The original Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC) Report – “Comanagement: Managing Australia’s fisheries through partnership and delegation” Project No. 2006/068 – was reviewed and found to remain rigorous, relevant and appropriate as a guide to co-management and the issues surrounding its implementation.

The list of “drivers” for co-management in the original report (Appendix 1) has been confirmed in this review. In particular, the importance of cost savings as a driver for both the industry and government was again emphasised. However, one further driver has been raised which should be added, namely the opportunity to build on human and social capital development across fisheries stakeholders and the community.

The list of “essential pre-conditions” for co-management in the original report (Appendix 2) has also been confirmed. The point was reinforced that not all “preconditions” needed to be satisfied to enter into co-management negotiations, but those negotiations needed to ultimately cover all those points in some way in reaching an agreed co-management arrangement.

Most industry organisations (and some government agencies) are adopting a “wait and see” attitude dependent on the reviews of current co-management trials to demonstrate that real costs and benefits are achievable in a practical sense. Others continue to seek funding for additional trials designed to confirm successful results in different situations.