Comprehensive baseline environmental data for Storm Bay in south eastern Tasmania were required to inform the salmonid industry regarding site selection, to provide background environmental data before large-scale farming commences, and to support the development of a scientifically relevant and cost-effective environmental monitoring program. Storm Bay is a large deep bay that receives freshwater inflow from the River Derwent on its north-western boundary and exchanges water with Frederick Henry Bay on its north-eastern boundary. The eastern and western boundaries are defined by the Tasman Peninsula and Bruny Island, respectively, and the southern boundary connects with the Tasman Sea. This area is a mixing zone between the River Derwent outflow and oceanic waters. The oceanography in Storm Bay is complex and is characterized by considerable fluctuations in temperature, salinity and nutrients on variable temporal and spatial scales. This is due to the southerly extension of warm nutrient-depleted sub-tropical waters transported via the East Australian Current (EAC) down the east coast of Tasmania over summer, whilst the south and south-west coasts are influenced by cooler, nutrient-rich sub-Antarctic waters from the south and the Leeuwin Current from the north-west (Buchanan et al. 2014). The current project arose in response to the salmon aquaculture industry recognising the need for increased scientific knowledge to support ecologically sustainable development of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) farming operations in south-eastern Tasmania, particularly expansion into Storm Bay. The information provided will assist salmon companies to manage their operations in Storm Bay under varying environmental conditions. Our research has also provided the opportunity to investigate changes in water quality over a quarter of a century, as CSIRO investigated seasonal and inter-annual variability in chemical and biological parameters in Storm Bay during 1985-89. We sampled at the same “master station” in Storm Bay as CSIRO and used similar procedures where possible. Five sites were sampled monthly in Storm Bay for over five years from November 2009 to April 2015, except on rare occasions when weather conditions were unsuitable, and bimonthly at times in 2013 when external funding was not available. Site 1 was located at the mouth of the Derwent estuary and the entrance to Storm Bay, site 2 was in the same location as the ‘master site’ of a CSIRO study in 1985-88, site 3 was furthest offshore and provided the most information on oceanic currents influencing the bay, while sites 5 and 6 were requested by the salmon aquaculture industry as potential sites for expansion of salmon farming. Site 4 was further offshore and monitoring at this site was discontinued after three months because of insufficient time to collect samples from all sites in one day. An additional site, 9, at the entrance to Frederick Henry Bay was included from 18 July 2011 at the request of the Marine Farming Branch, Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment (DPIPWE), to provide information on water quality coming from Frederick Henry Bay. Adjacent to, and largely unaffected by the River Derwent, Frederick Henry Bay is a large marine embayment with limited freshwater input from the Coal River at its northern boundary. ---------------------------------------------- See child records linked to this parent record for specific context and methodologies for each of the monitoring variables (phytoplankton, zooplankton, chlorophyll, pigment, nutrients, oceanography).

The CSIRO’s Oceans & Atmosphere Shallow Survey Internal Facility (SSIF) was contracted by the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) of the University of Tasmania (UTAS) in collaboration with Parks Australia, to undertake a hydrographic survey of the Boags Commonwealth Marine Reserve in the southwestern Bass Strait. This site was surveyed in conjunction with other smaller sites for Petuna Aquaculture, as part of a broader survey campaign. All of the sites covered in this campaign are located in the vicinity of the Hunter Group of Islands, off the north-western coast of Tasmania.

This record provides an overview of the scope and research output of the NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub project "Guidelines for analysis of cumulative impacts and risks to the Great Barrier Reef". No data outputs were generated by this project. -------------------- The project will develop guidance for the analysis of cumulative impacts and risks to the environmental, social and economic values of the GBR. The project will use existing information to develop guidance for use by GBRMPA, DoEE, the Queensland Government and proponents of future development proposals. The project will build on the work undertaken in the GBR Strategic Assessment and support works undertaken under the Reef 2050 plan. The guidance will provide a practical science-based approach to assessment of cumulative risks to the Reef. Research will focus on providing a general and repeatable approach to be applied at the whole-of-reef scale (to meet planning, assessment and reporting requirements of the GBRMPA) and also at the development-site-scale (to meet the environmental assessment requirements of the GBRMPA and future proponents). The guidance will be developed in close collaboration with the GBRMPA and DoEE to ensure it is practical and compatible with relevant legislation and policy applicable to proposed actions within the GBR. The project will include a case study focused on attributing impacts of pressures and their cumulative impacts on shallow-water coral reefs of eastern Australia (including cumulative impacts for the whole-of-GBR). It will also examine how this could be applied to shallow temperate reefs follow recent risk assessments conducted in NSW. Research is primarily designed to meet the specific needs of GBRMPA and future proponents. NSW DPI, QLD Government and Parks Australia, may also benefit from the case study and insights to assessment of cumulative impacts. Planned Outputs • Case Study Report on GBR & Coral Sea reefs pressure analysis. • Final report - guidance for analysis of cumulative impacts and risk

This record provides an overview of the scope and research data outputs of the NESP Marine Biodiversity Hub project "Recreational fishing in Commonwealth waters". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Recent assessment have suggested that Australian marine recreational fishers (MRF) are moving further offshore in pursuit of fishing opportunities, which places them in areas managed by the Australian Government. As recreational fishers are key stakeholders in marine management, of MRF effort, catch, motivations and values are required to effectively inform administration of Australian Marine Parks (AMPs) and fisheries. In 2018 the use of exiting MRF state-wide assessment was trialled in WA and NSW to quantify fishing within the Hunter and Ningaloo AMPs. In 2019 this work will be extended to analyse state charter-boat MRF datasets with a particular emphasis on our selected AMPs and the Perth Canyon AMP. Planned Outputs • State of knowledge and gap analysis of recreational fishing in Commonwealth waters (spatial data) • On ground motivation and targets by active fishers of AMP [report]