The purpose of the program is to assist Australian inshore fishers in embedding best-practice environmental stewardship into commercial fishing and aquaculture operations.
The program addresses national marine priorities aimed at advancing the sustainability of the Australian seafood industry by:
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Enhancing fish habitats and improving water quality in estuaries and coastal environments;
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Working with industry and local communities to minimise environmental impacts of commercial activities;
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Introducing industry and communities to sustainable technologies and behaviours that will deliver a more productive and profitable industry.
This project is supported by OceanWatch Australia, through funding from the Australian Government.
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WETFEET PROJECTS
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OceanWatch Master Fisherman
The OceanWatch Master Fisherman program is formal training and assessment for professional fishers, raising the standard of responsible fishing in Australia.
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Master Harvester
The Master harvester is a formal training and recognition program tailor-made for the NSW oyster industry.
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Bushfire Recovery
OceanWatch is working on an online spatial mapping tool that aims at illustrating the impacts of the 2019-2020 bushfires on our estuarine and coastal ecosystems.
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Whale Entanglement Mitigation
The East Coast Whale Entanglement Mitigation Program has been initiated in NSW to respond to the issue of entanglement with NSW set fishing gear.
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Communities of Practice
Collectively sharing knowledge helps focus relevant monitoring and research of marine assets and guides best practice on-ground environmental interventions.
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TEP Species
OceanWatch are developing best practice training materials to minimise bycatch and potential interactions between commercial fisher operations and TEP species.