Project Description
Australia’s recreational fishing sector faces mounting sustainability challenges, with heavy reliance on a few vulnerable species such as snapper, dhufish, and pearl perch. This FRDC-funded project explored a more collaborative path: voluntary behaviour change to diversify target species and reduce pressure on overfished stocks.
The project is set across two phases. Phase 1 mapped existing initiatives and identified knowledge gaps through literature reviews and stakeholder interviews. Phase 2 tested the acceptability and effectiveness of behaviour change strategies via surveys and focus groups with recreational fishers.
The project builds on successful campaigns like “Switch Your Fish” and leverages behavioural economics, social marketing, and co-design to foster sustainable fishing habits. It aims to highlight how voluntary, tailored interventions can complement regulation and empower fishers to be part of the solution.
Project Personnel and Beneficiaries
The project team includes leading researchers in behavioural economics, conservation planning, and social marketing, alongside communications experts and fisheries stakeholders. Beneficiaries include recreational fishers, fisheries managers, policy makers, and marine ecosystems across Australia.
The project directly engages fishers in co-design and feedback, ensuring interventions are relevant and acceptable. Fisheries managers benefit from tailored training and micro-credentialing, enhancing their capacity to implement sustainable strategies.
Outcomes to Date
The project aims to develop a national roadmap for voluntary species diversification strategies and to identify effective behavioural interventions through fisher engagement. This project also strengthens partnerships across academia, government, and industry, contributing new knowledge to the field of voluntary compliance and marine sustainability.
Project Significance
This project contributes to SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) by promoting sustainable fishing practices through voluntary behaviour change. It addresses ecological pressures on vulnerable fish stocks while supporting recreational fishers and industry stakeholders.
By identifying effective, context-specific behavioural interventions, the project offers an alternative to traditional regulation—one that is inclusive, scalable, and grounded in stakeholder engagement.