2008/748 Australian Council of Prawn Fisheries research and development planning, implementation, extension and utilisation

By Martin Hicks

The Australian Prawn wild catch sector has had significant decline with the financial crisis. The industry comprises of more than 1000 small businesses throughout Australia with little or no capacity to coordinate investment in and manage industry development. Recovering lost industry value and delivering future growth is contingent upon coordinated investment in industry development at the whole of industry level.

The Australian Council of Prawn Fisheries is now established and well positioned with the Seafood Cooperative Research Centre to implement its strategic plan and to integrate research and development across all stakeholders under its leadership.

This project therefore aimed to:

1. Coordinate the planning, implementation, and reporting of research and development projects conducted by the Australian Seafood Cooperative Research Centre to achieve the outcomes specified in the Australian Council of Prawn Fisheries' Strategic Plan.
2. Facilitate the prawn industry participation in Seafood Cooperative Research Centre projects and the extension and utilisation of the project results, particularly in relation to the development of new products and new markets.
3. Establish, by December 2011, a mechanism by which the Australian Council of Prawn Fisheries can fund its own research and development coordination and communication activities.