Mr Stuart Fitch has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Arafura Timor Research Facility, based in Darwin. His appointment was announced today by Malcolm Kinnaird AO, Chairman of the Research Facility’s Board.

Mr Fitch, 49, has worked in a range of public service areas, serving most recently as Manager of Foreign Compliance with the Australian Fisheries Management Authority.

In 2000/2001 he took leave from his job to participate as a member of the Australian National Antarctic Research Expedition to Heard Island, supporting a number of scientific programs.

The Facility has been established in a partnership between the Australian Institute of Marine Science in Townsville and The Australian National University in Canberra and will be a world-class facility, supporting economic development through strategic marine and coastal research.

"Stuart Fitch is ideally suited to lead the Arafura Timor Research Facility, with a strong background in fisheries management and administration," the Chair of the Facility’s Board, Mr Malcolm Kinnaird said.

"He will have his hands full immediately, establishing the Facility and laying out proposals for future development."

The Facility’s mission is to facilitate the strategic commercialisation, sustainable management and appropriate conservation of the marine and coastal ecosystems of the Arafura and Timor Seas for Australia and our regional neighbours. It will achieve this by

• improving the national capacity to describe, benefit from and control the use of its biodiversity resources;
• enhancing local and regional cooperation and regional economic stability through science and the commercialisation of research;
• facilitate the wise use of petroleum, LNG and other seabed resources in the region by enhancing the national research capacity in the Northern Territory; and
• working closely with scientific and commercial groups in the north of Australia.

The Facility will support complementary capacity of the AIMS and ANU in biotechnology, ecology and social science. Environmentally appropriate low-technology, high-value aquaculture for indigenous communities is a key goal. Expected benefits to be derived from the Facility are

• commercialisation of novel compounds derived from the genetic resources of the region;
• new business and export opportunities based on low-technology/high-value aquaculture (eg to supply novel compounds)
• more rapid growth of existing ventures, new investment and more sustainable use of the marine environment; and
• improved trade, industry and training alliances with our near northern neighbours.