Organised information provides the ability to make and justify good decisions. the FRDC delivers a range of services on its websites to support fishing and aquaculture. these track and report on:
- sustainability status of fish stocks and performance of fisheries,
- environmental impacts and risk,
- international trade and market access,
- consistency of best practice,
- consumer/community perceptions and behaviour, which inform sectors about emerging trends.
FRDC’s stakeholders have emphasised the value of these services. however, there is a need to assess how well they continue to meet the needs of end users. under this R&D Plan, the FRDC will review and improve the services it delivers, including national reporting that:
- extends beyond standard measures of economic performance (e.g. GVP) to include more informative, near-real-time economic indicators,
- integrates broader metrics that better describe and track environmental and human wellbeing across fishing and aquaculture,
- expands performance reporting of species and sectors so that consumers and the community have access to accurate information.
All FRDC-funded services are reviewed regularly and receive feedback from end users on their awareness, use and impact of these resources. this ensures FRDC’s investments are deployed in areas that deliver value to stakeholders.
Providing foundational information and support services will benefit FRDC’s stakeholders in the R&D Plan outcome areas, including:
- expanded environmental management to cover areas other than stock status of target species (R&D Plan Outcome 1),
- improved decision making by fishers and aquaculturists so they can get the most from their business and the products delivered (R&D Plan Outcomes 1, 2, 5),
- increased capacity for managers to consistently and adaptively inform their decision making (R&D Plan Outcomes 1, 2, 4, 5),
- greater transparency and product traceability so the community and consumers will be able to confidently make more informed choices (R&D Plan Outcome 5),
- more up-to-date information so researchers will be able to target their work to areas of need (all R&D Plan Outcomes).
THE FUTURE: More holistic reporting of performance
Looking forward, performance will be measured by more than target stock sustainability and GVP. More producers will need to tell a story — supported by evidence — about their bycatch levels, carbon footprint, wellbeing of fishers and and farmers, quality along the value chain, and how benefits will be distributed. Transforming performance reporting for fisheries and aquaculture will involve being able to collect new information both cheaply and effectively, although this may take years to be fully implemented.