• management of commercial and recreational fishing.
• environmental; pollution and habitat
• biodiversity
• other uses eg tourism
• current management practices
• research and development
• aquaculture
• resource use conflict

Fisheries has unique features which make it significantly different from other sectors. First, notwithstanding the growth of aquaculture, it is primarily a 'hunting' occupation, finding and catching fish in the wild.

Among other things, this raises the question of property rights. Second, there is a large and widely dispersed recreational group using the resource, something not found in any other natural resource sector supporting a large commercial industry. Third, because fish live in oceans and rivers they are difficult to observe; our knowledge of aquatic resources is poor compared with that of land-based resources. Fourth, the interconnectedness of aquatic systems can lead to unforeseen 'downstream' effects. Finally, there are natural variabilities in marine ecosystems which are very much greater than for land ecosystems.

As we grapple with the management of Australia's fisheries resources within the principles of ecologically sustainable development, in particular the need to maintain ecological systems and biodiversity to provide for intergenerational equity, we must realise that the requirement is for ecosystem management, recognising that this will require better data and improved understanding, with fishing activity becoming a subset in overall management of the aquatic resource.

Management has to establish operating frameworks which embrace both economic and environmental factors; which have the flexibility to respond to natural fluctuations and to the impacts brought on by human activity, including such matters as coastal development and urban, agricultural and industrial discharges as well as fishing itself; with the resilience to cope with the uncertainty of the knowledge base; and with the flexibility to adjust to new information and improved understanding.

In all these considerations we need to remember and ensure the involvement of the community, as owners of the resource and fishers (commercial, recreational and indigenous) who are dependent on the resource and its wise management for their lifestyle and, in the case of commercial fishers in particular, their livelihood.

Key recommendations:

• Australian fisheries management be undertaken within an ecosystem management framework;
• urgent government collaboration needed to develop guide-lines, institutions, process and legislation for coastal zone management;
• initiate urgent action to ensure the conservation of critical habitats for wild fish;
• fishing fleet capacity be reviewed by management authorities to determine if adjustment is needed to match more closely fleet capacity with catch levels compatible with ecologically sustainable stocks;
• principles of ESD be used in the strategy for recreational fishing, involving, integration of recreational fishing into overall management of fishery resource, guide-lines for resource sharing and rore for recreational fishing organisations in education process;
• fisheries (commercial and recreational) develop and adopt codes of practice to encourage ESD;
• fisheries management to establish procedures to manage in conditions of uncertainty;
• ensure necessary data is collected for ecologically sustainable management;
• governments should publicly review the Offshore Constitutional Settlement (OCS) in the context of ESD;
• Australia to continue to pursue establishment of formal international arrangements covering the taking of species on the high seas, a ban on the use of large-scale driftnetting, the reduction of pollution from land-based sources, and the improvement of international shipping standards; and
• public education strategy be introduced to develop a broad community understanding, especially among recreational fishers, of ESD.

Further recommendations in the Fisheries report cover protection and conservation of the global marine environment, tertiary education, aquaculture, value adding in commercial fishing, indigenous fishing, greenhouse gases and climate change. 

To assist in the implementation of their recommendations the Fisheries Working Group presents a table of suggested priorities, main agencies responsible for implementation, and costs.

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