While most fishers and fisheries have responded well to the increased environmental requirements being expected of them this has generally not been well communicated to the public. Additionally, the response has generally been ad hoc in nature. Some fishers have responded in a certain manner while others have taken a different approach. Similarly some fisheries have responded as a whole but have had little interaction with the actions of other fisheries. There are also a number of national initiatives which have been funded on this issue. To date no South Australian industry sector has been able to consolidate all the information relevant to their industry and take a proactive, integrated approach. As a result, the opportunities for industry resulting from those initiatives which have been undertaken, have not been optimised.
In South Australia there is a need to coordinate the seafood industry’s response to the increase in community environmental concern and to integrate industry, state and national initiatives on this issue. In particular there is a need to:
- Work closely with the prawn and rock lobster industries on developing appropriate responses to international market requirements and expectations, and
- Develop integrated environmental management programs with these fisheries which can be documented, implemented and promoted and which meet all national and state environmental requirements.