRC: Professional Fishing Certificate - A CRC legacy - phase 1 - industry demand

Project number: 2012-700
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $53,250.00
Principal Investigator: John C. Harrison
Organisation: Western Australian Fishing Industry Council Inc (WAFIC)
Project start/end date: 31 Jul 2013 - 30 Dec 2013
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Butchers have apprenticeships, so do bakers and, for all we know, candlestickmakers do, but not the commercial fishing industry. To be a commercial fisherman all one has to do is enter the Department of Fisheries, put down $80 and that's it. You can then get on any fishing vessel, go to see for days - even months, work with winches, trawl boards, haulers, pots, nets and other gear in all weathers, process fish and even navigate the vessel, all without any qualifications at all. This MUST change if the industry is to be taken seriously. WAFIC intends the industry to be fully professional.

Objectives

1. To determine, with industry, the core competencies for a PFC

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-9756045-4-0
Author: John Harrison
Final Report • 2014-11-03 • 416.88 KB
2012-700-DLD.pdf

Summary

Three hundred fishermen across the majority of West Australian fisheries surveyed to help identify the core competencies considered appropriate for a Professional Fisherman’s Certificate.

Fishermen were interviewed in the field and then completed an online survey. Respondents were asked to rank in order of importance core units and competencies within the Certificate 2, 3, & 4 Fishing Operations and the Diploma of Marine Studies they thought were important to include in a Professional Fisherman’s Certificate. Interestingly most respondents did not value competencies that would aim to address some of the public perception issues and put more value on improving and developing vessel and deck skills, although deckhands were more likely to see the benefit of including public perception issues in the certificate. There was considerable support to including units from the current maritime training package STCW 95 course.

While there was almost unanimous in principle support for a Professional Fisherman’s Certificate, only 25% of fishermen indicated they would be willing to undertake further training or assessment to obtain certification. Most respondents felt the certificate should be aimed towards deckhands while those deckhands interviewed felt skippers would also benefit. Most skippers thought they already had experience on-the-job and did not see the value for them, unless they received the certificate through “grandfathering”.

Industry

Extension of MSC Certification for Western Australian Fisheries

Project number: 2013-030
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $686,000.00
Principal Investigator: Carli Telfer
Organisation: Western Australian Fishing Industry Council Inc (WAFIC)
Project start/end date: 31 Aug 2013 - 30 Aug 2017
Contact:
FRDC

Need

The FRDC, WAFIC and MSC have undertaken public perception studies on the support of fishing activities that have shown that the industry has a very low level of support. The Australian public simply does not believe the message given to it by industry and Government. Western Australia has recognised that the very survival of wild-harvest fisheries depends on a paradigm shift in this negative perception and only a credible, internationally recognised, third-party certification of the State's fisheries will alter the perception and provide industry with the level of security to invest in its future.
The $14.56 million earmarked for third party certification will be split as following: $6.56 million for MSC pre-assessment, full assessment and initial audit and; $2 million per year over 4 years ($8 million) to support Department of Fisheries research and management inputs to the certification process. If the benefits of this investment are to be fully realised for the State and the industry there must be investment in community and industry engagement, and engagement with the post-harvest sector through to the retail and food service. Without such engagement the benefits of certification will not be fully captured. This will require research and testing of cost effective mechanisms to effectively engage. The project builds on the substantial investment by the FRDC in research for Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management. The project will also link with other FRDC activities nationally like the Key Stock Status Report and the trial of the NSW Responsible Fisheries Management Certification project. The whole program of activities in WA that include: A new fisheries Act; MSC certification; and support for FRDC’s marketing function are singularly the largest changes being implemented by a fisheries jurisdiction to improve the future outlook for both capture fisheries and aquaculture.

Objectives

1. To develop and assess communication strategies on how best to obtain commercial fishers support for implementation of third party certification in their fisheries, with the focus being on Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification
2. To assess options for promoting MSC to obtain public confidence in the management of WA fisheries
3. To assess different evaluation methodologies for third party certification that are cost effective and improve the delivery of the program for both fishers and the community
4. Develop and trial a practical framework that would deliver a more cost efficient way for a range of smaller, independent, companies in the supply chain to gain MSC Chain of Custody to optimize community recognition and appreciation of Australian MSC certified seafood
5. To work with stakeholders (retail, fisheries management and environmental agencies) to establish where possible equivalence for the third party certification framework that is being developed for WA fisheries

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-9806948-9-5
Author: WAFIC
Final Report • 2023-06-01 • 51.43 MB
2013-030-DLD.pdf

Summary

This project provides learnings of successes and failures/challenges of MSC certification in WA. At the time
of this report’s publication, 12 WA fisheries representing 90 percent value and approximately 60 percent
of the total commercial catch in the state have been awarded MSC certification. The overall aim of this
project was to ensure the long-term extension of WA’s MSC program, which would be judged on the value
and growth of certified fisheries over time, and how well the MSC model is embraced through the supply
chain.
Industry
PROJECT NUMBER • 2008-910
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Seafood CRC: automation of western rocklobster processing

Automation of processing is widespread in many food production industries. Currently, labour costs in the Western Rocklobster industry are high and availability of labour is extremely poor. This is especially problematic given the processing of Western Rocklobsters is a highly manual process....
ORGANISATION:
Western Australian Fishing Industry Council Inc (WAFIC)
Adoption
PROJECT NUMBER • 2019-162
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Western Abalone Divers Association 2020 Quota Setting Workshop: Opportunity for shared understanding of potential TACC setting processes by Western Australian Abalone stakeholders

The staff of the Industry Consultation Unit travelled in January 2020 to Port Fairy Victoria to attend the WADA 2020 Quota Setting Workshop to gain an understanding of the Western Zones TACC setting process, and formulate a overview of how to better undertake the workshop in Western Australia,...
ORGANISATION:
Western Australian Fishing Industry Council Inc (WAFIC)
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