ANSWER 1

Joint response from:
Rachel Kelly – r.kelly@utas.edu.au
Corrine Condie – corrine.condie@csiro.au

Climate change is placing growing pressure on Australia’s oceans and seas. Warming waters, habitat degradation, shifting species distributions, and harmful algal blooms are affecting marine ecosystems and the productivity of fisheries. As these pressures intensify, the fishing sector and broader seafood industry are likely to face greater public scrutiny, especially where communities are concerned about the cumulative impacts of marine resource use. The measure of this scrutiny and acceptance/approval is social licence to operate, or SLO.

SLO is the acceptance, approval, and trust granted to an operation or industry by affected communities and broader society. Improving public perception and earning (and maintaining) SLO requires industry to demonstrate it is managing marine resources responsibly while also adapting to climate change. Australia’s fishing industry has already begun adopting measures to provide and improve transparency, accountability, and environmental performance.

However, building public trust depends on more than regulatory compliance or technical improvements. Positive public perceptions and community trust are built through demonstrating transparency, measurable environmental performance, and meaningful engagement (i.e. sustained performance and relationships). For example, local fishers can strengthen social licence by demonstrating environmental stewardship in everyday practice, including minimising bycatch and waste, joining sustainability programs, and adopting fishing methods that reduce pressure on vulnerable ecosystems. They can also strengthen community connections by adding local value through seafood processing, retail outlets, skills development, resource-sharing, and partnerships with community groups. Research evidences how SLO can be maintained by groups and organisations who consistently consider and respond to communities’ needs.

Industry peak bodies, FRDC extension services, and fisheries regulators also have a role in building public acceptance, particularly as the impacts of climate change on the seafood sector render SLO more important. Recent surveys reveal how communities hold high expectations for industry transparency and accountability and are increasingly concerned about potential negative industry impacts on the environment. Industry can make fishing practices and sustainability initiatives more visible by engaging communities through public events, festival programs, and point of sale displays. The seafood industry can improve community perceptions and trust by involving local communities in decision-making, recognising Indigenous and local knowledge, and delivering engagement activities that help people understand how fisheries operate.

Ultimately, improving public perception and gaining social licence amid climate pressures requires the seafood industry to consistently demonstrate environmental credibility, transparency, and genuine engagement. SLO will rest not only on sustainable practices, but also on making practices visible, verifiable, and meaningful to connected communities. Operations that demonstrate transparency around responsible resource management, climate adaptation, and meaningful stakeholder engagement are best positioned to maintain public trust as the environments they operate in continue to change.

References
1.         Condie, Corrine; Condie, Scott. Troubled waters or shared futures? Navigating social risk in Tasmania’s marine industries.. Hobart: CSIRO; 2026. csiro:EP2026-0829. https://doi.org/10.25919/h7gx-vj93

2.         Ogier, E. and Brooks, K. (2016). License to engage: Gaining and retaining your social license in the seafood industry. A handbook of available knowledge and tools for effective seafood industry engagement with communities. Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (2015-300).