Draft Amendment No.3 to the D’Entrecasteaux Channel Marine Farming Development Plan February 2002 Environmental Impact Statement to accompany the Draft Amendment No.3 to the D’Entrecasteaux Channel Marine Farming Development Plan February 2002 Water and Marine Resources Division Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment Draft Amendment No.3 to the D’Entrecasteaux Channel Marine Farming Development Plan February 2002 & Environmental Impact Statement to accompany the Draft Amendment No.3 to the D’Entrecasteaux Channel Marine Farming Development Plan February 2002 Published: 2010 Published by: Marine Farming Branch Primary Industries Division Department of Primary Industries and Water GPO Box 44 Hobart Tasmania 7001 Government of Tasmania This work is copyright. It may be reproduced for study, research or training purposes subject to an acknowledgment of the source and no commercial usage or sale. ISBN 978-0-7246-6557-0 The Crown in right of the State of Tasmania gives no warranty, either express or implied, that the marine farming zone identified in this document is suitable for marine farming activities. Persons considering marine farming within the zone identified within this document are solely responsible for establishing the suitability or otherwise of the zone for that purpose. CAUTION: The maps shown throughout this document are not to be used for navigation. For navigation purposes appropriate hydrographic charts should be used. The coastline detail shown is reproduced from a 1:25000 scale giving a horizontal accuracy within 12.5 metres of true position. INTRODUCTION The D’Entrecasteaux Channel Marine Farming Development Plan February 2002 (MFDP) identifies 39 marine farming zones within the plan area. One zone (Zone 23) is identified west of Soldiers Point. The Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE) has received a request from Tassal Operations Pty Ltd, under section 33 of the Marine Farming Planning Act 1995 (MFPA), to amend marine farming Zone 23. The request proposes to increase the size of Zone 23 to provide additional growing area to enable the proponent to enhance biosecurity between marine farming leases at Roberts Point and Soldiers Point through the adoption of year class separation measures. The zone area would be increased from 43.20 hectares to approximately 71.34 hectares. The maximum leasable area would be increased from 15.00 hectares to 22.00 hectares. Under section 33 of the MFPA the Marine Farming Planning Review Panel (Panel) has approved the making of a draft amendment to the D’Entrecasteaux Channel MFDP February 2002. Two documents are contained within this cover: • a Draft Amendment No.3 to the D’Entrecasteaux Channel Marine Farming Development Plan February 2002; and • an Environmental Impact Statement to accompany the Draft Amendment No.3 to the D’Entrecasteaux Channel Marine Farming Development Plan February 2002. The Environmental Impact Statement to accompany the Draft Amendment No.3 to the D’Entrecasteaux Channel Marine Farming Development Plan February 2002 has been prepared and submitted by Tassal Operations Pty Ltd. Public Consultation. The Minister for Primary Industries and Water on the advice of the Panel has approved the public exhibition of the draft Amendment No.3 to the D’Entrecasteaux Channel MFDP February 2002 under section 38 of the MFPA. It has been determined under section 38 of the Act that the draft amendment will be subject to a one month period of public exhibition and comment. During this time interested parties may make representation relating to the draft amendment. Members of the community may make written representation in relation to the draft amendment to the Secretary, Department of Primary Industries, Park, Water and Environment, GPO Box 44, Hobart, 7001, by the advertised date. A representation is to be accompanied by a written request for a hearing if the representor wishes a hearing by the Panel in relation to that representation. The request is to state the address for receipt of any notice in relation to the hearing and is to be lodged with the Planning Authority by the advertised date. At the end of the public consultation period the Planning Authority is required to forward a copy of each written representation received and a report on representations received to the Panel. Under section 9 (3) of the MFPA the Panel must conduct a hearing if a request is made pursuant to the provisions of section 39 (2) (c). Respondents are advised that the contents of representations will be provided to members of the public on request unless they are marked “confidential”. The Department is subject to the Right to Information Act 2009 and may be required to disclose information under the Act if it is in the public