Fisheries Economic and Social Indicator Monitoring

Commercial fishing in New South Wales is a diverse and valuable industry that draws on a natural resource to generate livelihoods, food and purpose for those involved directly and indirectly involved. The department is seeking to better understand these economic and social values of the industry and has established a monitoring program to track how they change over time.

BDO has been engaged to produce an annual time series of economic and social indicators for NSW commercial fisheries. Indicators will be produced for each fishery for the financial years 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22.

BDO is an independent group of researchers with experience monitoring economic and social indicators for fisheries in Australia. Economic and social indicators provide valuable information for the fishing industry, fisheries managers and other stakeholders.

Economic indicators can help to understand the profitability of the industry and how the state’s resources are being used to deliver economic benefits to our regional communities and our state as a whole.

For a quick overview of the benefits economic research can provide for commercial fisheries you are encouraged to watch the short video below.

New South Wales economic and social indicators 2023/24 survey

BDO and Action Market Research (AMR) will be reaching out to commercial fishers to participate in a questionnaire between March and May 2025. This engagement with fishers aims to:

  • Demonstrate the regional economic and community contribution of commercial fishing and continue to build a timeseries for NSW commercial fisheries.
  • Build support for the monitoring program by nurturing its supporters by delivering outcomes.
  • Demonstrate the economic significance of the industry, which will be used in management decision, and research, such as the recent study on the use of renewable diesel in fishing vessels.
  • Draft quality reports which will be influenced by the quality and accuracy of the data.

Commercial fishers survey close date: 16 May 2025

Confidentiality and privacy policy

  • BDO and AMR will not release any individual's data in reports or provide it to anyone else.
  • NSW DPIRD will never see your individual response.
  • BDO will only publish data as aggregates based on at least 5 businesses participating.
  • BDO will only use the data for economic and social research in NSW commercial fisheries.
  • You can change your mind at any time and BDO/AMR will delete your data. Even after you have provided it to them, as long as the reports have not yet been published.

For more information or to book a phone call please contact AMR on 1800 077 789 or Jasmine Douglas at BDO on 08 7324 6189.