Aquaculture operations in Tasmania take place under lease, licensing and planning arrangements. Get guidance and make an application to obtain or amend a permit, lease or licence.
About the Application Process
Making an application relating to a lease, licence or Marine Farming Development Plan should always occur alongside consultation with the Aquaculture Branch, who will provide assistance and advice tailored to individual applications. As a general guide, before marine farming operations can begin, operators must:
- be familiar with the existing Marine Farming Development Plan covering the area of interest, which contains information about each aquaculture zone and the management controls regulating that zone area
- acquire a marine farming lease (this can also be via a sub-lease arrangement)
- acquire a marine farming licence that may include a police check
- conduct any environmental studies that may be required
- pay any associated fees and levies (cost information can be found on the individual lease and licence pages)
- have access to an established authorised shore base or the relevant authorisations to establish one (please note: shore bases may be regulated by the Biosecurity Branch of the Department and require a Crown Land lease/licence to allow foreshore access. More information on shore bases can be found at Biosecurity Tasmania).
Lease Applications
Marine farming leases allow aquaculture operators to apply for a marine farming licence to conduct activities in Tasmanian waterways. Leases are granted for areas within marine farming zones.
Licence Applications
Marine farming licences are required to undertake aquaculture activities within a marine farming lease. Licences outline the terms and conditions relating to how a marine farm is operated.
Permit Applications
Permits authorise specific activities to take place in Tasmanian marine state waters, that are not otherwise permitted under existing legislation and include conditions relating to the authorised activity.
Preparing or Amending a Marine Farming Development Plan
From time-to-time, aquaculture operators may wish to establish new farming zones in Tasmania or make an amendment to existing zoning arrangements.
In such instances, they must either request approval to prepare a new draft plan or to amend an existing plan. This can be a complex action involving several non-statutory and statutory processes, and so proponents are encouraged to contact the Aquaculture Branch to discuss their proposal before proceeding.
LISTmap
The Land Information System Tasmania (LISTmap) is provided by the Tasmanian Government as a publicly available resource.
It contains spatial data and links to regulatory documentation for a range of industries, including aquaculture, and allows users to create personalised maps of Tasmania using authoritative information.
LISTmap contains information about Marine Farming Development Plan areas, marine farming zones, leases, licences and ShellMAP areas, which can be found within the Primary Industries layer category.