Salmon aquaculture is a major component of the Tasmanian economy (currently $700 million
with plans to expand to $1 billion by 2030). However, the industry operates along a populated
coastline in waterways shared with a range of other industrial and recreation uses. Both
government and industry recognise that maintaining high environmental standards is not only
critical to the husbandry of fish stocks, but also to maintaining a social license to operate in
Tasmania. This is underlined by the 2015 Senate Inquiry into the salmon industry and recent
changes to the regulatory framework that reflect the current size and maturity of the industry.
Scientific understanding of the marine system clearly has a central role in maintaining
community confidence in the environmental sustainability of the industry. However, this
understanding must be both relevant to stakeholder values and accessible in a form that
effectively supports planning and management. This project directly addressed these needs
by identifying stakeholder values and developing technologies that provide timely and
relevant information to government industry and the community. This was a major
collaborative study between scientists at the CSIRO and the University of Tasmania with
involvement of the Tasmanian Government through the Department of Primary Industries,
Parks, Water and Environment, and the Tasmanian aquaculture industry through the
Tasmanian Salmon Growers Association, Huon Aquaculture, Tassal, and Oysters Tasmania.
The final project report can be viewed here.
