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A Spatial Assessment Tool Pilot Study – South and West of Bruny Island

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A Spatial Assessment Tool Pilot Study – South and West of Bruny Island Pilot Marine Spatial Assessment Tool Evaluating options for assessing and balancing marine use change within Tasmanian coastal waters using a spatial assessment tool Pilot Study – South and West of Bruny Island Jeff Ross, Vanessa Adams, Cecilia Villanueva and Flora Bush January 2020 Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 49, Hobart TAS 7001 Enquires should be directed to: Dr Jeff Ross Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies University of Tasmania Private Bag 49, Hobart, Tasmania 7001, Australia [email protected] Ph. (03) 6226 8281 Fax (03) 6226 8035 The authors do not warrant that the information in this document is free from errors or omissions. The authors do not accept any form of liability, be it contractual, tortious, or otherwise, for the contents of this document or for any consequences arising from its use or any reliance placed upon it. The information, opinions and advice contained in this document may not relate, or be relevant, to a reader’s particular circumstance. Opinions expressed by the authors are the individual opinions expressed by those persons and are not necessarily those of the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) or the University of Tasmania (UTas). ©The Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania 2019. Copyright protects this publication. Except for purposes permitted by the Copyright Act, reproduction by whatever means is prohibited without the prior written permission of the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies. Table of contents Non-technical Summary 4 3. Results 17 Conclusion 63 3.1. Information availability and application 18 1. Introduction and Background 5 3.1.1 Economic 20 References 65 3.1.1.1. Existing aquaculture 20 1.1. Need 6 3.1.1.2 Future growth and/or redistribution of aquaculture 21 Appendices 67 1.2. Objectives 6 3.1.1.3 Commercial fisheries 28 3.1.1.4 Tourism 35 1.3. Project oversight 7 3.1.2 Social 36 3.1.2.1 Marine traffic 37 3.1.2.2 Recreational use 38 2. Methods 8 3.1.2.3 Lifestyle, cultural and heritage use 43 2.1. Rationale 9 3.1.3 Environment and conservation 46 Designated marine conservation areas 46 2.2. Project components 10 Other areas of high environmental and conservation value 48 2.2.1. Task 1 & 2 — Information gathering and selection of relevant layers 11 3.2. Marxan analysis 50 2.2.2 Task 3 — Suitability analysis 14 2.2.3 Task 4 — Marxan analysis 14 4. Discussion 60 PILOT MARINE SPATIAL ASSESSMENT TOOL 3 Non-technical Summary Evaluating options for assessing and balancing marine use Abstract Acknowledgments change within Tasmanian coastal waters using a spatial This project captures the process of developing a spatial The authors would like to acknowledge the financial support assessment tool: Pilot Study – South and West of Bruny Island. assessment decision support tool for marine waters in the of the Sustainable Marine Research Collaboration Agreement IMAS Technical Report. IMAS, Hobart, Tasmania. south east of Tasmania using existing data in conjunction with (SMRCA) between the Tasmanian State Government and the Principal Investigator: Dr Jeff Ross GIS mapping and Marxan. The decision support tool provides University of Tasmania. Thanks must go to DPIPWE Marine a starting point for stakeholders within the decision-making Farming Branch staff Mr. John Adams, Ms. Bronagh Kelly and Address: process by identifying potential marine users who may have Mr. Graham Woods for their support and consultation on the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) conflicting values in association with locating sites for new project. University of Tasmania developments or relocating existing ones. By undertaking this Fisheries and Aquaculture Centre project within the pilot study region, we demonstrate a process Thank you to the support and direction provided by project Private Bag 49, HOBART TAS 7001 that is applicable and could be replicated in other regions. Steering Committee, Dr. Ian Dutton, Director Marine Resources (DPIPWE), Chair; Prof. Caleb Gardner, IMAS, University of T +61 3 6226 8281 Tasmania; Mr. Andrew Gregson, Tasmanian Salmonid Growers imas.utas.edu.au Outcomes achieved Association (TSGA); Mr. Julian Harrington, CEO Tasmanian Email: [email protected] The project has identified a method for developing a decision Seafood Industry Council; Mr. Mark Nikolai, CEO, Tasmanian support tool that could be replicated in other regions. In Association for Recreational Fishing Inc. (TARFish). doing so, the project has collated relevant spatial information Project Objectives The spatial assessment would not have been possible on marine users for the pilot study region and used this in