Title

Future of Australia’s fishing industry addressed by academic

Document Type

Media Release

Publication Date

Fall 16-3-2010

Publisher Name

The University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle Campus

Publication Place

Fremantle

Abstract

Trends for the Australian fishing and aquaculture industry was one of the topics addressed at the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) annual Outlook conference in Canberra this month.

Professor George Kailis, Professor of Management at The University of Notre Dame Australia’s Fremantle Campus was one of the conference’s key note speakers. He outlined the impact of global and domestic challenges to the Australian fishing industry.

“In 2007-08 a key milestone was reached when both the volume and the value of imports exceeded that of Australian fisheries production,” Professor Kailis said.

“No longer a net exporter of seafood products, the Australian industry needed to re-orient itself to better serving the growing Australian market.

“For domestic consumers this requires more attention to issues such as sustainability, freshness and safety, whether fish are sourced from Australian aquaculture or world-caught fisheries.”

Professor Kailis explained that the radical shift in the orientation of the industry highlighted the need for improvements in the quality of fisheries management by government.

“Although recent research shows management quality is improving, the same research shows there are significant opportunities to increase benefits to the Australian community through better fisheries management. The benefits from these improvements could exceed 350 million dollars per year.”

Professor Kailis has recently returned to the Fremantle Campus after four years teaching on the University’s Sydney Campus, and including a period as a Visiting Scholar at Oregon State University in America. He brings extensive experience in the strategic and general management as well as in the specialised fields of marine and natural resource management. Since speaking at ABARE Outlook Professor Kailis has been asked to provide a key note address on this topic at the National ‘Seafood Directions’ Conference in Melbourne in April.

Media contact: Michelle Ebbs 08 9433 0610, 0408 959 138

Share

COinS