Driving innovation in environmental performance in the Queensland fishing industry
Environmental performance will be one of the most important drivers of future fishing industry profitability. There is a growing recognition amongst the industry's grass roots that long-term profitability will require maintainence of existing resource and market access - access that is only possible with improved environmental performance and demonstrated triple bottom line sustainability.
Projects that assist in motivating and demonstrating continual improvement in the industry's environmental performance are clearly within industry's interest, and will assist in increasing community and consumer confidence in the sustainability of wild capture fisheries.
Methodologies to assist in motivating and demonstrating continual environmental improvement in the seafood industry have been the subject of significant investment at the policy level but remain largely unimplemented on the ground at broad scale. This project aims to roll out 'green chooser' (FRDC 2000/146) derived EMS methodologies across two broad scale pilot project areas both subject to a high degree of community scrutiny (Moreton Bay, Cairns inshore fishery). In doing so the project will 'road test' the existing green chooser EMS model and refine it where necessary to ensure it is relevant to the needs of grass roots industry.
In addition, improvement of incentives for adoption of best practice will greatly assist industry environmental performance while providing significant opportunities to reduce management and compliance costs. In the long-term, the project aims to improve overall industry profitability by assisting Queensland fishers demonstrate the benefits of low cost and high performance co-management arrangements.
For collaborative agencies involved fisheries regulation there is a strong recognition that EMS can provide reform mechanisms which are industry driven. Further, for these agencies the project provides an alternate tool to demonstrate that state (e.g. QFS), national and international (e.g. Environment Australia) sustainability obligations are being met. Moreover, the proposed project can offer relevant agencies the opportunity to further streamline, co-ordinate and integrate parallel programs (incl. extension & compliance) at fisher level. These needs are reflected in the high number of collaborative agencies involved in the project.
The recently released mid-review findings of the Seafood Industry Training Package Review recommend a stronger emphasis on environmental awareness and promotion of ESD and environmental management throughout the training package - a need which is also reflected in the Seafood Training Australia’s Strategic Training Plan for 2001-2002.
The proposed project can operationally deliver QFIRAC and FRDC priorities, as envisaged by the FRDC's Environmental Management Systems Initiative (FRDC Project 2000/084). FRDC, in creating its EMS initiative has allocated funds to ensure the persons employed under this initiative and associated industry champions are appropriately trained for their roles. The proposed project can further value add and extend both current (e.g. FRDC 2002/303) and previous research investments (e.g. FRDC 2000/146).
Final report
In response to the success of the Green Chooser Case Studies (FRDC 2000-146) carried out in Queensland from 2000 – 2002 (the Rock Lobster Association and the Gulf of Carpentaria Commercial Fishermen), the Queensland Seafood Industry Association (QSIA) sought funding to trial the development of large scale Environmental Management Systems (EMSs).
The QSIA obtained expressions of interest from two regional professional fishing industry associations – the Moreton Bay Seafood Industry Association (MBSIA) and Ecofish of far north Queensland. This coincided with the creation of a National Seafood EMS Program, building on the Green Chooser studies, with the aim of trialing the development of full EMSs within regions or fisheries. This pilot program was funded by the Natural Heritage Trust (NHT), administered by the Federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) and was coordinated by Seafood Services Australia (SSA).
The QSIA achieved a grant from NHT to establish a pilot EMS study in Queensland, which formed part of the National Seafood EMS Program. In order to trial EMS at a large scale within Queensland, a partnership approach to funding the project was employed. The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC), the Queensland Environmental Protection Agency (QEPA), the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries (QDPI&F), the QSIA, MBISA and Ecofish became the primary funding/support bodies for the project in addition to SSA.
The scope of the project was set so that two pilot project groups were established in Queensland. One group was affiliated with Ecofish and positioned in far north Queensland. The other was tied to the MBSIA and located in Moreton Bay (south-east Queensland). The original FRDC contract stipulated that two EMS officers would facilitate the development of EMSs, with one officer based in each region.
Keywords: Environmental Management Systems, Ecologically Sustainable Development, natural resource management, fisheries, commercial fishing.
