Digital literacy for Queensland commercial fishers stage 1 - Improving business efficiencies
Optimising Compliance Outcomes in Recreational Fisheries
Investigation and improvement of live Blue Swimmer Crab handling in NSW
Improving data on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander marine resource use to inform decision-making
Disseminating existing bycatch reduction and fuel efficiency technologies throughout Australia's prawn fisheries
Understanding environmental and fisheries factors causing fluctuations in mud crab and blue swimmer crab fisheries in northern Australia to inform harvest strategies
Economic Impact of 2016 White Spot Disease Outbreak
Building economics into fisheries management decision making - to utilise a suite of SA case studies
Golden fish: evaluating and optimising the biological, social and economic returns of small-scale fisheries
Fish and crustacean stocks are under pressure from a range of sources, such as a growing population, increased fishing pressure and anthropogenic changes. These pressures, and the small-scale nature of many fisheries in terms of their economic return, highlight the need to develop cost-effective tools for assessing and valuing these fisheries. Such tools should be able to estimate the social and economic contribution of commercial and recreational fisheries to communities (FRDC 2014/008). However, FRDC 2012/214 has highlighted that ‘poor quality data’ on the economic value of recreational and indigenous fishing limits the development of optimal policies for these fisheries. Advances in aquaculture provide ‘new’ options for managers and the ability to restore or enhance target populations by releasing cultured individuals. Increasing interest from recreational fishers in enhancing fishing experiences and the development of government policies for release programs in WA, NSW and Victoria, combined with the creation of Recreational Fishing Initiatives Funds (RFIF), have focussed attention on restocking/stock enhancement as a potential management option. To maximise the likelihood for success, tools are needed to evaluate the potential effectiveness of any release program in increasing target populations. Combining the results of release program bioeconomic models with social and economic data, such as the increased catch (revenue) generation for commercial fishers and the economic returns and social values of recreational fishing, provides managers with improved decision making abilities based on an understanding of the social and economic implications of those decisions. The ability to assess the social values and economic contributions of fisheries to communities also provides much needed information, particularly on the catch, effort and motivations of recreational fishers, which are currently lacking in WA and can be used in the harvest strategy component of the Marine Stewardship Council certification process and to develop social and economic performance indicators for fisheries (FRDC 2014/008). Recfishwest has committed $100,000 from the WA RFIF to this proposal in recognition of the need for this research.
Final report
Isolating social and economic objectives within multiple stakeholder fisheries – a case study: the South Australian Marine Scalefish Fishery
Refining a Nordmøre grid to minimise the incidental catch of cuttlefish and crabs in the Spencer Gulf Prawn Fishery
Seafood CRC: accelerated new product development: blue swimmer crab pilot
Commonly, the success of new product development for the seafood industry has been hindered by the
business needing to commit significant financial outlay for production despite uncertainties of the
marketability of the product The innovative product development and marketing methodology to be
developed and piloted in this project aims to decrease the risk in product development. The method involves all of the participants in the supply chain, from manufacturer to consumer, working together for a short, intense period of product "ideation" and development before developing the agreed product concept. The process will exploit the natural entrepreneurialism of staff at Abacus Fisheries, plus experts brought in to assist. If successful, the technique may potentially be transferred to other sectors, increasing the chance of success of developing economically viable value-added seafood products
Final report
The aim of the project was to develop a new series of value added Abacus crab products that have been researched, developed, costed, branded and trialled in the marketplace prior to further large financial commitment to facilitate production. This new accelerated product development methodology, building the products from desk-top to cook-top, and improving the likelihood of market success prior to large scale production, represented an innovative approach to seafood product development in smaller businesses.
Using market expertise (focussed on food service market) and technical expertise there were a number of iterations which allowed the original number of 92 product concepts to be narrowed down to the final two commercially available and market acceptable products in less than 14 months. The multiple assessments both from a sensory and market acceptability perspective enabled renewed confidence in market attractiveness. The assessment also ensured that form, portion size and packaging were based on expert market opinion. Cost was also minimised by the four day ideation process. The process implemented also allowed for a comparison with currently available products early on in the development process.