|
|
|
- Significant strategic and co-ordinated management is being achieved to protect the Derwent Estuary through the Derwent Estuary Program (DEP) established in 1999. In December 2001, the DEP Environmental Management Plan was finalised. A five-year agreement was signed to progressively implement this plan. The Derwent Estuary Program (DEP) introduced formal partnership agreements to monitor and report on the state of the Derwent and has helped implement priority projects such as effluent reuse, stormwater management and habitat management and restoration.
- Brighton and Bridgewater STPs have ceased discharging into the Derwent under normal operations and commenced a full effluent reuse program for the irrigation of specialist crops. Brighton Council has also initiated a program to capture and reuse stormwater (DPIWE 2000).
- The Huon Estuary Study (CSIRO 2000) conducted from 1996-99, provided environmental data for integrated catchment management and aquaculture.
- A study was conducted by the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute (TAFI) with funding under the National Land and Water Resources Audit to assess water quality in Tasmanian estuaries (Murphy et al. 2003).
- The Tasmanian Marine Protected Areas Strategy (DPIWE 2000 and DPIWE 2001) has been established to provide a comprehensive, adequate and representative marine protected area system. In July 2003, the Resource Planning and Development Commission submitted the final recommendations report to the Minister for new marine protected areas to be established at Port Davey/ Bathurst Channel in south-west Tasmania and at the Kent Group of Islands in Bass Strait.
- The eradication of feral cats from Macquarie Island has led to an improved outlook for nesting seabirds on the Island. Two years have passed since the last cat sighting, which is the period required for officially declaring the program a success. It took 30 years to achieve this result.
- A National Taskforce report has addressed the issue of introduced marine pests in Australia (SCC/SCFA 2000). This report, which was endorsed by three ministerial councils, makes recommendations for prevention and management of introduced marine pests. This has led to a more coordinated approach to the problem nationally. Mandatory ballast water regulations were introduced by the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service (AQIS) in 2001.
- DPIWE has completed baseline port surveys of all first ports of call and other high risk ports/marinas in Tasmania to determine the distribution and abundance of introduced marine species. Education programs have been conducted to raise awareness, and to inform the public what boat owners, amateur aquarists and fishers can do to prevent the spread of marine pests.
- Improved understanding of reservation priorities has been achieved through the preparation of a comprehensive Statewide report on the type, condition and conservation significance of Tasmania's estuaries (Edgar et al. 1999). Information gathered included catchment extent, catchment geology, rainfall, size of the estuary, seaward barrier characteristics, tidal regime, salinity levels and biological data. The estuaries were classified into nine groups, or types.
- The Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute (TAFI) Seamap Tasmania marine habitat mapping program is also enhancing the identification and selection of marine protected areas, as well as supporting other management decision-making. The Seamap Tasmania program produces maps showing the seabed in about nine categories of habitat type with supporting images and video. So far, the program has covered over 1,800 km including the entire Bruny IMCRA Bioregion, the Tasmanian portion of the Twofold IMCRA Bioregion and part of the Freycinet IMCRA Bioregion.
- Management plans have been introduced for all major fisheries, quota in the rock lobster fishery, and increased controls on gear usage in the scalefish fishery. Zonation in the abalone fishery has been introduced to manage the distribution of effort, and protect the accessible areas from high fishing pressure and over exploitation.
- Annual fishery stock assessment reports for major fisheries have been introduced and export fisheries are required to report against ecologically sustainable development principles. Tasmania has prepared reports for Environment Australia for both the abalone and rock lobster fisheries. The fishing industries have made progress by seeking accreditation for the export fisheries of Abalone, Rock Lobster and Giant Crab.
- To improve the sustainability of fishing, licence conditions for recreational fishing have been amended since 1996 in relation to gear restrictions, size limits, and bag limits. The National Recreational and Indigenous Fishing Survey was undertaken as a joint initiative of Commonwealth and State Governments to obtain fisheries statistics to support the management of non-commercial fishing in Australia.
- Since the last SoE Report an environmental monitoring program has been implemented to monitor environmental conditions under and around finfish marine farms as specified in the Marine Farm Development plans and each individual licence.
- Work is being carried out by the State Emergency Service, in association with local government, to identify emergency risk management requirements for dealing with natural and other hazards. This program provides a useful model in dealing with vulnerability from climate change.
|
|
