718 results

Characterising the fish habitats in the Recherche Archipelago, Western Australia

Project number: 2001-060
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $609,172.00
Principal Investigator: Gary Kendrick
Organisation: University of Western Australia (UWA)
Project start/end date: 7 Dec 2001 - 5 Dec 2005
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Fisheries WA demonstrated in their Aquaculture Plan for the Recherche Archipelago (Fisheries WA 2000) that one of the major factors slowing development in this region is lack of accurate spatially explicit data on the distributions of benthic habitats and the influence of currents and wind generated waves. This information is required to aid the selection of suitable offshore aquaculture facilities and in the development of multiple use management plans.

This FRDC application, rather than focusing on cultural, economic and social elements of resource planning concentrates on the physical and biological data requirements. Many important cultural, economic and social issues have been identified in community and industry consultation by Fisheries WA during the development of the Aquaculture plan for the recherche Archipelago (Fisheries WA, 2000). The major outcome from these documents was that most other users of the Archipelago (Tourism, Shipping, Recreational and other commercial fishermen) indicated they were not happy with wholesale aquaculture development until accurate assessments of the benthic habitats and oceanography were completed over a wide spatial scale within the Archipelago. The recognition of this need has provided impetus resulting in aquaculture proponents (MG Kailis, Maritime Training Centre of Esperance), other fisheries (Esperance Professional Fishers Association, Esperance Professional Abalone Divers Association, 2 Recreational Angling Clubs), shipping concerns (Esperance Port Authority and industries utilising the port), tourism (Goldfields Esperance Development Commission), government departments (CALM, Fisheries WA, The Esperance Shire) and local concerned citizens (Recherche Action Group, Local Environmental Action Forum) all providing formal support for this application.

These groups see the need for representative broad scale bio-physical information to be used in the integrated planning to ensure the compatibility and sustainability of a diverse range of marine a coastal activities. This will ensure that the quality of the environment and the quality of life experienced by the populace living in Recherche Archipelago region is balanced with the need for new job creation in the region.

The 2.5 year research program we describe in this proposal will fulfil bio-physical data requirements for that planning process. This data will be available for incorporation into existing regional planning documents written in conjunction with cultural economic and social components that have been collected by Fisheries WA. It will also compliment and enhance information collected and developed by the Marine Group of the Department of Conservation and Land Management as part of the community and industry consultation involved in the MPA planning process.

Objectives

1. To identify, classify and map the distribution of, different benthic habitats in the Recherche Archipelago and link their distributions to bottom type and exposure to swells and currents.
2. To provide detailed ecological information to contribute to the responsible management of aquaculture fisheries in the region.
3. To increase community awareness of fish habitats through community involvement in the development of the planned biophysical surveys and through community and stakeholder consultation and presentations.

Final report

ISBN: 1-74052-123-6
Author: Gary Kendrick
Final Report • 2006-02-21 • 31.40 MB
2001-060-DLD.pdf

Summary

This project is a joint Esperance community (through the Recherche Advisory Group - RAG), research scientist and resource management project. The commitment of RAG has allowed the researchers to efficiently transfer scientific information to the general public of Esperance and the South Coast of Western Australia and keep the research focused on management outcomes.

The outcomes of this report are:

  1. The design of a hierarchical classification scheme of benthic habitats in the Recherche Archipelago.
  2. An extensive habitat map of the Western Recherche Archipelago at both broad and functional habitat classifications and less detailed habitat maps of duke of Orleans Bay and Cape Arid to Middle Island.
  3. An oceanographic model of the influence of ocean swells on the Western Recherche Archipelago. This model includes an assessment of swell driven shear at the benthos.
  4. A broad scale fisheries-independent non-destructive survey of the demersal fish of the Recherche from Esperance Bay to Cape Arid. The survey was designed to capture habitat differences in fish assemblages. 
  5. A broad scale (within the Western Archipelago) survey of the infauna found in a range of soft bottom habitats including coarse sands, rhodoliths and sparsely vegetated sands.
  6. Fine scale diversity surveys of reef communities on islands in the archipelago from Figure of Eight to Middle Island. These surveys integrate information from both habitat mapping and physical oceanographic modelling.

Keywords: habitat, classification, mapping, oceanography, benthic, algae, infauna, sessile invertebrate

Industry

Indigenous fishing subprogram: Building the Capacity and Performance of Indigenous Fisheries

Project number: 2013-218
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $230,000.00
Principal Investigator: Ewan A. Colquhoun
Organisation: Ridge Partners
Project start/end date: 30 Apr 2013 - 17 Jul 2016
Contact:
FRDC

Need

Wild capture fisheries are a national asset. They contribute in two ways: USE as a social, cultural or economic asset, AND value created through people and MANAGEMENT systems guiding that use. Aquaculture is an increasingly important seafood source offering potential across all sectors.

