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Vague labelling of shark products in Australia’s fish and chip shops undermines consumer choice and sustainability of domestic shark fisheries
No full textAustralia has a good reputation for promoting sustainable management of fisheries and protecting endangered and threatened shark species. In Australia, consumers mainly purchase shark products from retail outlets called fish and chip shops. Accurate and precise labelling of shark products is essential to ensure that consumers can make informed choices about the types of shark products they consume. However, little is known about labelling practices in fish and chip shops. We conducted a review of online menus to assess the quality of labelling of shark products in fish and chip shops across Australia. Using a Google search, we identified 1132 fish and chip shops and found that most had online menus (n = 850, 75% of 1132). Over half of the menus included shark products (n = 435, 51% of 850) with another 277 (33% of 850) selling unspecified ‘fish and chips’ products that could include shark and 138 (16% of 850) selling specific ‘scalefish’ products. Of those menus (712 of 850) that either offered shark products or products that could include shark meat, most were labelled using generic terms such as \u27flake\u27 (37%, 261 of 712) or unspecified \u27shark\u27 (9%, 64 of 712) and unspecified ‘fish and chips’ (38%, 275 of 712). Only 16% (111 of 712) of retail outlets provided shark species-specific labels and only 41% of these also provided information about the area of origin, which was typically expressed as either ‘Australian/Local’ or ‘Imported’. We argue that relevant authorities should focus on policies aimed at improving labelling practices, including a requirement for menus to incorporate authentic species name and area of origin information, as this has the potential to enable consumers to purchase products obtained from sustainable shark fishing, and would reward retailers who use informative product labels
Commercial fishing identification guide 2023
No full textThroughout this guide you will see all or some of the marine bioregion symbols with each fish illustration, indicating where the species is most likely to occur.
This guide has been developed to help you identify the more common species in Western Australia you may encounter. The purpose of this guide is to enhance consistent and accurate species identification.
If you are unsure about a particular species (or if it is not in this guide), please discuss it with a representative of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia.https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/fr_fop/1056/thumbnail.jp
Natural Resources slideshow 1
No full textNatural resource investigations to ensure future agriculture in northern western Australiahttps://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/nrm_images/1000/thumbnail.jp
South Coast Offshore Crustacean Resource of Western Australia Harvest Strategy
No full textHarvest strategies for aquatic resources in Western Australia (WA) that are managed by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD, the Department) are formal documents that ensures decision-making processes are consistent with the principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD; Fletcher 2002) and Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM; Fletcher et al. 2012). The objectives of ESD are reflected in the objects of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994 (FRMA) and the Aquatic Resources Management Act 2016 (ARMA), which is anticipated replace the FRMA once enacted. At this point, the Fish Resources Management Regulations 1995 (FRMR) is also anticipated to be replaced by ARMA regulations (Aquatic Resources Management Regulations). The South Coast Offshore Crustacean Resource (SCOCR) of Western Australia Harvest Strategy has been developed in line with the Department’s Harvest Strategy Policy for Aquatic Resources (Department of Fisheries 2015) and is consistent with relevant national harvest strategy policies and guidelines (e.g. Sloan et al. 2014; Department of Agriculture and Water Resources 2018a, b). It makes explicit the performance indicators, reference levels, and harvest control rules designed to achieve the specific long- and short-term management objectives for the resource, and the broader goals of ESD and EBFM. The publication of this harvest strategy is intended to make the decision-making considerations and processes for the management of specified aquatic resources publicly transparent and provide a basis for informed dialogue on management actions with resource users and other stakeholders (Department of Fisheries 2015). This strategy provides guidance for decision-makers, but do not derogate from or limit the exercise of discretion required for independent decision-making by the Minister for Fisheries, the Director General of DPIRD, or other delegated decision-makers in order to meet the objects of the FRMA or ARMA. Consistent with the Department’s Stakeholder Engagement Guideline (Department of Fisheries 2016), this harvest strategy has been subjected to formal stakeholder consultation with industry members and peak commercial and recreational fishing sector bodies, as well as public consultation processes. This harvest strategy has been approved by the Minister for Fisheries
Circular Economy
