INFORMD2: risk-based tools supporting consultation, planning and adaptive management for aquaculture and other multiple-uses of the coastal waters of southern Tasmania

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. INFORMD2 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.