The SEF fishing industry, particularly the trawl sector, has a need to be proactive in the face of growing community attention to trawling based on its potential to modify benthic habitat and threaten biodiversity values. This need is focussed by the timetable for the regional marine planning process (the end of 2001 for the SEF region), as well as to meet provisions under Schedule 4 of the Wildlife Protection (Regulation of Experts and Imports) Act and the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act. Without solid information or a developed industry position regarding the spatial management of its fishing grounds, the fishing industry will have minimal ability to engage in this process as active partners.

The SEF fishing industry holds strong beliefs about the importance of particular seabed habitats for is continued profitability (Prince, Baelde and Wright FRDC 71/114) and has a need to develop a mature relationship with the National Ocean's Office and Environment Australia. This relationship and the information formailsed by this project will enable the industry to have input in the near-term to the Regional Marine Planning process and to certify their seafood products for expertation under the Wildlife Protection Act.

The outcomes of this project will have direct relevance t:
advancing AFMA's legislated aims of sustaining biological production and economic efficiency
seeking certification for inclusion on Schedule 4 of the Wildlife protection Act
attaining ESD accreditation in the longer term
responding to the near term needs of participating in the process of developing Environment Australia's South East Regional Marine Plan.

The finely detailed and annotated maps to be generated by this project will provide a template on which the distribution of fishing effort and catches can be plotted, and will form the basis of industry proposals to introduce a spatial management to their fishery. Without these maps and the process supported by this project there is a risk that uninformed spatial management of fishing effort would contribute neither to conservation goals nor the fishing industry and could be to the detriment of both. Moreover, inappropriate spatial management would be counter-productive to ESD planning for the SEF.