Monitoring of fish stocks and economic performance is a key aspect in determining fisheries sustainability credentials but increasingly markets and stakeholder organisations require traceable evidence of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) indicators such as provenance, safety, diversity, animal welfare, carbon, biodiversity to inform decisions. To meet this need, this project activates CSIROs Healthcheck ESG Fisheries data system by engaging industry and Indigenous leaders, management agencies and researchers to identify targeted indicators, collect data, prioritise data gaps to enable more comprehensive ESG reporting.
The reporting system is designed to collect and report data which is ready for ingestion into existing catalogues and exchanges (e.g., Ag Food data Exchange). Data is compatible and interoperable for publishing to recognised sustainability framework reporting (e.g. Status of Australian Fish Stocks, Marine Stewardship Certification, National Fisheries Plan, UN SDGs, Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosure, Australian Agricultural Sustainability Framework, Agricultural Innovation Australia (AIA) Environmental Accounting Platform), and ready for supplying relevant indicators and data for Australia’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Sustainability Framework development.
The Fisheries ESG Reporting of Indicators Software (FERIS) enables the configuration of indicator searches and the delivery of snapshot views in time of these indicator values across priority sustainability domains. Using contemporary digital tools, including large language model (LLM) technologies, to support the identification, screening and verification of data sources, the sustainability reporting data system reflects global standards for data traceability and transparency. Structured data provenance pipelines provide a repeatable pathway for routine data extraction and reporting, improving data accessibility for the Australian fisheries sector. The development of this tool has highlighted critical gaps in data availability and interoperability, informing actions to address remaining limitations in data accessibility and shareability for key ESG reporting areas.