This travel bursary application is to attend a 3-day workshop, ““Data Management and Local Knowledge: Building a Network to Support Community-Based Research and Monitoring" to be held in Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A, on November 15, 16, 17, 2011. The purpose of the workshop is to bring together researchers, industry and community members, organizations, and projects working on issues surrounding data management for both Local and Traditional Knowledge (LTK) and information from community and industry-based research and monitoring. They are interested in projects and initiatives that work with LTK and are addressing data management issues in some way – from asking questions about how we can archive our data and information for future generations, to fully operational data management systems. The organisers have written to invite me to attend (pdf attached) in order to exchange experiences and information on how we can better gather, utilise and acknowledge important information that is held within our marine industries and communities.

Formally incorporating fisher knowledge into our assessment and management frameworks has never been so critical. Fishers need to alter what they do in response to marine ecosystem changes (i.e. adaptation), yet many fishers do not acknowledge climate change or trust traditional scientific information about climate change. We need platforms that collect and display information fishers trust -their own industry information.

The FRDC has commissioned a review of the role that existing and future genetic technologies may play in addressing critical challenges facing the exploitation of wild fisheries. Wild fisheries management has been assisted by genetic research for over 50 years, and in Australia this research has been largely funded by the FRDC. Both fisheries management and the methods of genetic analysis have changed significantly during this time. The capability of genetic technologies is ever-broadening, whilst fisheries managers must address fundamental challenges such as assessing the impact of fishing on target species and the ecosystem, as well as increasingly diverse issues such as illegal trade. Given these dynamics, as well as perceptions that communication between fisheries managers and geneticists has been poor in some cases, there is a strong need to reassess the ways in which genetic research can contribute to fisheries, and for fishery managers and researchers, industry representatives and fisheries geneticists to critically examine each other’s needs and capabilities.

There have been numerous recent reviews of the contributions of genetics to fisheries management overseas [e.g. 1, 2]. However, these reviews may be difficult to access, they do not target an industry audience, and none focus on the Australian fisheries context. An Australian-focused assessment that is based on both literature surveys as well as strong stakeholder engagement will promote clear joint understanding of the needs and capabilities of fishing industry, fisheries science and fisheries geneticists respectively. It will lead to more coordinated and consistent approaches to the application of genetic technologies in Australia, greater uptake of research outcomes, and build an enduring platform for future successes in genetic research and fisheries management.