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About Us
Fisheries Victoria Positioning Statement 2006 - 2010
Directions and Challenges
Who are we? What do we do? Why do we do it? This positioning statement sets out a vision and identifies strategic directions for Fisheries Victoria. Together, these form a framework that can help resolve the challenges facing Fisheries Victoria.
A Division of the Department of Primary Industries
Fisheries Victoria is a division of the Department of Primary Industries (DPI). Victoria is rich in natural resources and has a strong history of primary industry development. Fishing, agriculture, mining, petroleum, and forestry are all primary industries. DPI works with these industries so that they generate wealth and employment, and also take their environmental and social responsibilities seriously.
Fisheries Victoria manages the fisheries resource by developing and implementing policies and projects and delivering a wide range of services.
Victoria’s Fisheries Resources
Victoria’s waters range from fast, snow-fed streams in the mountains, to lazy rivers and creeks flowing down to the sea. They include inland lakes, river systems and water storages, estuarine and marine inshore waters and marine offshore waters out to the 3 nautical mile limit. By agreement with the Commonwealth, Victoria also manages some fisheries beyond this limit.
Victoria’s commercial and recreational fisheries are diverse and geographically extensive. Commercial fishing in Victoria occurs mostly in marine areas and in some bay, inlet and estuarine areas. Aquaculture and recreational fishing occur in marine, estuarine and inland waters.
Our unpolluted oceans provide some of the world’s finest seafood, from abalone and mussels to rock lobster and snapper. Abalone and rock lobster fisheries are Victoria’s most valuable commercial fisheries, followed by freshwater aquaculture trout. Also of significant value is the recreational fishing industry, estimated to involve over 550,000 Victorians. |
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Victoria’s fisheries resources are well managed - by both national and international standards. There is also a strong emphasis on managing for recovery where past management practices were sub-optimal. The good management of our resources is reflected in the viability of our fisheries stocks, particularly in recreational and commercial fisheries.
Managing Victoria’s Fisheries Resources: A Complex and Challenging Task
Fisheries Victoria’s external stakeholders include recreational users, aquaculturalists, commercial fishers, cultural users and the broader community. These stakeholders have different environmental, social and economic values and expectations. It is often difficult to reconcile these differences.
The objectives of fisheries management are changing with community expectations: previously, fisheries were managed for maximum yields, providing maximum jobs. They are now managed for maximum sustainable yield and viable industries. Management has moved from being reactive to more adaptive and proactive. Management of fisheries is now focussed on securing a high quality natural resource base for the long term as well as generating jobs and other economic and social benefits in local communities. | |
Fisheries are highly regulated. Non-compliance in Australia and many other countries threatens the legitimate domestic fish trade, and the sophisticated methods used by some criminal elements continually challenge regulators. There is pressure from some stakeholders for more regulation. This pressure needs to be balanced with the need to maintain flexibility and a capacity for an adaptive response, so as to better protect the resource when circumstances change and minimise the costs of regulation.
Fisheries Victoria’s role is delivered in the context of increasing competition for water and for access to fisheries resources, as well as increasing pressure on fisheries habitats as a result of other uses in the catchments. Community expectations – that fisheries resources will be protected and environmental values upheld – are high.
Fisheries resources are complex to manage because they are both a primary industry and a recreational resource:
- wild-catch fisheries are community-owned resources used for commercial, recreational and indigenous purposes
- wild-catch fish resources may extend across state or national boundaries or be restricted to specific locations
- commercial fisheries include both wild-catch and aquaculture. Aquaculture (or fish farming) is similar in nature to agriculture and may be conducted on private land or in state waters
- recreational fishing is an important and growing regional tourism industry. Wild-catch recreational fishing is supplemented in many inland waters by publicly funded stocking of fish.
History shows both here and in other parts of the world that without effective management and controls fisheries are over-fished, leading to significant ecological impacts, declining catches, the collapse of fishing industries and economic hardship for the communities they support. | |
History also shows us that fisheries are vulnerable to the environmental impacts of pollution, drought, fire, disease, and competition from introduced or noxious species. Some fisheries stocks are also subject to natural variability for reasons that are not clearly understood. In addition to lessons from the past, we face uncertainties in the future. The impacts of climate change, energy costs, global competition and new developments in science and technology require Fisheries Victoria to prepare for, and build capacity to manage, significant change over the longer term.
Given this complex environment, the establishment of clear directions for Fisheries Victoria is critical to the maintenance of effective management of the state’s fisheries.
‘Fish Forever’
Success in fisheries means different things to different people. For the general community, success might mean the maintenance of healthy fish habitats supporting a diverse range of species. For fishing industries, success might mean a well-managed resource free from disease, access for harvesting and farming fish, and for viable and competitive industries. Success for recreational fishers might mean the possibility of catching a large fish and access to waters across Victoria to enjoy fishing. Success for indigenous communities might mean maintaining and preserving local customary fishing practices.
