Circularity in Fisheries and Aquaculture

The Fisheries Research and Development Corporation’s (FRDC) Circularity in Fisheries and Aquaculture program is a national program that uses practical and innovative measures to help transition the sector towards achieving the benefits of a more circular system.

Circular economy principles and practices are already embedded in some Australian fishing and aquaculture operations but there are opportunities to do more. CE is a need and opportunity that crosses all four sectors – Aboriginal, Commercial Wild Catch, Aquaculture, and Recreational – all jurisdictions, all levels of the supply chain, across industries and across international borders.

This national program encompasses five-initiatives which aim to build capacity, quantify material flows, identify opportunities and barriers, measure impact, support the commercialisation of innovative ideas and establish a comprehensive community of practice. Foundational to the program is engagement with industry, community, government, and all parts of the value chain to share this important journey.

The project is being delivered by the Regional Circularity Co-operative Limited as part of the Bega Circular Valley initiative, in collaboration with FRDC, KPMG, University of Wollongong and Charles Sturt University.

If you would like more information about this program, please contact Natalie Manahan (RCC) – natalie.manahan@begacircularvalley.com.au

National material flow & circular opportunity analysis – To quantify the nationwide flow of materials throughout the fishing and aquaculture sector, the RCC and FRDC partnered with the KPMG Climate Change & Sustainability team to deliver a Material Flow Analysis, to identify opportunities and barriers to change and leveraging national and global insights to embrace greater circularity for economic and environmental impact.

This report will empower the FRDC and seafood industry to accelerate the shift to a circular economy by uncovering opportunities to enhance circularity and drive positive socio-economic and environmental impact in the fisheries and aquaculture sector.

Circular Advantage – Circular Capacity Building –

Collaboration across the value chain, education and capacity building, including the interventions to implement and identification of the resources required to support actions, are key to underpinning success of the wider program of Circular Economy work. The RCC and FRDC, in partnership with KPMG Climate Change & Sustainability team, will hold field-based workshops and Circular Advantage training for the fishing and aquaculture sector, where participants will learn from entities implementing circular practices.

In February 2024 the first of the three Circular Advantage workshops was held in Merimbula. The FRDC joined forces with Bega Regional Circularity to explore different circular economy opportunities with Seafood stakeholders. From harvest to retail, fisheries and aquaculture folks came together to learn how circular economy practices are creating value, reducing waste, extending equipment life, and building quadruple bottom line capacity. The very successful face–to–face event facilitated discussions on opportunities, solutions, and future collaborations with participants across three themes: plastics, organics, and energy.

The next Circular Advantage event is scheduled to be held in Adelaide in early August. For more information and to submit an expression of interest in this event please get in touch with program manager Natalie Manahan: natalie.manahan@begacircularvalley.com.au

Circular Measurement – This initiative will support selected fisheries and aquaculture entities to measure circularity of their business operations. This assessment will enable participating entities to baseline circularity and drive operational improvement between assessment periods through Circular Transition Indicators (CTI) framework.

Baselining and measurement are a critical first step to identify opportunities and monitor the impact of initiative execution so that any changes in performance and outcomes may be detected.

The first business to complete Circularity baselining of their business is South Coast Fish from Eden, NSW. The second business, Dinko Tuna from Port Lincoln, is now underway.

Circular Accelerator – The FRDC Circularity Accelerator Program, delivered by University of Wollongong’s iAccelerate team, is an eight week program designed to take participants through the entrepreneurial process of testing and validating a business solution.

Participants in this program will be tackling a key challenge in their business and iterating a possible solution to this program – all with circular principles in mind.

At the end of the program participants will have developed a keen understanding of their solution and learnt how to effectively pitch for seed funding from the FRDC to pilot the solution with the support of UOW researchers and industry experts.

Community of Practice – This initiative aims to connect FRDC with the existing Bega Circular Valley community of practice. The CoP will encompass all learnings across the program into a comprehensive knowledge sharing and self-sustaining network.