There are over 100 Seafood Communities around Australia

Our first goal is to achieve 50 Stay Afloat Communities and up to 100 Trusted Advocates. Ultimately the program will offer support to every member of the Commercial Seafood Community across Australia through our “by industry, for industry” model. 

The Trusted Advocates network is a wonderful supportive place for those who care for the wellbeing of those around them.  Trusted Advocates will provide a listening ear, promote wellbeing and help guide people towards the resources available through Stay Afloat and in their local area.  For more on being a Trusted Advocate – click here. 

Trusted Advocates are locals who are there to support by:

• Having a chat – sometimes we all need an ear, and your trusted advocates know and understand the pressures you’re facing.
• Sharing tips on wellness and stress management;
• Helping you to connect with professional support;
• Educating your local healthcare providers on local industry challenges so they’ll understand what you’re up against if you reach out for help.
• Support our Trusted Advocate network and Focus Communities.

Attend local events and activities that foster human connection and wellbeing with the support of funding from our Community Resilience Fund.

Feeling blue?

You’re not alone.

Studies have shown that people in our industry experience mental health problems at twice the base rate of the general population; and almost half of those who reported problems hadn’t reached out for help because they thought no one would understand the pressures of the industry – but, we’re here to make sure they do.

As part of the Stay Afloat Australia mental health program, we’re educating healthcare workers about the Australian seafood industry, its operations and its stressors. We’re also helping them understand the history of commercial fishing in the region by providing them with resources to learn a little more about the local industry and what the life of a fisher is like.

We know better than anyone that the pressures facing the seafood industry are unique, and the stressors facing workers can vary right down to the community you work in, the fishery in which you operate, or the farm you work on. Whether you’re a long line or estuary fisher, work in the wild catch, aquaculture or post-harvest sector, you each have challenges, and that’s even before the weather changes. Our industry is unique, and we want to ensure that people understand that.