No full textHuia Adkins is Business Group Leader – Sustainability & Technical Director - Circular Economy, GHD. Huia is an experienced professional who co-creates circular strategy and action. She utilises her expertise and understanding of the principles, tools and strategies of a circular economy to help deliver workable solutions that support global sustainability goals. Huia has been part of, and project managed, teams across a wide range of disciplines including planning, policy and strategy development, environmental impact assessment, sustainable construction, and waste management and resource recovery. Huia has more than 19 years’ experience working across private, public and tertiary education sectors; facilitating the development and implementation of environmental policy, programs and plans, assessment and analysis of expected outcomes, and advice to key stakeholders on pathways forward. At Turning the Dial, Huia Adkins presentation was titled Circular Economy thinking for SME’s
Panel Discussion: Local Innovators
No full textIn this panel discussion we have:
Rob Whyte – Managing Director, Hippie Kombucha
Faz Pollard – Director, Adarsh
Mel Holland – Co-Founder, Rocky Ridge Brewing Co
Nick Stamatiou – Co-founder & CEO, Whole
Moderator: Meri Fatin – Founder, WA Climate Leader
The link between low-cost digitisation in SME manufacturing and improving sustainability
No full textDuncan McFarlane is the Professor of Industrial Information Engineering, Cambridge University in the UK. Professor McFarlane is also the head of the Distributed Information & Automation Laboratory within the Institute for Manufacturing at Cambridge University. His work involves the development of manufacturing automation and control systems and more broadly, the use of digital systems across the industrial supply chain. Professor McFarlane is the lead on the digital manufacturing on a shoestring program, which is investigating how low-cost, readily available digital technologies can be implemented to support productivity and sustainability in small and medium-sized enterprises. The project is being applied in different regions in the UK and internationally. At Turning the Dial, Professor McFarlane’s presentation topic was the link between low-cost digitisation in Small Medium Enterprise manufacturing and improving sustainability
Evaluation of entomopathogenic fungi against Mediterranean fruit fly
No full textMediterranean fruit fly (Medfly, Ceratitis capitata) is an economically important endemic pest species in Western Australia (WA) that attacks a wide range of fruits, vegetables, and nuts. It is associated with serious economic losses indirectly affecting market access and trade of horticulture commodities. Medfly management options in WA typically include bait spraying (protein and insecticides), cover sprays, mass trapping and lure-and-kill, sterile insect technique (SIT), sanitation, and area wide integrated pest management (IPM). Similarly, eradication programs target the adult stage, with a single pesticide, Spinosad, currently available for use in urban and peri-urban areas. Entomopathogens as biocontrol agents (BCAs) are an integral part of IPM however, currently, biocontrol as an IPM tool to manage Medfly in WA remains to be developed. The Research Roadmap, Strengthening Australia’s Fruit Fly System Research Program acknowledges BCAs as a high priority research area providing an opportunity to evaluate the potential of entomopathogens against fruit fly. The overarching aims of this proof-of-concept research were to widen the currently limited knowledge on the effectiveness of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) that are commercially available in Australia as potential BCAs of Medfly. The project focussed on three core areas of research: susceptibility of Medfly life stages to EPF including effects on adult survival with and without bait, effects on oviposition and semi-field or field performance of EPF. Mortality due to mycoses was used as a measure of success in bioassays designed to assess Medfly susceptibility. A proof-of-concept auto-dissemination device was designed for horizontal transmission that used EPF dust in wild type and SIT flies. Data indicated that EPF products caused egg mortality and had larvicidal, pupicidal, and adulticidal activity, and deterred oviposition. Results demonstrated for the first time that EPF dust in auto-disseminator could effectively be transferred from bodily contact and impacted survival of adults
A large-scale experiment finds no consistent evidence of change in mortality or commercial productivity in silverlip pearl oysters (Pinctada maxima) exposed to a seismic source survey
No full textHigh-intensity, impulsive sounds are used to locate oil and gas reserves during seismic exploration of the seafloor. The impacts of this noise pollution on the health and mortality of marine invertebrates are not well known, including the silverlip pearl oyster (Pinctada maxima), which comprises one of the world\u27s last remaining significant wildstock pearl oyster fisheries, in northwestern Australia. We exposed ≈11,000 P. maxima to a four-day experimental seismic survey, plus one vessel-control day. After exposure, survival rates were monitored throughout a full two-year production cycle, and the number and quality of pearls produced at harvest were assessed. Oysters from two groups, on one sampling day, exhibited reduced survival and pearl productivity compared to controls, but 14 other groups receiving similar or higher exposure levels did not. We therefore found no conclusive evidence of an impact of the seismic source survey on oyster mortality or pearl production
Grazing stubbles and dry pasture
No full textDry pastures in Western Australia provide good early feed after senescence but rapidly become unable to maintain stock. Stubbles are the major feed source for sheep during the summer-autumn period.
While there is often up to three tonnes of dry plant material per hectare available, sheep grazing stubbles eat only about 6% of it. With increased harvesting efficiency and better weed control, stubble paddocks now generally contain less grain and fewer weeds than in the past