10 results
Communities
PROJECT NUMBER • 2021-117
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

A global review on implications of plastic in seafood

Microplastics are commonly consumed by seafood species however, there is still limited understanding of the effects and implications that microplastics may have on the fishing and aquaculture industry. This project summarises research on the effects that microplastic may be having on seafood...
ORGANISATION:
University of Adelaide
Environment
Blank
PROJECT NUMBER • 2018-125
PROJECT STATUS:
COMPLETED

Evaluation of practical technologies for Perfluoroalkyl (PFA) remediation in marine fish hatcheries

Per- and poly-fluoroalkly substances (PFASs) are now emerging as pollutants with potentially catastrophic impact on aquaculture facilities. Two key research institutes, Port Stephens Fisheries Institute (PSFI) in NSW and Australian Centre for Applied Aquaculture Research (ACAAR) in Western Australia...
ORGANISATION:
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (NSW)
Environment

Cumulative Impact Risk Assessment Tool for Aquaculture in Australia

Project number: 2018-145
Project Status:
Current
Budget expenditure: $172,999.00
Principal Investigator: Belinda Yaxley
Organisation: Nautilus Collaboration Pty Ltd
Project start/end date: 1 May 2019 - 30 May 2021
:

Need

Difficulties with current legislation in Australia at State and Federal level make it challenging for marine farms to protect themselves, but equally for the community to have faith that aquaculture development is not harming the marine environment. An example from Tasmania is the recent contamination of Macquarie Harbour, whereby tailings from Copper Mines Tasmania (CMT) dam in Queenstown entered the harbour and undoubtedly caused environmental harm to salmon and other species. Because CMT and salmon farmers operate under different Acts CMT was not responsible for the incident but rather the government. Consequently, no investigation or clean-up ensued.

Additionally, the scope of statutory tools, such as EIS under the Tasmanian Marine Farm Planning Act 1995, is not regional and does not consider the compound interactions of and on production activities. A good example is the recent Storm Bay salmon farming expansion; while the EPBC listed handfish species in Tasmania were listed in the marine farming development plan, with a brief context, management of these species was not considered in the EIS because that process only includes direct impact of the lease position. Arguably, cumulative impacts from all development in the area will have varying impacts on the species, impacts which are not being considered under current government legislation, but are potentially the source of public ire.

For aquaculture to pursue sustainable efforts environmentally, economically and socially in the increasingly crowded near shore space requires proactive planning and transparency that is not currently possible given existing assessment tools. In particular, assessment of cumulative impacts must be addressed. Cumulative impact assessments (CIA) are gaining momentum across multiple industries due to a recognised need to apply them in the pursuit of sustainable management. CIAs are being undertaken with the protection of marines resources at front of mind, but so far there has been little consideration of aquaculture. An approach to CIA that makes aquaculture the centre point is required if we are to consider its impacts or conversely, its effectiveness.

Objectives

1. Identify the risks of multiple actions or impacts on the environment and social values of a marine production matrix in Australian waters. In order to do this a comprehensive literature review is required to develop the CIA approach and ensure the methods and gaps in aquaculture CIA are addressed to meet the needs of Australian aquaculture, the community and the consumer.
2. Develop a risk assessment tool that can be utilised by the public realm (governments at all levels, NFPS, community) to better understand the complexities of regional marine waters and user impacts to maximise current and future economic, social and environmental benefits. To do this requires identification of valued environmental and social components first, whereby such components are characterised, from this a framework is build on each valued component.
3. Assess aquaculture in the context of broader social and environmental issues within the marine production matrix, by performing an aquaculture specific cumulative impacts assessment for regional Australia
Industry
Environment
Environment
PROJECT NUMBER • 2019-101
PROJECT STATUS:
CURRENT

Investigation of the direct and indirect role of submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) on Western Rock Lobster settlement processes: with consideration of the potential role of contaminants

The influence of Submarine Groundwater Discharge (SGD) on coastal ecosystems of the West Coast Bioregion of Western Australia, and particularly its impact on the Western Rock Lobster (WRL) and the West Coast Rock Lobster Managed Fishery (WCRLMF), is poorly understood. This is despite that the...
ORGANISATION:
University of Western Australia (UWA)
Environment