Workshop: The workshop is being hosted Tiffany Morrison, Pip Cohen, Gretta Pecl and Emily Ogier. Their approach is to bring together a small group of exceptional multi-disciplinary researchers and practitioners with expertise in governance, fisheries, climate science, blue carbon, blue finance, blue conservation, Indigenous governance, co-management, and community resilience. It is our aim that discussions will be focused towards producing a jointly authored paper targeted at Nature or Science, complemented by a marine intervention governance protocol and self-assessment tool.

Similarly the ECCWO5 symposium will bring together experts from around the world to better understand climate impacts on ocean ecosystems, the ecosystem services they provide, and the people, businesses and communities that depend on them. The 2023 event will highlight the latest information on how oceans are changing, what is at risk, responses that are underway, and strategies for increasing climate resilience, mitigation and adaptation. It aims to identify key knowledge gaps, promote collaborations, and stimulate the next generation of science and actions.

This project will provide a wholistic decarbonisation decision platform as the aquaculture industry builds its climate resilience. This will directly continue the work from existing projects (Climate Resilient Wild Catch Fisheries FRDC - Project Number: 2021-089) and offers both a ‘one stop shop’ approach for viable available options, as well as emerging solutions that are forecast.

The key activities are:
1 | Develop an aquaculture emissions operational framework
2 | Undertake a technical readiness assessment - challenge and
advantages, viability and scalability working with micro-project partners
3 | Undertake a suite of early mover pilot projects
4| Develop a Decarbonisation e-decision map
5 | Develop policy and funding reports to inform governance + policy makers + potential investors
6| Develop and deliver supporting outreach & communications assets

We are confident that our funding proposal offers a unique whole of industry pathway for decarbonisation, can leverage from BECRC technical experiences and programs and SIA membership networks, but also importantly take into account opportunities available to accelerate action around company readiness.

Association micro project partners:
PRAWNS BARRAMUNDI
OYSTERS TUNA
KINGFISH ABALONE
SALMON SEAWEED

Early mover pilot project partners + NEW*
Tassal Group
Huon Salmon
Yumbah Aquaculture
Ocean Road
*NEW This project will also accommodate an additional commercial partner looking for ocean energy focused solutions. This pilot will be subcontracted to AOEG through FRDC.

There is a need to increase effective engagement between fishing and aquaculture stakeholders and climate science and scientists in an ongoing strategic way, and not ‘just’ for single-project outcomes.

Improved engagement will help increase understanding of the likely implications of a changing climate in relevant contexts, and lay foundations for a shared exploration of available options for reducing risk exposure. We have worked with stakeholders and the FRDC Extension Officer Network to design a strategy that will engage fishing and aquaculture stakeholders on existing knowledge regarding risks and opportunities associated with a changing climate, to enable resource managers and researchers to better understand the ways in which many sectors are already adapting autonomously and to identify the barriers to further adaptation, and to co-design solutions that are relevant at local- and industry-levels to help build climate-ready communities and to stimulate economic resilience.

In many cases (but not all), extensive information regarding marine climate change - including key risks to fisheries and aquaculture producers (at a high level) - is already available, along with information on how to develop adaptation plans. However, despite this, progress and uptake within most sectors in terms of planned adaptation responses has been very slow – although many individual operators are already making ‘autonomous’ changes to their day-to-day operations in response to climate change drivers. If these changes are being made without access to best available knowledge, then it is very likely that substantial portions of these responses are maladaptive in the longer term, or may be countervailing to planned government adaptations (see Pecl et al 2019, Ambio, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13280-019-01186-x). This is a pattern evident within many different industries around Australia and across the rest of the world. ‘What’ needs to happen has thus been outlined in general terms in many cases, but such information is not co-developed or provided in consultation with end-users in ways that resonate or are useful to them. This project will address this need for relevance and usefulness.

The project aims to develop reflexive, ongoing, and two-way knowledge exchange between industry representatives, operators and manager, and the marine climate change impacts and adaptation research sector, so that solutions are co-designed, usable, and adoptable.