Workshops

Speaker: John LaFargue

Location: The Sovereign Room, Hobart Function and Conference Centre

Date: Wednesday 8 March 2023

Time: 0905 - 1030

This workshop will focus on defining best practices, training content and safety policies on topics selected by conference registrants.

Examples include:

• conflict resolution
• harassment
• positive mental health and psychological wellbeing
• drug/alcohol issues.

In this workshop we will share experiences and policies among countries and programs. We will identify common challenges, issues, and best practices associated with these topics. The workshop will be conducted in concurrent sub-groups, where each theme & questions will be discussed for 30 minutes.  At the end of the workshop we’ll give a brief presentation on the most important points discussed from each sub-group. The final hour will focus on an open discussion to identify best practices and provide recommendations to pursue issues identified in the sub-groups.

Speakers: Mark Michelin, Josh Lee and Claire Fitz-Gerald

Location: The Marina Room, Hobart Function and Conference Centre

Date: Wednesday 8 March 2023

Time: 0905 - 1230

It has been over two decades since the first electronic monitoring (EM) systems were deployed on fishing vessels and there are now several thousand systems installed around the globe. Interest in deploying electronic monitoring where its efficacy, operational feasibility, and cost effectiveness can be demonstrated continues to grow, but there is significant operational complexity and stakeholder dependencies that must be addressed for successful EM implementation. This workshop will bring together experts from a diverse group of stakeholders to discuss emerging themes at the intersection of EM and other monitoring tools, with a focus on at sea observer programs (ASOP). These include both the creation of new programs and the integration of EM into existing ASOP.

The workshop will begin with plenary presentations of real-world experiences of integrating EM into existing monitoring programs. This will be followed by breakout discussions focused on three main themes:

1. Operations, deployment, and logistics of EM versus ASOP: This theme will cover the tradeoffs between operations, deployment, and logistics when implementing EM and ASOP or other monitoring tools.
2. Employment implications of EM versus ASOP: This theme will cover key employment drivers and tradeoffs emerging with the inclusion of EM into fishery monitoring programs.
3. Data management/use challenges of EM versus ASOP: This theme will cover the similarities and differences of EM and ASOP data management and use, and its implications when combining EM with existing ASOP or other monitoring programs.

Speaker: Jennifer Ferdinand

Location: The Sovereign Room, Hobart Function and Conference Centre

Date: Wednesday 8 March 2023

Time: 1105 - 1230

The creation of comprehensive, high quality information systems for fisheries have long term benefits and are highly valued but they do come at a cost, particularly when there is a need for independent monitoring with EM or observers. The costs are often shared by multiple entities and can have a direct impact on fishing behavior. Increasingly, industry is being asked to foot the bill for these information systems, following the principle that users who benefit from the resource should help pay for the cost of the data needed to support resource management.  Regulatory agencies, who represent the public interest of these common property resources, increasingly seek to cost recover these programs from industry and private sector companies are engaged to carry out the monitoring functions.

This triad - requirements specifier (agency), payer for the service (industry), and provider of the service (private monitoring companies) – sets in play an unusual dynamic when it comes to considering questions like:

• What are the drivers in deciding appropriate approaches to monitor a fishery?
• What are the best practices for scoping monitoring programs and their costs?
• What can industry afford to pay, both in direct and soft costs (or what is a reasonable amount to recover from industry)?
• What is the best method for cost recovery and to pay for services?
• What strategies can be used to ensure best value and manage costs?
• Are there strategies that can be used to create a market for fishery data, thereby providing funds to offset monitoring costs?

This workshop will present a few different fisheries as case studies, then putting challenge questions for small group discussion.  The goal of the workshop is to share knowledge and experiences among participants, hopefully to build a set of best practices.

Evaluating observer and electronic monitoring schemes as part of fishery certification

Speaker: Elise Quinn

Location: The Marina Room, Hobart Function and Conference Centre

Date: Wednesday 8 March 2023

Time: 1400 - 1730

The workshop will focus on the evaluation of observer and electronic monitoring schemes as part of fishery certification. Participants will help identify what aspects of monitoring design, sampling procedures, equipment type and placement, data governance, training and programme management are important to consider in a fishery assessment. The workshop will also produce illustrative examples of how fisheries may transition from the status quo to meeting the new evidence requirements of the MSC Fisheries Standard v3.0. The workshop will be led by an independent expert. The outputs of the workshop will be used to develop guidance for assessors involved in fisheries certification, and  to help fishery clients identify areas for improvement in monitoring schemes.

Workshop plan (3-4 hours total time)

Welcome and introduction

Background: information requirements for fishery certification

• How and why information quality is considered in a fishery assessment
• Determining information accuracy using the Evidence Requirements Framework

Session 1: Identifying key considerations in the evaluation of information quality

• Group 1 will think about monitoring design - sampling design, protocols, equipment setup etc.
• Group 2 group think about institutional arrangements - scheme management, funding, data governance etc.

Session 2: Visualizing the change needed to meet future evidence requirements

• Group 1 will work on case study 1: tuna fishery
• Group 2 will work on case study 2: small scale fishery

Wrap up and end