interest to do so. Copies of representations that are not confidential and the Planning Authority’s report on those representations as required by section 40 of the MFPA, when completed, can be inspected during normal office hours at the Department’s Marine Farming Branch office on the fourth floor of the TasPorts Corporation Building, 1 Franklin Wharf. A copy of the section 40 report may be obtained by contacting the Marine Farming Branch on Phone (03) 6233 3370. Draft Amendment No.3 to the D’Entrecasteaux Channel Marine Farming Development Plan February 2002 Water and Marine Resources Division Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment DRAFT AMENDMENT No.3 TO THE D’ENTRECASTEAUX CHANNEL MARINE FARMING DEVELOPMENT PLAN FEBRUARY 2002 Zone 23 - (west of Soldiers Point) Location Zone 23 is located west of Soldiers Point and is approximately 410 metres from the coastline at its closest point. Map 2.21 depicts Zone 23. Zone 23 consists of all that area bounded by a line being from points defined by Mapping Grid of Australia Zone 55 (MGA) co-ordinates: Zone Easting Northing Latitude Longitude 23-1 E522467.53 N5219451.96 43°10.6418′S 147°16.5866′E thence to 23-2 E522851.48 N5219816.32 43°10.4442′S 147°816.8691′E thence to 23-3 E523732.47 N5218887.94 43°10.9442′S 147°17.5219′E thence to 23-4 E523582.99 N5218747.46 43°11.0204′S 147°17.4119′E thence to 23-5 E523661.97 N5218664.63 43°11.065′S 147°17.4704′E thence to 23-6 E523426.53 N5218441.38 43°11.186′S 147°17.2972′E thence to 23-1 E522467.53 N5219451.96 43°10.6418′S 147°8.40708′E Mapping Grid of Australia Zone 55 Co-ordinates Zone Area The area of Zone 23 is approximately 71.34 hectares. Maximum Leasable Area The maximum leasable area within Zone 23 is 22.00 hectares. Categories of fish The categories of fish permitted for culture within Zone 23, subject to the provisions of a marine farming licence, are finfish, shellfish and seaweeds. Management Controls The management controls applying to Zone 23 are stipulated in Section 3 of the D’Entrecasteaux Channel Marine Farming Development Plan February 2002. Special Management Controls The lessee must ensure that not more than 26 cages are held within Zone 23 at any one time. The lessee must ensure that not more than 24 stocked cages are held within Zone 23 at any one time. The lessee must ensure that all marine farming activities, other than moorings and mooring lines, within Zone 23 are contained within an area bounded by a line being from points defined by MGA co-ordinates: Lease Easting Northing Latitude Longitude a E523410.88 N5218685.10 43° 11.0544'S 147° 17.285'E thence to b E522709.47 N5219425.09 43° 10.6559'S 147° 16.7653'E thence to c E522866.07 N5219573.61 43° 10.5753'S 147°16.8805'E thence to d E523566.93 N5218835.20 43° 10.973'S 147° 17.3998'E thence to a E523410.88 N5218685.10 43° 11.0544'S 147° 17.285'E Mapping Grid of Australia Zone 55 Co-ordinates Special Provisions Subject to the provisions of the Marine Farming Planning Act 1995 it is the planning intention to provide for the relocation and expansion of marine farming Lease No. 110 to an area within Zone 23 west of Soldiers Point. Tassal Group Environmental Impact Statement to accompany the Draft Amendment No.3 to the D’Entrecasteaux Channel Marine Farming Development Plan February 2002 Contents 1. Executive Summary 5 1.1 Proposed Amendment Description 5 1.2 Public Consultation 6 1.3 Existing Environment 6 1.4 Potential Effects and Their Management 7 1.5 Summary and Conclusion 9 2. Proposed Amendment Description 10 2.1 Proposal Overview 10 2.2 Proposed Zone and Lease Details 11 2.3 Infrastructure and Servicing 13 2.4 Stock Husbandry Aspects 17 2.5 Waste Management 20 3. Public Consultation 23 3.1 Stakeholder Engagement Strategy 23 3.2 Stakeholder Engagement Events 24 3.3 Major Outcomes of Stakeholder Engagement 25 4. Existing Environment 26 4.1 Environmental Conditions 28 4.2 Flora and Fauna 40 4.3 Reservations 45 4.4 Land Planning Aspects 45 4.5 Maritime Aspects 47 4.6 Tourism 49 5. Potential Effects and their Management 50 5.1 Impacts on the Natural Environment 50 5.2 Impacts on the Human Environment 73 6. Summary of Effects and their Management 88 7. Conclusion 92 8. References 93 Soldiers Point Marine Zone Expansion Environmental Impact Statement Table Index Table 1 Vessel activity at Soldiers Point 15 Table 2 Sediment sample descriptions for the fifteen sediment samples taken within the north-western section of the proposed marine farming zone at Soldiers Point (TAFI 2009a) 32 Table 3 Sediment sample descriptions for the thirteen sediment samples taken within the south-eastern section of the proposed marine farming zone at Soldiers Point (TAFI 2010) 35 Table 4 Descriptions for the 9 video transects undertaken within the