The IRG's RD&E Strategy contains 5 Aspirations, 11 Principles and related Outputs. Their comprehensive, integrated approach provides a single framework that offers a key role for all stakeholders, locally and nationally.

The IRG's Strategy will be successful only when it resolves key challenges, including:
- poor understanding and awareness of the needs of indigenous fishery users, and their monitoring of progress toward social/cultural/economic aspirations they aspire to,
- lack of capacity (human, management, structural) of fishers and communities to respond to and benefit from this Strategy,
- lack of alignment between customary sea management practices, enterprise profit motives, social/cultural/economic drivers for community viability, and government practices,
- the diversity of indigenous fisheries, across cultures, geography, aquatic environments, species and economic opportunities.

The Strategy must:
- create a viable pathway forward,
- increase fishery value in the hands of users, and
- better align government policy and process. This will require a policy and regulatory gap analysis and review options to better align these with traditional sea management approaches.

Change will take time - but outputs must demonstrate increasing value (social/cultural/economic) to fishers and communities.

The Project Team will partner with 4-5 indigenous fishery communities to consult and understand their fisheries, aspirations, needs, capacities and alignment with social/cultural/economic factors. The Team will respond with actions that aim to boost fishery value. Local case studies will inform national approaches and about what works, when and where.

The project will cost effectively create new tools, structures, alignments, data, and capacities, in the hands of the IRG, indigenous fishers and communities.

Objectives

1. Identify 4-5 Case Study fishing communities, and work with IRG and stakeholders to document aspirations and social/cultural/economic capacity, identify constraints to achieving desired community and national development outcomes, and test/trial micro development pathways.
2. Evaluate models (enterprise/management), conduct gap analyses (policy/regulatory), and synthesize and document preferred development pathways (national/regional) to enhance indigenous access to, participation in, and benefits (social/cultural/economic) from fishery development.
3. Establish and document output and extension strategies (3yr + 5yr) for the IRG (national) and each participating regional indigenous fishing community.
4. Document and report learnings (IRG + case studies), models, performance monitoring arrangements, and recommendations to the IRG that will enhance future indigenous fishery performance and community benefits

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-9871427-6-4
Author: Ewan Colquhoun
Final Report • 2018-09-21 • 6.22 MB
2013-218-DLD.pdf

Summary

This project was commissioned by the Indigenous Reference Group, an advisory committee to the FRDC for matters related to Indigenous fishery research, development and extension (R&D).
 
The project sought to build the capacity and performance of Australia’s Indigenous fisheries. It identified issues and drivers, and describes methods, means, outputs and outcomes to enhance fishery capacity and performance.
 
This report summary comprises four parts:
  1. Review of the economic framework that impacts Indigenous community and fishery development

    The starting point for the project was the IRG’s RD&E Framework for Indigenous fishery development. This framework of eleven key R&D Principles and five national and community aspirations, is grounded in a vision to enable continuous improvement, rising from Primacy to Capacity Building.

    This is the pathway to achieve sustainable increases in the capacity and performance of Indigenous fisheries, collectively and for individual communities. Indigenous communities will be the immediate and primary beneficiaries of this vision fulfilled.

  2. Issues and drivers for Indigenous fisheries
    The project has identified issues that impact the capacity and performance of Indigenous fisheries, and related drivers of uncertainty and change.
    UNLOCK THE INDIGENOUS ESTATE
    EMPLOYMENT, LEARNING AND MICROBUSINESSES
    SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD AND TOURISM
    INDIGENOUS PARTICIPATION IN FISHERIES

  3. Conclusions regarding business models to support economic development
    Project design called for 4-5 case studies that would represent the national Indigenous community fishery cohort, meet project objectives, and inform the IRG and RD&E decision makers.
    Guided by the IRG, the project team has engaged seven case study fishery communities in face-to-face consultations regarding fishery status, capacity, performance, models, aspirations, economic development options, and analyses and reporting.

