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National Marine NRM News 

February 2021
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In This Edition:
 

Featured

Tide to Tip clean-ups
The annual Tide to Tip clean-ups are on again, with oyster farmers from 21 estuaries across NSW and QLD taking part this year.  Thanks to the 170+ volunteers who have already removed 6 tonnes of marine debris from our waterways, it's a fantastic result with volunteers dedicating 500+ hours to the initiative so far. 

The clean-ups will continue over the next few days, with more oyster farmers taking to the foreshores of their local estuaries to remove marine debris.

Check out some of the shots below from the clean-ups that have already occurred over the past couple of weeks. 
The OceanWatch Master Fisherman program involves formal training and assessment for professional fishers, and supplementary development of online fisher profiles to help demonstrate individual commitment to responsible fishing practices. 
More than 135 professional fisherman across NSW have participated in the program. The program is now expanding interstate and will initially focus on professional fisherman in SA.
Recognised OceanWatch Master Fisherman are continuing to raise the standard of responsible fishing in Australia. These fisherman showcase the drive for sustainability and environmental awareness in the Australian seafood industry.

Learn more.
Nathan Moore
 
Nathan grew up at the water front. As a kid, he was helping fishers to unload mullet. Since then, he knew he wanted to be a fisherman.

Nathan started as a deckhand in 1999. He joined Seacoast Fishing in 2004 and became a fisherman in 2016. He is now fishing on Suemic, a 9.1 meter long boat from Sydney to Terrigal.

Nathan is a recognised OceanWatch Master Fisherman, trained and experienced in responsible and sustainable fishing practices.

Learn more
Wayne Vassallo

Wayne is a proud professional fisherman from the Camden Head, Laurieton area. He became a professional fisherman in 2006. He is a first generation fisherman but not the last with his son becoming a professional fisherman not long ago.

As a recognised OceanWatch Master Fisherman, Wayne is committed to professional and sustainable fishing. He is proud to provide the community with local seafood in a responsible way.


Learn more

Get Involved
World Ocean Summit Virtual Week
The 8th annual World Ocean Summit is on next week with the focus on accelerating a sustainable ocean economy. 

Over 150 speakers will take part in the week long virtual summit which will be divided into plenary sessions and 6 dedicated industry tracks including aquaculture, energy, fishing, plastics, shipping, and tourism. 

Register for the free here.
 
OceanWatch Bushfire Survey
OceanWatch Australia is currently collecting observations of impacts of bushfires to aquatic wildlife and habitats (e.g. wetlands, rivers, estuaries, coasts, open waters), as well as impacts to social/economic activities reliant on aquatic environments, through an online survey. We invite everyone to participate, and please share it with your colleagues and friends. The more results we collect, the greater our understanding of these issues, and the more information we will have to guide bushfire recovery intervention in the future. Completion should take around 10 mins. If you complete the survey, you might win a gift voucher to the value of $50. Thank you very much in advance for your help and support.

Find the survey here.  
 IMAS launch Ciguatera fish poisoning survey 
IMAS are calling on Recreational fishers to take part in their new survey investigating Ciguatera fish poisoning. IMAS and SARDI researchers are helping to solve some of the mysteries around this toxin and reduce the risk to rec fishers. They need your citizen-science input. 

The survey should take only  10 minutes of your time. Find the survey here.  

Learn more about Ciguatera fish poisoning.

In The News
Captive-bred populations of critically endangered red-finned blue-eye fish released into wild for first time
Image Source: ABC
"The red-finned blue-eye is an Australian native species found only in the Great Artesian Basin springs on Edgbaston Reserve in remote western Queensland and nowhere else in the world.

At 3 centimetres long when fully grown — the size of a matchstick — the tiny fish did not stand much of a chance against the aggressive, invasive gambusia, or mosquito fish.

But a never-before-trialled conservation and breeding program has given the red-finned blue-eye a fighting chance at survival."-ABC
 
New FAO Guidelines Released
 
The FAO have released guidelines to prevent and reduce bycatch of marine mammals in capture fisheries. The guidelines outline options for marine mammal bycatch reduction through the application of technical measures, and are aimed at decision-makers, planners, managers, and those involved in implementing interventions and policies. 
The guidelines are part of the FAO Technical Guidelines for Responsible Fishing. 

Read the document here. 
 

Grants, Awards and Opportunities 

Community Resilience Grants

As part of the Stay Afloat Pilot Program 35 Community Resilience Grants are available to support events that encourage commercial seafood communities nationwide to come together in a supportive setting to raise awareness of mental health and the benefits of overall wellbeing.

Learn more.

2021 National Seafood Industry Leadership Program

Applications for the 2021 NSILP are now open. The National Seafood Industry Leadership Program (NSILP) is the only national industry-specific leadership program designed in consultation with seafood industry people for people wishing to take up leadership roles within the seafood industry.

Apply here.

Remanufacture NSW EPA Grants

Remanufacture NSW supports organisations to respond to the regulation of the export of glass, plastic, tyres and paper and cardboard under the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020. Remanufacture NSW aims to maximise recycling and reuse activities for regulated materials, contributing to meeting the Australian and NSW Government’s resource recovery targets, while keeping resources within the circular economy. Councils, industry, business, state government entities, not-for profit organisations, research institutions are all eligible to apply.

Learn more here.
 

Get Listed on the Oyster Finder

To support NSW oyster sales during a difficult time for the seafood industry, an online directory of oyster farms & oyster retailers has been developed. The directory is available here.  This searchable map will help customers find oysters, users are able to filter their searches by: 
•    oyster farms
•    farms offering shed gate sales
•    those offering mail orders
•    those offering home delivery
•    those offering tourism experiences 
Get listed by entering your details here

Learn more here
 

Master Fisherman Seafood Directory

To support NSW OceanWatch Master Fisherman’s seafood sales, an online directory of Master Fisherman's retailers has been created. This searchable map will help potential customers find Master Fisherman’s products.  You can find the directory on the Master Fisherman website homepage.

If you have any questions or would like to be added to the directory, please contact Claire Denamur on 0427 883 018 or email claire@oceanwatch.org.au

Related Newsletters & Links

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OceanWatch Australia · Locked Bag 247 · Pyrmont, New South Wales 2009 · Australia