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Accelerating commercial-scale open ocean aquaculture production by advancing regulatory frameworks, optimising technologies, increasing productivity and efficiency while reducing emissions, ensuring environmental sustainability and developing fit-for-purpose aquaculture production systems.
OUTCOMES
- 1Secure regulatory approval for Australia’s first offshore aquaculture trial in Commonwealth waters through the Blue Economy Zone (BEZ), establishing a precedent for commercial-scale open ocean operations.
- 2Develop innovative regulatory pathways and sandbox frameworks, enabling streamlined approval processes for offshore aquaculture developments and reducing barriers to industry investment.
- 3Establish the Trans-Tasman Open Ocean Aquaculture Governance Framework in partnership with New Zealand, creating coordinated regional approaches to offshore aquaculture regulation and management.
- 4Demonstrate fit-for-purpose offshore aquaculture technologies and production systems, including high-energy shellfish and fish pen designs and automated feeding systems, proving commercial viability in challenging ocean environments.
- 5Advance environmental sustainability protocols and monitoring frameworks for offshore aquaculture, ensuring ecosystem protection while supporting industry growth and social licence.
- 6Advance seaweed cultivation technologies for open ocean environments, including advancing hatchery practices, supporting the development of sustainable marine algae industries.
- 7Develop a pathway to offshore production systems for shellfish cultivation, including deepwater oyster farming technologies that operate efficiently in high-energy ocean environments.
- 8Achieve significant productivity improvements and emissions reductions through automated feeding systems, renewable energy integration, and optimised production cycles, demonstrating the commercial and environmental benefits of offshore aquaculture.
Our efforts under Impact Pillar 1 will contribute to the following Sustainable Development Goals:
CASE STUDY
Blue Economy Zone Offshore Finfish Aquaculture Research Trial
The Blue Economy CRC has pioneered Australia’s first offshore aquaculture research trial in Commonwealth waters through the Bass Strait Blue Economy Zone project. Working with government partners, we established new regulatory pathways enabling a three-year multispecies research trial 12 kilometres offshore from Burnie, Tasmania. This groundbreaking trial is testing high-energy aquaculture systems with 15,000 Atlantic salmon and 15,000 yellowtail kingfish in challenging offshore conditions.
The trial seeks to demonstrate the commercial viability and operability of offshore operations while generating critical data on environmental impacts, infrastructure performance, regulatory requirements and community response. Our comprehensive research approach is addressing technical, environmental, and governance challenges simultaneously, creating a blueprint for sustainable offshore aquaculture development across Australia’s ocean estate.
Critically, this project established Australia’s first trans-national collaboration framework for offshore aquaculture governance through partnerships with New Zealand’s Ministry for Primary Industries, creating shared learning pathways that will accelerate regulatory development across both nations.
