Hooked On Fish - Part 3

Joining the Dots - or Towards The End of Dotocracy. 

     Australian Aquaculture can best be described as an exciting industry, with a great deal of effort being applied to a wide variety of enterprises and potential enterprises, but without a central strategy to guide its development.  It is like a child's dot drawing - a large number of dots, perhaps a vague impression of what it might look like, but no real effort to join the dots.  Perhaps, because of the large involvement of state and commonwealth governments preparing their own concepts and "protect-our-patch" strategies, it might be called a "Dotocracy".       

     Let's look at just some of the dots forming our Dotocracy:

• the Commonwealth Department of Agriculture Fisheries & Forestry (DAFF) has developed their "Best practice framework of regulatory arrangements for aquaculture in Australia". The introduction to this "framework" commences with the following statement "The Aquaculture Industry Action Agenda (AIAA) is a strategic framework between industry and the Australian Government to assist the Australian aquaculture industry achieve its vision of $2.5 billion in sales by 2010. The AIAA contains a set of ten strategic initiatives to work towards this goal. Strategic Initiative 2 is the promotion of a regulatory and business environment that supports aquaculture. This is supported by a National Aquaculture Policy Statement which was developed and agreed to by all States, Territories and the Commonwealth Government in 2003.  Around the same time that implementation of the AIAA commenced, the Productivity Commission initiated a research paper titled 'Assessing Environmental Regulatory Arrangements for Aquaculture'. The purpose of the Commission Research Paper was to assess the planning and environmental regulatory arrangements covering marine and land-based aquaculture production in Australia.".......and so on.  You, perhaps, start to get the idea (wonder how the $2.5 billion/2010 thing is going).  But wait, there's more!

• the NSW Government has their "Strategy to guide the land based aquaculture industry in NSW", together with their strategy of "Developing Commercial Inland Saline Aquaculture in Australia: Part 1 & 2", although you might have to dig for that as the internet link seems to be broken.

• The South Australian Government has their "Landbased aquaculture development guidelines" and their policy for Yellowtail Kingfish production.

• the West Australian Government will present you with their "Site Assessment for Land-based,Temperate Marine Aquaculture, from Shark Bay to South Australian Border, Western Australia".

• the NSW Aquaculture Association Inc have their website and a load of useful information.

• the Australian Aquaculture Portal has their website,

• and, of course, don't forget the National Aquaculture Council and its Strategy, mentioned in Part 1.

     So, there we have it, folks.  The above is just a small sample of what is out there in aquaculture land.  Over the last decade, or so, there has been a large amount of work done, lots of fine words and good intentions, some progress, but not nearly enough!  Most of that progress has been the result of the hard work and risk taken by private entrepreneurs, notwithstanding the growing Dotocracy surrounding them.  Companies large and small, such as Cell Aquaculture, Clean Seas Tuna, Huon Aquaculture and Taylor Made Fish Farms, (whom I must thank for the photographs) to name just a few, have carried the torch.  

     Why is all this important?  Feeding ourselves and others, reducing imports and protecting marine natural resources are just part of it.  There is much more!  But none of it will happen if we don't first join the dots.

                                  

Next.......Part 4.....and finis..

                

Hooked On Fish - Part 2

We Can Do This!  

     In Hooked On Fish - Part 1, attention was drawn to the decline of the Australian total fishery and the failure to replace production from a stabilising marine fishery with production from an aggressive aquaculture fishery.  Part of the reason for that situation is most likely due to a combination of heavy population pressure on Australia's east coast and the creation of marine parks or reserves over many parts of the coastline.  These factors have, perhaps paradoxically, limited the available space for marine aquaculture enterprises.

     This is not to say, however, that marine aquaculture is a dead duck.  Not at all.  There is a significant amount of work being done in most state jurisdictions to both maintain and develop tthe marine aquaculture fishery.  This is particularly evident in Tasmania and South Australia.  Notwithstanding this important work, let's take a look at the prospects for land based aquaculture.


     Many of you may be aware of the plight of rural communities around Australia (of course, this is not a uniquely Australian problem).  You will also be aware of the growing plight of less well off countries where food resources are scarce and feeding the population challenging.  There are many similarities between such countries and our own rural communities in that they suffer from shortages of water, difficulties with communications, challenges to accessing markets, extremes of weather and struggling traditional rural enterprises.  So, in this Part 2, let's explore some of the possibilities.  Sit back and watch.......

Set you thinking?  We can do this!

Next - Part 3 - Joining the Dots - or Towards The End of Dotocracy. 

Save The Whales But Don't Forget The Fishies!

     If I ever get to see a live whale, swimming freely in the ocean, it will most likely be while standing on a cliff overlooking some part of the Australian East Coast.  You won't get me in a boat for the very simple reason that I enjoy my tucker and see no point in using it to burley up more fish, of the whale variety or otherwise.

     Yet, I am a strong supporter of the anti-whaling fraternity.  Its probably just sentimentality; after all, we kill and consume plenty of other mammals.  But killing and chasing these magnificent creatures does seem completely pointless, unless, of course, you happen to sell or consume the flesh.

     So, what happens if the slaughter is stopped?  The most obvious is that whale numbers will stabilise and then increase.  We will enjoy, with greater frequency,  the sight of them moving gracefully up and down our coast and marvel at their magic.  Many of us will experience more "up close and personal" moments and the enchantment that brings.  Perhaps, tragically, there will be more beachings and the drama such events bring to effected communities.  There will also be consequences!

     Whales feed very near the bottom of the ocean food chain. Yet, they are not the only specie dependent upon this source.  Put very simply, more whales mean more competition for other species.  Generally, this would not be an issue as nature, if left to work its own magic, will strike a balance.  However, nature is not left alone; we have not left it alone.  The impact of human intervention in our ocean environment is complex and without dispute.  Perhaps it is time to reduce our impact, to allow the big fish and the little fish (and all in between) to sort things out.

     Seafood, as we all know, is an excellent source of protein and essential oils.  Many communities around the world are heavily dependent upon harvesting the oceans as their only means of abundant protein.  Many more, like we in Australia, also depend on an ocean harvest to add variety and nutritional complexity to our diet.  Yet all countries, rich or poor, are finding it much more difficult to source supply.  We are forced to travel further, fish deeper, take more risks to produce the plunder demanded by the market place.  In the process, the food chain shrinks, species become scarce, ocean life gradually dies.

     The answer to efficient seafood production, world wide, lies in the rapid development of aquaculture.  "Fish farming" is a far more efficient and consistent means of producing large amounts of seafood quickly and cheaply.  It has endured the developmental and experimental agonies and is now established as an important link in the human food chain.  A 2002 report, presented by the ABC's Landline program, gives voice to the possibilities of this industry.  There is also a large amount of aquaculture technology now available, allowing fish farming from the micro, back yard level, to large commercial enterprises.  In most respects, it is no longer experimental.

     Humanity demands to be fed. Yet, if we wish to save the whales, we cannot ignore the fact that we must ensure their food chain is viable.  Subspecies must be allowed to survive and prosper.

     Oh, by the way, we have not yet touched on climate change.  The warming and acidification of the ocean may just do the job on the whales, and more, without a harpoon being fired.  But, we will still, more than ever, need the protein seafood can give us.  Everything is connected, after all.........."the shin bone is connected to the knee bone....is connected to the thigh bone......is connected to the hip bone....etc, etc!"

    

    

more »
HubPages