Our vision statement provides clarity around why Fisheries Victoria exists and what we do. Fisheries Victoria’s vision of success aims to capture the significance of our role in the sustainable management of community–owned fisheries resources and to reflect an understanding of the aspirations of our stakeholders. In plain language, the elements of success are:
- fish in our waters
- being able to catch fish to eat
- being able to catch fish to sell
- being able to produce fish
- being able to buy locally caught fish, and
- all these elements at once, now and for future generations.
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Fisheries Victoria’s vision of success is to develop and manage Victoria’s fisheries resources within an ecologically sustainable development (ESD) framework – to ensure fish now and for the future.
This vision is aligned with the high level policy directions established by the Victorian Government in Growing Victoria Together. It also aligns with DPI objectives of a high quality natural resource base for the long term, strong economic activity, resilient industries and communities and accountable government.
Strategic Directions
The business of Fisheries Victoria can be characterised as ‘securing’ fisheries resources, ‘sharing’ fisheries resources and ‘growing’ or developing the value of the resource for the benefit of the community.
These simple catch phrases capture the three key strategic directions of Fisheries Victoria. The principles of ecologically sustainable development underpin all three.
Securing the Fish
Securing fisheries resources is about demonstrating sustainability. Fisheries Victoria aims to achieve sustainable fisheries by minimising the impact of fishing on the environment. We also aim to provide for adaptive management to climate change and environmental effects such as bush fires and drought.
Several other agencies have management responsibilities for the conservation of aquatic ecosystems. Fisheries Victoria aims to be an effective advocate for the recognition of ‘anthropogenic’ impacts (those derived from human activities) on fisheries habitats under the control and management of other agencies.
Key activities include:
- adopting a risk-based approach to the management of Victoria’s fisheries by developing structured management arrangements for our fisheries, including management plans
- enforcing measures that protect the resource, for example: preventing over-fishing and limiting illegal, unlicensed and unregulated fishing
- providing information and building stewardship among fishers and the general community
- targeting research to improve our ability to minimise impacts of resource utilisation
- responding to biosecurity threats
- informing and influencing agencies with control and management responsibilities that impact on the health of aquatic ecosystems.
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Sharing the Fish
Sharing the fish is about allocating fisheries resources in the public interest. ‘Public interest’ takes into account the economic and social interests of all stakeholders, including non-consumptive users and the broader community. Public interest also includes preserving the community value of the fisheries resource through access to the pleasures, benefits and traditions of catching and eating locally caught fish.
Key activities include:
- establishing transparent and secure allocation arrangements between and within sectors, which need to be both efficient and effective
- enforcing controls that restrict access to the resource, for example: the limitation of commercial or recreational fishing or aquaculture in certain areas
- targeting research to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and equity of resource sharing and to better understand the economic and social interests of commercial, recreational, aquaculture and indigenous users, as well as the broader community, in fisheries.
Growing the Value
Growing the value is about having competitive fishing industries. Fisheries Victoria aims to increase the productivity and value of fisheries resources, the profitability of the industries and the resilience of the livelihoods they support. We also aim to be an effective advocate for fisheries development, subject to sustainability. This includes commercial fishing and aquaculture and the development of recreational fishing industry opportunities, such as tourism.
Key activities include:
- facilitating the development of new fisheries
- facilitating the efficient development of fish production
- being an advocate for the pleasures and health benefits of eating fish
- informing and influencing industry and other agencies
- identifying and addressing barriers to industry
- targeting research to assist fisheries industries to be more competitive through an improved understanding of markets and more efficient and sustainable production, harvesting and marketing methods.
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Fisheries Victoria: Our Values
DPI values and behaviours are: make a difference, respect others, lead with purpose, work together, be open and focus on safety. They are about how we carry out our business; they support our culture and are critical to our success. Fisheries Victoria fully supports these values and behaviours. In promoting staff wellbeing, Fisheries Victoria has also identified a need to achieve a positive balance between the demands of work and private life, and to encourage peer support.
Implementation
Fisheries Victoria’s vision and directions underpin our projects, policies and services. Our vision and strategic directions will be achieved with the co-operation and support of the community, industry and other government agencies. They will be achieved within the legislative framework established by the Fisheries Act 1995 and Fisheries Regulations 1998.
The Positioning Statement is available below for print. To view the Positioning Statement you will require Adobe Acrobat Viewer. A free copy can be downloaded from Adobe Acrobat (external link).
Positioning Statement (PDF 872KB)
Further information:
Fisheries Victoria
Tel: 136 186
www.dpi.vic.gov.au/fishing
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