Inshore high profile fisheries need EMS to build the confidence of their communities to ensure that the supply of fish to the public is maintained. An EMS is also needed for the Marine Aquarium Fishery (MAF) to minimise any future loss of access by ensuring its current practices are consistent with community expectations. Through the fishery’s ESD process, this project also enables Department of Environment and Heritage’s (DEH) assessment outcomes to be incorporated into the EMS.

The South Coast Estuarine Fishery (SCEF) is also in danger of losing access either through resource reallocation to other sectors or the marine planning process unless it proactively engages with community groups to improve its perception. This fishery has no code of practice and, as a non-export fishery, is unlikely to undergo any Government driven environmental risk assessment process in the near future. This industry driven project is necessary to enable the long and sustainable history of the fishery to be documented and profiled prior to entering into the marine planning process.

There is an equal need to evaluate the effectiveness of EMS as a tool to improve public perception. These results would be integral to WAFIC promoting the up take of EMS by other fisheries in future.

In the pearling industry, the template produced as a result of the National Seafood EMS Pilot Project is now available for application across WA’s pearling industry. This project will allow the whole industry to demonstrate its EMS credentials (rather than a component of the industry) to ensure there is an ongoing and continuous improvement process.

With growing interest amongst other WA fisheries to develop EMS there is a need to educate the wider industry on the associated costs, benefits and options of EMS.