Social Assessment Handbook

Social Assessment Handbook

Fishing is an important economic and social activity for many Australians. It provides employment and income, particularly in coastal areas, as well as a range of other lifestyle and health benefits for the Australian community. The fishing sector often faces many challenges, and may undergo significant changes as a result of decisions about fisheries management, allocation, or from market conditions and technologies.

Information on the social well-being of communities, who are dependent on fishing activities, is essential for informed decision making and strategic planning, both regionally and nationally. The Australian fishing sector has been at the forefront of recognising and analysing the social implications of changing conditions in the fishing sector.

The purpose of the Social Assessment Handbook is to:

• Give an overview of what social assessment is and what it involves
• Provide a guide to the methods that can be used to undertake a social assessment of fisheries and fishing industries in Australia
• Help in choosing methods that are appropriate to time and funding constraints
• Assist with the evaluation of consultant/research proposals or reports involving social assessment
• Assist with the knowledge necessary to meet ESD requirements for social assessment

  PDF Files will require an Adobe Acrobat Reader which is available from here