Ewan Colquhoun

Ridge Partners

Fisheries & Aquaculture R,D & E challenge

Can yesterday’s industry view inform us

about today’s R,D&E investment,

in order to boost tomorrow’s fishery outcomes?

• Demographic and social change in the community – all fishery sectors. What Australians expect for granting access to resources.

• Climate change and related impacts (e.g. spiny urchin invasion)

• Seafood consumer’s – demography, income, health, lifestyles

• Increased disposable income - leisure time, recreational connect

• Indigenous Customs generational transfer / cultural maintenance

• Technology creation and change – uptake driven by profit motive

• A$ - import and export competitiveness

• Competitor’s actions in supplying low cost seafood to markets

• Regulatory cycles - Commonwealth, states, global

• etcThese dynamics mean there are a

range of plausible futures for Australian fisheries.

Understanding context and trends are critical to risk management and converting assumptions

into outcomes.

In turn, R,D&E choices are better informed to ensure best fishery outcomes more likely.

Wild Capture

Aquaculture

In order to create the future, we need to assess fisheries use and performance over time :

•Past

•Current

•Future(what is possible bestuse and performance)

What is the gap – social and economic

What is the gap – social and economic

(FRDC Project in 2008-09 – Noted already by Prof. George Kailis, Chair of the Working Group)

• Delphi process- 70 Experts comprehensively consulted 4 times over 6 months in 2008-9

• Expert Panel included all fishing sectors (commercial, recreational, customary), seafood, and experts from technology, resource, environment and social

• Fishery Managers, fishers and organisations, and stakeholders,

• Australian and global

• Informed by literature review of global issues and trends

FISHERY USE

100% 100%

HIGH 10

9

8

7

6

5

Legend

4 Commercial

Recreational

Customary

3 Illegal

2

1

LOW

FISH

ERY

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E

Use Change 2003-08Commercial from 86% to 85%, Recreational from 13% to 14%,

Indigenous 0.1%,Illegal 0.9% to 0.8%

Performance Change 2003-08

= 3.0 / 10

MIXED RECREATIONALCOMMERCIAL

2008

2003

FISHERY USE

100% 100%

HIGH 10

9

8

7

6

5

Legend

4 Commercial

Recreational

Customary

3 Illegal

2

1

LOW

FISH

ERY

PER

FOR

MA

NC

E

Performance Change 2003-08

= 3.0 / 10

Est. Performance Gap

= 4.2 / 10

MIXED RECREATIONALCOMMERCIAL

2008

2003

Best Use ?

Est. Economic Performance and GapBeach Economic Rent $243m = $97mNet Commercial Output Impact $396m = $158mNet Recreational Output Impact $315m = $158mNet Indigenous Output Impact $1.1m = $0.32mNet Illegal Output Impact $6.4m = $2.56m

Total $962m = $416m

(13 Criteria)

(10 Criteria)

(7 Criteria)(8 Criteria)

(6 Criteria)

(Neutral Weighting for Criteria)

FRDC Community Perceptions of Fishing Survey 2009

Most functions delegated

No functions delegated

Preconditionsnon-existent

Preconditionsexistent

Centralised model

Consultative model

Collaborative model

Delegated model

International fisheries are diverse, but many have made limited progress.

The best aquaculture (e.g. prawn farmers) and wild fisheries (e.g. Southern

Rocklobster) have evolved across multiple jurisdictions

The bulk of commercial wild catch and aquaculture fisheries are trying to evolve beyond a consultative model

The best recreational fisheries (e.g. NT Barramundi) are here

Most functions delegated

Many recreational and customary fisheries are developing the strong organisational structures to lead their transition.

Lack of legislation constrains customary fishing - change

now evident

Lack of legislative uniformity constrains aquaculture

development.

Dollars??

But is it time to refocus investment to productivity?

Bigpicture Tradeoffs are at the heart of fishery progression towards best use. Marine resource are exhaustible - Users do not get all that they want. R,D&E must show the way to these choices.

Structural barriers undercut our move to best performance. Fishery bodies (users and managers) and practices are not evolving fast enough to enable progress to best use and greater competitiveness – uneven legislation, lack of transparency to users and communities; lack of data; systems not harmonised. Collaboration and data are critical keys.

Incentives are required to motivate current use, to better use, and then towards best performance in a timely manner. Both Carrot and Stick! The $1 million per day is an opportunity cost that does not have to be paid if we re more efficient. R,D&E should create incentives before enterprises fail.

Is best use always best? 10 out of 10 is not always best or equally relevant key is for fishery managers and users to fearlessly evaluate and impartially recognise where they are on their specific fishery journey to best use, set their performance goals that address their community expectations, and to actively manage progress towards these outcomes

Keep Going. National assessment of best use and performance offers a ready tool to enable cost effective monitoring and reporting of wild fisheries use and performance to stakeholders. An amended template may suit aquaculture.

"Yesterday" first recorded in 1965 by the Beatles

is the most popular song ever written.

(Most cover versions)