  4. Recommendations to the IRG/FRDC regarding measures and actions to build the capacity and performance of Indigenous fisheries.
The project team recommends the IRG consider the following actions:
  1. Implement a plan to identify Indigenous fishery communities across Australia that hold exclusive or non-exclusive rights to, and control of underutilised fishery resources.
  2. Encourage Indigenous fishery communities that seek to develop their fishery resources, to establish at least one community corporation registered with the Office of the Registrar of Indigenous Corporations
  3. Encourage each Indigenous fishery community (including local residents and remote TOs and members) to undertake a formal planning process
  4. Encourage community to identify commercial partners, networks and collaborations
  5. Empower Indigenous fishery community leaders to attend, contribute to and learn
People
PROJECT NUMBER • 2008-326.38
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

People development program: FRDC Indigenous development scholarship - Angela Jeffery

The aim of this project was to develop a better understanding of Aboriginal fishing practices (past and present) through the development of educational materials. This was to be undertaken as on-the-job training while working at Fisheries Victoria’s Marine and Freshwater Discovery Centre...
ORGANISATION:
Agriculture Victoria
Communities
PROJECT NUMBER • 2016-206
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Indigenous fishing subprogram: Business Nous - Indigenous business development opportunities and impediments in the fishing and seafood industry

The Business Nous Project (BN) research and outputs have been finalised in November 2019 with the completion of the website and workshop outputs and the project evaluation. The project delivered successfully on three of the four objectives with the workshop component of the project is being held in...
ORGANISATION:
Affectus Pty Ltd
Communities
PROJECT NUMBER • 2016-505
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Australia's National Recreational Fishing Conference 2017

Following on from the success of the 2012 and 2015 National Recreational Fishing Conferences, the Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation was successful in securing a funding grant from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) to deliver a National Recreational Fishing Conference...
ORGANISATION:
Australian Recreational Fishing Foundation (ARFF)
Industry

National Seafood Industry Leadership Program 2015 - 2017

Project number: 2014-407
Project Status:
Completed
Budget expenditure: $470,189.14
Principal Investigator: Jill Briggs
Organisation: Affectus Pty Ltd
Project start/end date: 30 Nov 2014 - 30 Nov 2017
Contact:
FRDC

Need

FRDC is in the process of developing a new strategic plan and irrespective of the themes being developed people remain at the core of all industry research and develop therefore developing the future leaders of the industry should remain a priority to the industry.
The 2012-2014 NSILP project is yet to be evaluated however there is data indicating the continued need for the program. This data includes positive outcomes for the participants, building strong understanding of diversity and strength across the industry and positive profile raising for the industry. However the greatest need remains the succession of the industry and the need for ongoing opportunity to skill-up and build the knowledgeable of the individuals who will step into leadership roles.
People development and leadership are currently identified strategies for the industry and the NSILP 2015-2017 will certainly address this strategic need.
The NSILP 2015-2017 will address the needs discussed above through providing skill development in key leadership areas such as inter-personal, team and strategy and planning. The NSILP will also address the needs of building an understanding of the diversity of the industry through ensuring a broad participant cohort and ensuring guests and program speakers reflect industry breadth and deliver addresses that also reflect the diversity of the industry/community.
The NSILP will raise the positive profile of the industry through building professionalism amongst the participants and through the delivery of a number of participant addresses to the industry guests throughout the program.
The NSILP 2015-2017 will address the succession of leadership in the industry by encouraging each of the participants, at the commencement of the program, to identify an aspirational leadership target. There will also be opportunity for program guests to identify participants who should engage with their organisations.

Objectives

1. The NSILP project objectives are:-1 To update the current NSILP through a review and desktop research process
2. To provide NSILP learning materials reflecting the above updated program
3. To facilitate a NSILP application and selection process that results in a diverse cohort of program participants
4. To provide a professionally facilitated nine-day industry leadership program for the seafood community
5. To manage the support and development of fifteen (15) NSILP participants/graduates
6. To create strong networks and succession opportunities between the seafood community and NSILP participants/graduates
7. To develop and deliver a project evaluation process at the conclusion of the project

Final report

ISBN: 978-0-9872781-4-2
Author: Jill Briggs
Final Report • 2017-12-01 • 4.20 MB
2014-407-DLD.pdf

Summary

National Seafood Industry Leadership Program 2015 - 2017 successfully graduated its seventeenth group of participants under current funding arrangements. The National Seafood Industry Leadership Program (NSILP) 2017 has now concluded with applications being currently sought by the Rural Training Initiatives Pty. Ltd. (RTI P/L) to continue the program for another three years as part of the industry’s new funding round with up to six programs being funded. This final report details the methods and outcomes from the NSILP 2015 - 2017 project.
Adoption
PROJECT NUMBER • 2002-306
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Aquafest Australia 2002 – national aquaculture conference and trade exhibition

Aquafest 2002 was a highly successful continuation of the tradition of biennial national aquaculture conferences organised and run by the Tasmanian Aquaculture Council (TAC). Aquafest 2002 provided the Australian aquaculture community with the usual unparalleled opportunity to gather en mass to...
ORGANISATION:
Tasmanian Aquaculture Council
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