Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
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This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Research Plan 2024 project "Development of regional modelling and risk assessments to inform offshore renewable decision-making". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata. -------------------- Australia is entering a phase of rapid offshore renewable energy (ORE) development, particularly in eastern and south-eastern waters. In considering the environmental acceptability of wind energy projects under the EPBC Act and Offshore Electricity Infrastructure framework, methods are required to evaluate cumulative risks to listed species, Australian Marine Parks and other natural values, including risks that arise from construction, operation, decommissioning, climate change and existing human pressures. This project used quantitative modelling approaches to assess potential impacts and cumulative risks associated with offshore renewable energy infrastructure in the Gippsland declared region. Twelve impact pathways identified by DCCEEW were used to structure problem formulation, risk hypotheses, modelling and assessment, with priority species and associated data needs identified in consultation with DCCEEW and NOPSEMA. The project applied two linked modelling approaches: species-specific population models and whole-of-ecosystem modelling. Population models estimated exposure and potential effects for priority threatened and migratory species across breeding, overwintering, foraging and migration areas, including risks such as collision, underwater noise, electromagnetic fields, vessel interactions, displacement and attraction. Whole-of-ecosystem modelling assessed broader ecological pathways, including hydrodynamics, sediment transport, benthic habitat effects, displacement of fishing activity, trophic effects around infrastructure, and cumulative interactions with climate change. Scenario analyses were used to explore how risks varied with the timing, number, location and configuration of offshore renewable energy developments. Model outputs were used to assess the cumulative risks to key species and natural values, and supported evaluation of mitigation options such as infrastructure placement, construction timing, operational constraints and post-assessment monitoring. The project outputs provide regulators and conservation managers with a modelling framework for assessing ORE-related cumulative impacts, identifying monitoring requirements, prioritising future research, and support evidence-based decisions on risk acceptability and management under relevant environmental legislation. Outputs • Species-specific population models for key threatened and migratory species for the Gippsland ORE region [spatial outputs] • Outputs from Whole of Ecosystem (WoE) modelling [risk-based impact spatial outputs] • Final project report [written]
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Metric: Presence/absence of compliance regulations and penalties which apply to the fishery. Indicates whether rules and penalties are in place to ensure fishery regulations are followed.
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Metric: Number of food safety product trade recalls and product withdrawals. Measures how many seafood products are recalled or withdrawn due to food safety concerns associated with harvesting.
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Metric: Presence/absence of defined and publicly available decision rules for determining total allowable catch (TAC) or effort controls for one or more of the target species. Indicates whether transparent rules exist for setting catch limits or fishing effort controls.
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Metric: Percentage of fishing units within the fishery held by Australian entities. Measures the proportion of fishing licences, quota, or other fishing rights owned by Australian individuals or organisations.
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Metric: Amount of agency time allocated to managing the fishery (FTE). Measures the staffing resources dedicated to managing and administering the fishery.
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Metric: Ratio of the level of actual fishing output to allowable fishing output, i.e. the ratio of actual fishing catch/effort to total allowable catch/effort (TAC or TAE). Where unavailable, the ratio of the number of active fishing licences to total number of fishing licences in the fishery. (%) Measures how much of the available catch or effort allocation is being used. This indicates the extent to which the fishery resource is being utilized.
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Metric: Extent of forwards and backwards seafood product traceability for the fishery's target species. Measures how well seafood products from the fishery can be tracked through the supply chain from harvest to consumer.
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Metric: Presence/absence of initiatives aiming to address labour supply shortages and/or constraints, including automation. Indicates whether programs or initiatives exist to help attract workers, improve workforce capacity, or introduce automation technologies.
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Metric: Fishery workforce size. Where unavailable, fishery fleet size. Measures the number of people employed in the fishery, or the number of vessels where workforce data is unavailable.
IMAS Metadata Catalogue