Evaluating the Performance of Australian Fisheries

Project number: 2014-235

Project Status:

Completed

Budget expenditure: $79,950.00

Principal Investigator: Ewan A. Colquhoun

Organisation: Ridge Partners

Project start/end date: 23 Jul 2014 - 15 Oct 2014

Contact:

FRDC

Need

The objective of the 2009 study was to:
Estimate the benefits arising from managing fisheries to their best use and managing that use in such a way as to generate the greatest benefit to the community, then compare those benefits against current outcomes.

There are a range of fishery performance assessment methods available, including evaluation of comparative return on capital, and estimates of B.mey/B.msy/B.cur comparisons and projects targeted at specific fisheries. These various methods have been undertaken concurrently for some years. Together it is anticipated that estimation by a range of methods will develop up a robust composite picture of Australia's fishery performance gap.

Since the 2009 study the FRDC has also commissioned additional studies to consider fishery performance based on social indicators (e.g. FRDC 2010/040). Learnings from these projects will be incorporated where relevant to project design.

The Delphi approach based on formal responses from an expert panel (70 selected experts) is one of the paths identified by the FRDC Resource Working Group to identify the size of the ‘gap’ between best outcomes for fisheries management and current practices. The Delphi technique was used as the basis for the 2009 Evaluation Study. It is proposed that the Delphi technique based on expert advice, be used again as the basis for this 2014 study.

However it is proposed for the 2014 study that the methodology and the expert assessment panel be expanded to include all three wild fishery sectors (commercial, recreational and indigenous/customary), as well as aquaculture.
This approach will therefore develop and deliver a full methodology and assessment picture for Australian fisheries, for the first time.

Objectives

1. Identify 100 leading industry stakeholders across all sectors and engage a representative expert group of at least 50 experts

2. Implement a Delphi process (3 rounds) to assess the current performance of all fishery sectors

3. Analyse and report on the performance of Australian fisheries and recommended strategies

4. Compare and contrast Australian fishery performance since the 2009 report

Final report

Author: Ridge Partners

Final Report • 2016-01-01 • 1.90 MB

2014-235-DLD.pdf

Summary

Are Australian fisheries and aquaculture achieving best performance and use? What is the trend in performance overall, and by sector across wild catch commercial, recreational, Indigenous customary and aquaculture? In 2014 this FRDC project completed its second evaluation of fisheries and aquaculture, following the first study in 2009. Using a consistent Delphi research methodology across environmental, economic and social issues, in 2014 58 experts assessed 41 separate fisheries and aquaculture.

The reality is that issues and priorities driving fisheries and aquaculture resources are complex and dynamic – accordingly assessments of performance and use must also change over time. The Delphi methodology builds our understanding via a cost-effective and systematic process to interrogate national and local issues across all fisheries and aquaculture. Experts’ responses focus our qualitative understanding on the main issues and priorities, to then guide both policy development platforms and fisheries management. In turn, we are better able to draw guarded quantitative conclusions about performance and use of each and every sector.

This report summarises the Delphi approach, the refinements adopted to improve the scope and scale of assessments to include economic activity from all sectors, the headline outcomes, and the early trends in performance and use over the 5 years since 2009.