Background Report
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Inquiry into the establishment of marine protected areas within the Bruny Bioregion Background Report June 2006 Resource Planning and Development Commission National Library of Australia Cataloguing–in–Publication data: Inquiry into the establishment of marine protected areas within the Bruny Bioregion. Background Report ISBN 0 7246 7410 1 Resource Planning and Development Commission GPO Box 1691 Hobart Tasmania 7001 June 2006 Email address: [email protected] Production by Artemis Publishing Consultants, Hobart, Tasmania This report is available on the Internet. The Internet address is: website: www.rpdc.tas.gov.au Printed on environmentally friendly paper Inquiry into the establishment of marine protected areas within the Bruny Bioregion Background Report Invitation to comment On 6 June 2005 the former Minister for Environment and Planning, the Hon. Judy Jackson, issued a reference to the Resource Planning and Development Commission (the Commission). The terms of reference require the Commission to conduct an inquiry and make recommendations to the Minister on the establishment of marine protected areas in the Interim Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia Bioregion known as the Bruny Bioregion. The first key step in the inquiry process is for the Commission to prepare a Background Report and place it on public exhibition. The Background Report presents information considered to be relevant to the identification and selection of marine protected areas, as described in the Tasmanian Marine Protected Areas Strategy, within the Bruny Bioregion. Government agencies, community and other interest groups and individuals are invited to comment in writing on this Background Report. In particular, comments or additional information are sought that may be relevant to the identification and selection of marine protected areas within the Bruny Bioregion, especially as they may relate to draft ecosystems (see Appendix 4). Submissions that refer to specific areas or places of special value are encouraged to include maps that indicate, as accurately as possible, the location of those areas. Public comment will assist the Commission in the preparation of draft recommendations. Written submissions should be sent to: Address: Resource Planning and Development Commission GPO Box 1691 Hobart Tasmania 7001 Phone Number: (03) 6233 2795 Fax Number: (03) 6233 5400 E-mail: [email protected] Written submissions must be received by the Commission no later than 4.30 pm on Monday 31 July 2006. Late submissions will not be accepted. However, faxed or e-mail copies of submissions will be received up until 4.30 pm on the closing date. Please note that submissions will be treated as public documents unless an argument is put to the contrary by the person making the submission. Additional copies of the Background Report may be obtained without cost by contacting the Commission or from the Commission’s office: 3rd floor, 144 Macquarie Street, Hobart. The Background Report is available in pdf format on the Commission’s website: http://www.rpdc.tas.gov.au Resource Planning and Development Commission iii Inquiry into the establishment of marine protected areas within the Bruny Bioregion Background Report Resource Planning and Development Commission The Resource Planning and Development Commission is a statutory body established by the Resource Planning and Development Commission Act 1997. The Commission has six principal functions: • to assess and approve local government planning schemes and planning scheme amendments; • to assess projects of State significance; • to assess draft State Policies; • to prepare the Tasmanian State of the Environment Report; • to review representations and the report of the Secretary of the Department of Primary Industries and Water relating to draft water management plans; and • to conduct inquiries into the use of public land. The Commission is part of the State’s Resource Management and Planning System, the objectives of which are set out in Schedule 1 of the Resource Planning and Development Commission Act 1997 (Appendix 1). The Commission is made up of: • an Executive Commissioner (Julian Green) • a Commissioner with planning experience nominated by the Local Government Association of Tasmania (Sandra Hogue) • a Commissioner with expertise and management experience in resource conservation (Helen Locher) • a Commissioner with planning experience and experience in industry and commerce (Jamieson Allom) • a Commissioner with resource conservation or planning experience representing community interests (Catherine Nicholson) • a Commissioner with public administration experience in regard to project implementation (Helen Hudson) Resource Planning and Development Commission iv Inquiry into the establishment of marine protected areas within the Bruny Bioregion Background Report Table of contents 1.0 Introduction ............................................................................................ 1 1.1 Background to the inquiry ...................................................................... 1 1.1.1 Description of the lands ................................................................ 1 1.1.2 Submissions made in relation to terms of reference .................................. 1 1.2 Inquiry process .................................................................................. 1 1.3 Matters to be taken into account ............................................................... 4 1.4 Overview of Background Report ............................................................... 4 2.0 Context of inquiry ..................................................................................... 5 2.1 Jurisdiction of waters ............................................................................ 5 2.2 Management in Tasmanian waters ............................................................ 6 2.3 Interim Marine and Coastal Regionalisation of Australia .................................... 7 2.4 National representative system of marine protected areas .................................... 9 2.5 Commonwealth marine protected areas in Australia’s south-east marine region ........... 10 3.0 Tasmanian Marine Protected Areas Strategy ................................................... 13 3.1 Strategy development ........................................................................... 13 3.2 Criteria for identifying and selecting marine protected areas ................................. 15 3.3 Potential types of marine protected areas ...................................................... 17 3.4 Tasmanian marine protected areas within the NRSMPA .................................... 18 3.5 Strategy’s relationship to this inquiry ........................................................... 19 4.0 Bruny Bioregion ....................................................................................... 21 4.1 General description ............................................................................. 21 4.2 The marine environment ....................................................................... 22 4.2.1 Bathymetry ............................................................................. 22 4.2.2 Hydrology .............................................................................. 23 4.2.3 Exposure (waves and swell) .......................................................... 23 4.2.4 Benthic habitats ........................................................................ 25 4.2.5 Macroalgae ............................................................................. 29 4.2.6 Benthic animals (species living on or in the seabed) ................................. 32 4.2.7 Fish ..................................................................................... 33 4.2.8 Cetaceans (whales, dolphins) and seals .............................................. 34 4.2.9 Seabirds ................................................................................. 36 4.2.10 Geoconservation ....................................................................... 38 4.2.11 Estuaries and wetlands ................................................................ 40 Resource Planning and Development Commission v Inquiry into the establishment of marine protected areas within the Bruny Bioregion Background Report 4.3 Human use of the marine environment ........................................................ 43 4.3.1 Commercial fishing .................................................................... 43 4.3.1.1 Abalone .................................................................... 43 4.3.1.2 Rock lobster ................................................................ 45 4.3.1.3 Scalefish .................................................................... 48 4.3.1.4 Commercial dive .......................................................... 51 4.3.1.5 Commonwealth fisheries .................................................. 53 4.3.2 Marine farming ........................................................................ 53 4.3.3 Fish processing ......................................................................... 55 4.3.4 Recreational fishing .................................................................... 55 4.3.4.1 Abalone .................................................................... 58 4.3.4.2 Rock lobster ................................................................ 58 4.3.4.3 Scallops ..................................................................... 59 4.3.4.4 Scalefish ...................................................................