Australia’s Fishing Industry Who’s in control of the future? Dr Kate Brooks – Manager, FRDC Social Science Research Co-ordination Program; & Visiting Fellow – Australian National University, Canberra.

This presentation.... Demographics of the industry; Industry resilience Pressures on the industry; –Operational/productivity –Environmental (sustainability & climate variability) Community perceptions influencing decisions; Fishing in the food chain; and Who is in control and who should be?

Industry Demographics Average age 45+ Approximately 95% male/ 5% female Married or de-facto with dependents Average of four years of high school education Represented 0.06% of Australia’s direct employment in 2006

Average Employment in Commercial Fishing Financial Years Direct employment in Commercial Fishing = 0.06%* of all Australian employment * Source: 2006 Australian Population and Housing Census. Source: Brooks, K., (2010), “Health and Safety in the Australian Fishing Industry”, RIRDC, March, Canberra

External Pressures Productivity and profitability – access & operating costs; Coastal development/Marine Protected Areas and Marine Parks, Increasing environmental/sustainability concerns Changes to environmental flows; and Climate variability. Public Perceptions.

Resilience and change The flexibility to continue despite changes in circumstance. Resilience /Vulnerability Resilient is not infinite.

Isolation to collaboration – the next step? Nature of fishermen Solitary style of working environment Questionable comparisons to other industry collaborations to achieve community support - e.g. farmers/NFF Few with the capacity to engage in changing public perceptions;

Summary No one is currently in control of the future of our fishing industry; Australians need to decide if fish is to be one of our future protein source options. The fishing industry needs to identify collaborators to help in countering misperceptions. Governments need to engage with industry in community assurance and education: co-management approaches.

Thank you – Questions? Australia’s Fishing Industry - Who’s in control of the future? Dr Kate Brooks - M;