Traditional management approaches have in many cases failed to address equity, socio-economic, sustainability and environmental issues raised by stakeholders in fisheries from a local, or regional perspective. This has been particularly the case for inshore fisheries.

A range of 'local' issues were raised in the recent Regulatory Impact Statement and Draft Public Benefit consultation process for the Queensland East Coast Inshore Fin Fish Fishery. This project sets out to take an experimental approach to developing solutions to these concerns by investigating a limited number of local problems in a comprehensive manner, with the hope that they will assist in the development of models which can be used to tackle similar situations, both within Queensland and in similar fisheries around Australia, identified in the 2008 FRDC Inshore Fisheries Forum. The project will showcase the first attempts to adopt the 'Steps in implementing co-management' proposed in FRDC's 'Co-management' report (project no. 2006/068).

This project will support both the Queensland fishing industry and the Queensland Government's aspirations to develop improved partnerships between all stakeholders involved in the fishing industry, and through greater sharing of responsibility for management arrangements re-position the Fisheries Group's relationship in the 'management arena' as both a stakeholder and facilitator, in contrast to its historical role of authorising agent.

The implementation of this program will also assist in capacity building of the industry organisation (QSIA), particularly in terms of its readinesss to be involved with, and take a lead role in the development and assessment of new fisheries management tools in the new era of Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM).