Sea Cage Aquaculture
Environmental EffectsAIMS’ Water Quality and Environmental Health team is
involved in two projects to investigate the environmental effects
of sea cage aquaculture in tropical environments.
Project One
Planning tools for environmentally sustainable tropical
finfish cage culture in Indonesia and northern Australia (2003-2008) is
funded by the Australian
Centre for International Agricultural Research
(ACIAR) and has study sites in Indonesia and northern Australia.
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Partner
agencies included the University of New South Wales
(UNSW), the Research Institute for Coastal Aquaculture
(RICA), South Sulawesi, and the National Seafarming
Development Centre, Lampung, Indonesia. The engagement with ACIAR made it possible for
AIMS scientists to undertake research in Indonesia, where
aquaculture is more intensively developed than in
Australia, and where the coastal zone is more heavily
impacted by human activities.
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In this way, it is hoped to be able to forecast
environmental impacts of existing and new aquaculture
activities in Australia before they occur, and to be able
to better manage aquaculture both in tropical Australia
and in Indonesia.
 Background
to the project
Highlights of the study
Sampling sites
Water
quality monitoring
Key
results of project
Planning
tools
Project progress reports
Annual reports
A computer model is available to assist sea cage aquaculture managers
CADS_TOOL
(Cage Aquaculture Decision Support Tool) is designed to optimise the
choice of sites for placement of cages and calculate carrying capacity.
Project
Two
Environmental
Impacts of Sea Cage Aquaculture in a Queensland Context
– Hinchinbrook Channel Case Study (2007-2008)
is a project commissioned by the Queensland State
Government and co-funded by Lyntune Pty Ltd., trading as
Bluewater Barramundi.
| The project goal was to investigate
the environmental impacts of sea cage aquaculture in the
Hinchinbrook Channel area. Bluewater Barramundi farm is the
only farm of its kind in Queensland and one of only two in tropical
Australia. It is in both the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area and the
Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area. Therefore, the activities of
the fish farm must be compatible with World Heritage values.
AIMS conducted system-orientated research to understand the
effect of the fish farm within the mangrove environment as a whole.
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Sea cage aquaculture barra farm on Hinchinbrook.
Photo: S. Clarke.
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Bluewater
Barramundi Farm and the Hinchinbrook Environment
Highlights of the study
Physics
of Conn Creek
Water
quality
Farm
footprint
Fate
of wastes
Final report
Executive summary
Final
report (4.274Mb PDF file)
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November 4, 2008
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