This conference is organised by the Southern eDNA Society (SeDNAs - sednasociety.com), Australia and New Zealand's scientific society for the environmental DNA discipline. SeDNAS aims to promote best practices and help the adoption of methods across sectors, by closely working together with researchers, industry, and government. Conferences are organised biannually, alternating between Australia and New Zealand. The first conference (Hobart 2023) was uniformly well received by the attendees, particularly the focus on end-user applications and collaboration. Unlike many other scientific conferences, SeDNAs makes a point of inviting key stakeholders from industry and government to both attend the conference and present their own work or research needs. We found this stimulated discussions to be more likely to develop real-world research collaborations of higher relevance to end-users.

Including and supporting ECRs is an integral part of the mission of SeDNAs. We offer a range of sponsorship opportunities, but as part of our drive to ensure eDNA research benefits industry stakeholders, we are reaching out to key organisations interested in supporting ECRs to travel to the conference. FRDC bursaries would showcase the relevance of FRDC to upcoming molecular fisheries researchers and the broader eDNA community, while also offering FRDC a cost-efficient opportunity to remain abreast of the most cutting edge developments in the field.

Hosting the WRFC in Melbourne will provide a unique opportunity to build capacity and leadership in the Australian recreational fisher, scientific and management communities, and develop skills in modern technology and methods. It will increase participation in recreational fishing by showcasing Victoria’s and Australia’s fishing and tourism experiences to leading and influential recreational fishing stakeholders from across the world.
The event is expected to attract hundreds of international visitors from at least 20 countries, as well as thousands of recreational fishers and fishing experts from across Victoria and Australia.
Hosting this major event requires support from key recreational fishing stakeholder groups. We would like to seek FRDC’s financial support to assist with operating costs including venue hire (Melbourne Convention Centre), guest speakers, advertising and promotion, and other logistics expenses for the WRFC.