This project provides the resources for ASSA to undertake key, critical path activities to help grow the Australian seaweed industry over the next 2 years (until 31 March 2025), which is the stipulated grant duration. The project will provide the funding for ASSA to engage key personnel to manage and deliver the activities required in three core areas:
- Governance, Reporting, Communications and Stakeholder Engagement
- Seaweed Policy Reform, including coordination and participation in a Working Group
- R&D Coordination and Optimisation, including maintaining a programmatic view of the R&D landscape, identifying and optimising extension opportunities and working with industry stakeholders and funding bodies to help ensure investment is optimised

The proposal is for the production of the sixth edition of the SAFS reports. SAFS is Australia's only coordinated, national-scale stock-status reporting framework, and as such is a critical driver of jurisdictional collaboration and strategic processes. The current application is to produce the SAFS reports in 2023 and address strategic issues outlined above. In order to ensure the continuation of SAFS beyond 2023, it is essential for jurisdictions to develop ownership of the reports and to embed SAFS processes in core business, and for efficiencies in production and report management to continue to progress. A parallel project to develop jurisdictional reporting services is also underway to assist jurisdictions develop their jurisdictional chapters. As documented in the independent audit of SAFS 2016 (FRDC project 2016-143), the process of compiling SAFS on a co-operative basis between FRDC, Australian government agencies and all fisheries jurisdictions has led to greater joint collaboration, as well as transfers of methodologies and processes, to deliver higher quality and more credible stock status reporting which can be accessed nationally and internationally, as well as assisting in policy decisions regarding changes to particular fisheries management arrangements and in research priorities. Primary drivers for National reporting of the SAFS include: (i) the State of the Environment Report 2011, i.e., ‘lack of a nationally integrated approach inhibits effective marine management’; (ii) a recommendation of the House of Representatives Inquiry into the Role of Science for Fisheries and Aquaculture (Netting the Benefits Report 2012), i.e., ‘producing national status report regularly’; (iii) the Australian Fisheries Management Forum national statement of intent, i.e. a key outcome of ‘Goal 1’ is the National Status of Australian Fish Stocks Report; (iv) the National Fishing and Aquaculture Strategy 2015–20, i.e., ‘Goal 1’ of this strategy will be partially measured by an increased number of fisheries assessed as environmentally sustainable in the Status of Australian Fish Stocks Reports (this includes reducing the number of stocks assessed as uncertain); (v) the FRDC RD&E Plan 2020–25, enabling strategy V (tracking and reporting on sustainability of fish stocks and performance of fisheries).