In 1994 CSIRO and FRDC started a 5-year ecosystem study of the southeastern Australian continental shelf. Fisheries management in this area is currently based on individual species. Our goal was to identify ecosystem features that could extend the data available to manage the fisheries in this area. We focused on the area of the shelf between Wilson's Promontory and Bermagui, where there are important fishing grounds. We were particularly interested in how habitat influences productivity of the fishery.

Management of marine ecosystems, rather than of individual fish species, is a frequently expressed goal of involved scientists and managers, but what does it really mean? In stressed ecosystems, ecosystem functions e.g. nutrient processing, may remain unchanged while the proportion of species and diversity in the ecosystem and even the health of individuals, can change dramatically. Species are more sensitive indicators of stress than is the system itself. Therefore, we did not try to study the marine ecosystem as a whole, but rather, concentrated on examining interactions of people and the particular ecosystem components that influence the quantity and quality of desired products. These particular interactions are known as 'leverage points'. Leverage is based on the notion that small, well-focussed actions can produce enduring improvements if they are directed at sensitive system components. We used the notion of leverage to direct our research.