without the data and metadata provided from the following The main aim of the project is to develop and trial a spatial conjunction with GIS and Marxan to produce map outputs departments and organisations: NRM South, Information and assessment decision support tool that identifies potentially which highlight areas which may be more likely to experience Land Services Tasmania, University of Tasmania, IMAS, SeaMap, competing resource uses which may pose challenges under marine user conflicts together with areas which may be more Tassal, Huon Aquaculture, IMOS, Geoscience Australia, DPIPWE, different development scenarios within the marine environment. suitable for potential developments. In carrying out this process, MAST, Natural Values Atlas, CSIRO, CAPAD, AMSA and the In doing so the main objectives include: assessment of data suitability was undertaken and where Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service. • Identification of the types of uses and values present within relevant methods of using surrogate data were developed. the marine environment based on existing knowledge and understanding; • identifying areas which may be most appropriate for given marine uses based on marine use suitability and the least number of conflicts with other uses. • identifying relevant information gaps to assist in the development of marine spatial assessment tools and processes. PILOT MARINE SPATIAL ASSESSMENT TOOL 4 1 Introduction and Background PILOT MARINE SPATIAL ASSESSMENT TOOL 5 1.1. Need 1.2. Objectives Tasmanian coastal waters are highly valued, offering significant The main aim of this project was to develop and trial a spatial It is hoped that the decision support tool will offer valuable social, economic and environmental benefits to society. The assessment decision support tool that allows for identification of insight for decision makers and stakeholders in the early stages way in which the coast is valued and used is dynamic, changing potential competing resource uses which may pose challenges of marine development planning processes by highlighting over time and space. It is realised that there is a need to balance under different development scenarios within the marine any competing use and resource challenges associated with the values of different marine users to ensure social, economic environment in support of the objectives of the RMPS. potential future developments. In this context the tool will be and environmental sustainability for future generations and to The decision support tool will help to: a starting point to help guide decision makers and proponents meet the objectives of the Tasmanian Resource Management on where to focus the more detailed and rigorous aspects • identify the types of uses and values present within and Planning System (RMPS), as enshrined in Tasmania’s resource of planning processes (i.e. more detailed data collection, the marine environment based on existing knowledge management legislation (for example, the Living Marine environmental impact studies and community engagement) and understanding; Resources Management Act (1995) and the Marine Farming needed to inform good decisions. It is hoped that the tool Planning Act (1995)). This project was initiated to address this • provide a starting point for identifying areas which may be will help to initiate and support ‘good neighbour’ practices by need with the specific purpose of developing and trialling most appropriate for given marine uses based on marine use identifying some of the wide variety of coastal and marine users, a spatial assessment decision support tool to assist in the suitability and the least number of conflicts with other uses. encouraging fair consideration of those uses, and therefore assessment of future planning for fisheries and aquaculture and maximise the benefits and minimise the risks associated with • identify relevant information gaps to assist in the related industries within the marine environment. potential developments. development of marine spatial assessment tools To do this a wide variety of spatial data needed to be identified and processes. The project was not designed as a participatory planning and incorporated within a platform that enabled improved As such the tool offers the potential to address specific process or to generate a spatial plan per se. It has considered understanding of the values which exist and their distribution considerations relating to planning developments. a range of scenarios and it is anticipated that project outputs throughout the region. This information provided a starting For example, it may be used to assist in: may contribute to the development of future spatial plans for point for assessing competing use and resource challenges the region as well as more localized marine farm development associated with different future marine use scenarios.
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