Aquaculture within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park (Document No. 100463)

At a national and international level, interest in aquaculture is increasing and is expected to continue to increase in the future. In assessing the impact or likely impact of aquaculture, a fundamental concern of the GBRMPA must be the maintenance of natural systems. In order to address this concern the GBRMPA must, where possible, ensure that ecological risk is minimised. In relation to aquaculture, there are three activities that pose threats to the natural systems of the GBRMP. These are cage culture, restocking or reseeding, and artificial habitat development associated with aquaculture. Proponents of such activities would need to demonstrate that the operational procedures and technologies employed substantially mitigate ecological risk