The House of Representatives inquiry ‘Netting the benefits’ (November 2012) recommended that ‘the Australian Government continue to publish a consolidated stock report for all Australian fisheries with the consultation of State and Territory governments’. The Australian Government’s State of the Environment Report 2011 also identified that a ‘lack of a nationally integrated approach inhibits effective marine management’. In addition to the Australia’s domestic reporting responsibilities, national stock status reports are also required to inform the broader international community.

The inaugural SAFS reports (2012) demonstrated the value and impact of national reporting, providing an easy to access, consistent national picture of wild-capture fish stock sustainability. The SAFS reports 2014 would continue to provide consistent national comparisons, for an increased number of species.

To establish a strategic, longer-term plan and ensure the SAFS reports remain on-going it will be important to develop processes for self-sustainment. On-going support (personnel and funding) from all jurisdictions is critical to this. Some jurisdictions have already adopted aspects of the agreed national reporting framework, which will support improved alignment between jurisdictional reports and simplify production of future SAFS reports. The current proposal is critical to ensuring production of a high quality second edition. Throughout this project processes will be established for the self-sustainment of national fisheries status reporting.

There is also a need for national reporting on additional aspects of fisheries Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD). This was highlighted in the House of Representatives inquiry (2012) which supported the inclusion of detailed ecosystem sustainability issues in future national reports.

There is a need for a consolidated national report on the status of key wild catch Australian fish stocks, focusing on commercial and recreational target species. One pitfall of guides like the Australia’s Sustainable Seafood Guide is their focus on entire species, without considering differences among stocks within each species. Consequently, a poor status determination for one stock can result in a poor status determination for all stocks of that species regardless of whether or not the other stocks are healthy. Government can avoid this pitfall by clearly articulating the status of individual fish stocks. Australia’s different jurisdictions have demonstrated their capacity to work constructively together to achieve common goals (e.g. joint stock assessments for shared stocks). However, the current differences in scope, depth, terminology and benchmarking in jurisdictionally based Fishery Status Reports make it difficult to readily compare the status of stocks across jurisdictions and build a coherent national status of key species.

The National Fishery Status Reports would not be promoted as an eco-labelling guide but rather as a government produced instrument designed to simplify comparison of the status of key wild capture fish stocks around Australia both within and among jurisdictions. This information would be available for the general public, policy makers and industry to make informed decisions in relation to the actual health of various stocks. The reports would also provide an important and accurate information source for international organisations (e.g. FAO). The process of producing these reports will improve communication between the jurisdictions, leading to a better understanding of the status determinations made by each jurisdiction and how these compare. One of the main outcomes already achieved from the recent jurisdictional planning workshops is the convergence on a common system of benchmarking and terminology for use across jurisdictions.