In Tasmania, the value of aquaculture now exceeds that of wild caught fisheries. Salmonid (Atlantic salmon and rainbow/ocean trout) aquaculture is the main sector in Tasmania, with salmonid production forecast to increase in coming years. Other species farmed in Tasmanian waters (on much smaller scales) include Pacific oysters, blue mussels, abalone and seahorses. More recently, seaweed aquaculture has emerged as a new sector, however, it is primarily still in the research phase.
Most aquaculture in Tasmania occurs within a few kilometres of the coastline. For salmonids, aquaculture is comprised of land-based freshwater hatcheries and marine based grow-out operations. The main grow-out areas for salmonid aquaculture are in the south-east (D’Entrecasteaux Channel and Huon River region, Tasman Peninsula and Storm Bay), east (Okehampton Bay in the Mercury Passage), north (Tamar Estuary) and Macquarie Harbour on the west coast. Pacific oysters are grown in both subtidal and intertidal environments on Tasmania’s north, south and east coasts and are the second largest aquaculture sector in Tasmania.
The Tasmanian aquaculture industry is managed and regulated by the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (DNRET) and the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) through several key pieces of legislation (the Marine Farming Planning Act 1995, Living Marine Resources Management Act 1995, Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act 1994 and the Biosecurity Act 2019).
This legislation governs aquaculture site selection, the issuing of marine farming leases and licenses and requirements for environmental monitoring and management.
More information on the location of marine farming leases and licenses in Tasmania, along with spatial information on a range of other marine values and uses, can be found at the Tasmanian Marine Atlas. To find out more about the regulation of aquaculture in Tasmania, visit the DNRET website or the ‘Aquaculture in Tasmania’ featured map in the Tasmanian Marine Atlas.
