Cairns Marine is committed to a set of policies that reflect the culture of stewardship developed through our philosophies and guiding principles.

Operational Best Practice

Cairns Marine is a founding signatory to the Queensland aquarium supply industry Code of Conduct, which includes a response plan for events linked to global climate change. Signing up to the Code is voluntary. However, becoming a signatory is a condition of membership of the proactive Industry association, Pro-vision Reef Inc. The Code is overseen by an independent committee comprised of fisheries and protected areas managers. There is a formal complaint and appeal process and sanctions apply to those found to be in contravention of the Code. The Code exists over and above the comprehensive management and continuous improvement model to which Cairns Marine and other operators are subject.

Resource Protection

As a key instigator of the development of an operational Code of Conduct, Cairns Marine is acutely aware of demonstrating resource stewardship to the market and the wider community. Cairns Marine visits a comprehensive array of collection sites across the northern section of the Great Barrier Reef and within the vast Coral Sea Fishery area. These sites took years to identify and are visited infrequently to ensure fish populations remain robust. Some sites might be visited once in a two to three year period. There are few aquarium collecting companies and the majority of those are not equipped for travel to sites visited by Cairns Marine. Consequently, those sites are not subject to collection pressures.

Research Facilitation

Cairns Marine maintains an open door policy and welcomes visitors from government, research institutions and the sphere of politics. The exposure has led to lasting relationships with researchers from various institutions, including the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries, James Cook University and the University of Queensland, with whom the company is involved on an ongoing basis. Sawfish collection in Gulf of Carpentaria since 1998 has created a rare opportunity for researchers to accompany collectors in the field and to take advantage of the expertise, equipment and personnel to carry out the work. In addition, behavioural studies are carried out at the custom built facility unlocking the secrets of sensory biology and foraging. Cairns Marine has also given their experience, expertise and critical infrastructure has also assisted critical research in the Coral Sea involving the tagging and monitoring of potato cod and tiger sharks.

Education and Awareness

Cairns Marine has hosted visits from school groups for several years. Tours are conducted by our senior marine biologist guiding children, who range in age from primary school through to senior high school; and TAFE groups through the facility describing the process from collection to distribution and outlining how Cairns Marine cares for the animals and the environment. In addition, Cairns Marine exports large animals to public aquaria worldwide. We provide aquaria with educational material so that the visitor can understand the biology, ecology and conservation status of animals on display. This is of particular importance for lesser known species such as sawfish, which is critically endangered in other countries. Cairns Marine provides aquaria with a complete package of information that may be tailored to suit by the public aquarium.

Strategic Participation

Cairns Marine directors have been involved with guiding bodies for commercial harvest fisheries for two generations. Currently, Lyle Squire Jnr represents aquarium fisheries on the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority's Fisheries Reef Advisory Committee and Queensland Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries' Harvest Fisheries Management Advisory Committee (HarvestMAC) and the Coral Working Group, which is a subset of HarvestMAC. Cairns Marine directors are widely consulted by senior government and resource management agencies for their extensive field and industry experience and expertise. In addition, Liaison Manager, Ryan Donnelly is involved in industry development through the Australian Marine Training Network and the Local Marine Advisory Committee.

Industry Leadership

Director Lyle Squire Jnr is the president of the Queensland aquarium industry association called Pro-vision Reef and is a key participant in the Coral Sea Fishers Association. As president of Pro-vision Reef, Lyle has acted as industry advocate through an extended period of industry upheaval when the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park was rezoned, and through the development of fishery and protected areas management plans. Pro-vision Reef is now recognised as a proactive and progressive organisation for their initiatives to articulate best-practice collection method through a Code of Conduct; and to further minimise industry environmental footprint through an Environmental Management System. As a member of the Coral Sea Fishers Association, Lyle Jnr was pivotal to the formation of Memorandum of Understanding with diver charter operators, whereby fishers ceded rights to fishing grounds frequented by dive operators in order to maintain an advocative relationship between sectors.

Extension

Cairns Marine directors and staff have made presentations at a range of domestic and international forums. Lyle Squire Jnr is a prolific speaker and has presented at fora ranging from the American Elasmobranch Society conference in Manaus, Brazil to school groups in remote Aboriginal communities in Cape York. Lyle Squire Snr has presented at many international symposia, workshops and schools throughout the Indo Pacific region; senior marine biologist Julian Baggio has presented at major industry functions; and Ryan Donnelly has presented at industry development and sustainable industry functions. Lyle Jnr was a delegate with the Australian government at the 14^th Conference of the Parties to CITES in The Hague in 2007 and has presented to government departments, industry Management Advisory Committees and even had an audience with the Pope.