Uncertainty poses a major challenge to the management and utilisation of marine fish resources. Significant efforts are made by fishing nations to estimate numbers and condition of exploited fish stocks, but assessments frequently bring unexpected results that range from relatively small shifts from former prognoses to changes of a significant and potentially detrimental magnitude. Such errors may be due to biased calculations or unaccounted causes of mortality, but can also stem from unforeseen changes in fish distribution or behaviour which remain unaccounted for.

To meet this challenge, SARDI and the University of Iceland aim to work together towards a solution that involves construction of a modeling environment, a “Multiverse”, which is a 3D modelled and data assimilated world of ocean physics and the living organism that can be evaluated with hindcasts and used to produce short- and long-term forecasts, as well as to test and answer key questions on climate change and fisheries monitoring/management.

Such an approach may be a suitable method for integrating the diverse data sets currently being proposed to be collected as part of a large-scale science program to explore mining exploration (and subsequent impacts) in the Great Australian Bight (GAB).

The collaboration will benefit from the complementary nature of the research groups from the highly data rich region of the North Atlantic to the relatively data poor environment of the GAB. The collaboration will facilitate discussion around the concept and potential for its application in an Australian context.

The indigenous development scholarship is part of the suite of professional development opportunities developed and managed through the FRDC people development program. This particular scholarship addresses the following objectives of the people development program 2008-2013:

Objective 1 Enhance industry leadership within all sectors
and; Objective 3 Provide opportunities for knowledge transfer and R&D adoption

The significant drivers identified in the FRDC people development program, addressed by this project
are:
- There is a shortage of industry leaders in all sectors of the fishing industry.
- There is an urgent need to develop people within all sectors who have the skills to effectively contribute to debate and policy development for significant challenges, including access to fish resources.
-Early career researchers and emerging industry leaders lack opportunities for formal mentoring and
professional development.
-There is a shortage of opportunities for people in industry to develop skills that are going to directly
improve business profitability and sustainability.
-The industry is geographically dispersed and fragmented, and needs opportunities to learn within and
across sectors.

Industry organisations need to build their capacity to meet future challenges and opportunities. Building the skills and confidence for industry to influence is one aspect of capacity that the people development program aims to address through this project, providing opportunity to influence is another.

There is a need for coordinated delivery of opportunities to develop governance capability in the fishing
industry and and to promote opportunitites to foster diversity through succession planning within industry committees and boards. There is also a need to provide additional opportunities for those people who participate in the AICD program to observe effective boards in action.

Inshore high profile fisheries need EMS to build the confidence of their communities to ensure that the supply of fish to the public is maintained. An EMS is also needed for the Marine Aquarium Fishery (MAF) to minimise any future loss of access by ensuring its current practices are consistent with community expectations. Through the fishery’s ESD process, this project also enables Department of Environment and Heritage’s (DEH) assessment outcomes to be incorporated into the EMS.

The South Coast Estuarine Fishery (SCEF) is also in danger of losing access either through resource reallocation to other sectors or the marine planning process unless it proactively engages with community groups to improve its perception. This fishery has no code of practice and, as a non-export fishery, is unlikely to undergo any Government driven environmental risk assessment process in the near future. This industry driven project is necessary to enable the long and sustainable history of the fishery to be documented and profiled prior to entering into the marine planning process.

There is an equal need to evaluate the effectiveness of EMS as a tool to improve public perception. These results would be integral to WAFIC promoting the up take of EMS by other fisheries in future.

In the pearling industry, the template produced as a result of the National Seafood EMS Pilot Project is now available for application across WA’s pearling industry. This project will allow the whole industry to demonstrate its EMS credentials (rather than a component of the industry) to ensure there is an ongoing and continuous improvement process.

With growing interest amongst other WA fisheries to develop EMS there is a need to educate the wider industry on the associated costs, benefits and options of EMS.

The success of the inaugural Strategic Leadership Development Program has lead to growth in support from among industry members. The expansion of the State-based Personal Development / Leadership Program, from its origins in South Australia to other states, is also increasing the number of industry members who have a grounding in this area and who are looking for further training and development opportunities. This has resulted in demand for further National courses to be run each year commencing in 2002.
One component of project 2000/307 was to develop a budget for delivery of the program. The result of this process was identification of a budget of approximately $7,400 per participant in the program (see attached). In many instances this would be prohibitive for either industry or individuals and would restrict the type of applicants and participants attracted to the program.
State FarmBis programs offer some level of support to fishing and aquaculture practitioners however each state has a different level of support and people in other sections of the industry (other than practitioners) are ineligible for funding. There is, therefore, a need for some subsidy, or scholarship program, to be offered to industry participants to ensure representation from throughout the market chain and all industry sectors.