About the Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture

The CSTFA supports the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals related to food security, economic growth and wellbeing, and life on land and water and the equitable and sustainable expansion of the Blue Economy into tropical environments

Tropical regions of the world face unprecedented challenges due to population growth and an associated demand for high-quality seafood. This population expansion will continue to pressure wild fisheries resources and dictate ever higher efficiencies from aquaculture production.

The Centre for Sustainable Tropical Fisheries and Aquaculture (CSTFA) focuses not only on the aquatic and aquaculture systems that produce food, but also the industries and communities that utilize them.

Multidisciplinary collaborations between our researchers provide the synergies to address substantial research problems in a way that individual research groups cannot.

Priority Research Objectives:

• Resilient and sustainable aquaculture productivity
• An advanced reproductive and genetic toolbox to manage and maintain natural and domestic populations
• Enabling all consumers to have an increased choice of healthy seafood
• Diversification and enhancement of economic productivity in tropical aquaculture and fisheries
• Improved management of pollutants including nutrients and plastics in the aquatic environment and in food supply chains
• Support for the long-term sustainability, security, and environmental performance of commercial fisheries
• Understanding the biological and ecological components and processes that sustain marine ecosystems and the fisheries they support
• Closing the lifecycle of the most heavily fished ornamental species
• Improved management of aquaculture
• Creation of tools that allow us to quantify ecosystem and biodiversity values for application in animal and plant management and conservation
• Improved efficiency, sustainability and equity of current and emerging livelihoods and economic activities related to tropical fisheries and aquaculture
• Maximizing opportunities for individuals wishing to engage in, adopt and lead current and emerging economic development opportunities through targeted capacity building

Our Directors

In early 2018 the CSTFA was appointed an official Technology Resource Partner (Australia) for Asian Pacific Economic Co-operation - Policy Partnership on Food Security (APEC PPFS). APEC PPFS mandate is to strengthen and facilitate public-private cooperation to address food security issues in the Asia Pacific region.