The Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA) runs a graduate program every year to help develop the next generation of AFMA leaders. For the past few years, AFMA has partnered with our portfolio agency, the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources (the Department) on this program giving AFMA graduates an opportunity for an external rotation, and departmental graduates a chance to do a rotation at AFMA.
Anna Whitton has been working at AFMA for the past four months on rotation from the Department and we check in with her to tell us about her experiences.
Anna Whitton
Where have you been working at AFMA and what were the main things you have been working on?
I have been working in Tuna & International Fisheries in the Fisheries Management Branch. I have mainly been involved in a pilot study, drafting a new fisheries management strategy (FMS) for the Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery (ETBF). The FMS will streamline a number of management strategies for the ETBF, such as the harvest strategy and bycatch and discarding work plan. The FMS will be a one stop shop, explaining how the requirements of the Fishery Management Plan will be achieved. This has been a really interesting project to be involved in as this is a new approach for AFMA.
I helped the team to update Wildlife Trade Operation documentation which allows fisheries to export catch.
I have also been analysing the comparisons between electronic monitoring and logbook catch data reporting for catch and protected species interactions in the ETBF.
What has been your favourite part about working at AFMA?
AFMA is a lovely place to work – people are so down to earth and welcoming. As a new, and temporary, team member it is so nice to not feel like such a small fish. Yes, this pun was intended.
Have you had any memorable experiences?
I really enjoyed presentations from the AFMA National Surveillance Response Unit and visiting Maritime Border Command to learn more about how AFMA works with other agencies to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
What have you gained from being a graduate and having a rotation at AFMA?
As a graduate you are given so many opportunities to learn and be involved in a range of experiences to help you shape your understanding of where your interests and skills lie. Outside of these kinds of programs, it is really rare to be able to get a taste for working in an area completely foreign to you, see if you like it, and if not, to know that you are not ‘locked in’.
I don’t have a fisheries management background, and I have loved getting my teeth into something completely new. This experience has provided me with more confidence to look outside the box and encouraged me to be more open-minded to different opportunities in the future. I feel really fortunate to have had this rotation at AFMA; in particular it has been great to see how another government organisation functions, and how it works with the Department and stakeholders. I would definitely recommend future graduates apply for (at least) a rotation here and as a place to work in general!
Watch this space for a profile on Daniel Beard who is also completing a rotation at AFMA from the Department.
Want to know more about AFMA? Visit afma.gov.au.