March 17, 2022

Tasmania, Australia passes law supporting offshore marine aquaculture research

Tasmania state, Australia has passed a Living Marine Resources Management Amendment (Aquaculture Research) Bill 2021 which supports marine aquaculture research in state waters, Fish Information & Services reported.

The approved bill will create a framework to establish offshore aquaculture in Australian waters off the coast of Tasmania.

The state government is looking to setup a "fisheries management arrangement". This will provide permits related to aquaculture research that will be granted by the Tasmanian state government.

The Tasmanian state government said the bill is important to supporting sustainable growth in the state's salmon industry through its 10-year Salmon Plan. The plan aims to develop new research and innovation programmes, as well as focus on offshore salmon farming.

The bill is also intended for marine aquaculture research to be fixed-term, limited-scale activities and set up in a defined research area.

Both the Tasmanian state and Australian governments are working together with other stakeholders in a Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre. This centre will carry out research and development into offshore industries for the future which will explore aquaculture opportunities for salmon, seaweed, and shellfish.

-      Fish Information & Services