Supporting aquaculture production in Western Australia

Although aquaculture production in Western Australia is fairly limited, the area possesses huge potential as an aquaculture production site. To encourage aquaculture investment in the area, the Department of Fisheries (DoF) planned on developing a finfish aquaculture production zone in Cone Bay – the Kimberley Aquaculture Zone (KAZ). We conducted an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in the KAZ to determine the potential impacts of the planned aquaculture site. Our study showed that finfish aquaculture production can be conducted without significant impacts to marine environmental quality and marine environmental factors in Cone Bay and surrounding waters. This information will help the DoF gain environmental approval, which is required in order to proceed with the development.