2010/777 Identification of the core leadership group and network structure of East Coast Trawl to develop, implement and evaluate strategic opportunities

By Vikki Schaffer

The East Coast Trawl Fishery (ECTF) is spread over a large geographical area (from the Torres Strait to the Queensland/New South Wales border), and comprises a large number of small independent fishers. Importantly, it is one of Australia's largest fisheries and has an annual volume of 10,000 tonnes with a value of around $110million a year. This project aimed to investigate the current structure and process of the ECTF network. It was proposed that examining network structure and processes (in the context of social capital theory) was critical in identifying opportunities for both the ECTF network and individual fishers.

The investigation within the fishery revealed formal and informal leadership exists. Other types of leadership were identified including heroic and informal leaders. These forms of leadership aid in fishery connectivity and can be re-engaged to facilitate future fishery activities and decision making.

Several fishery market opportunities were evaluated and each brought fishery stakeholders together. This provided valuable insight into the fishery, stakeholder interaction, communication and the possible approaches for fishery stakeholders to address future collective actions.