Finfish aquaculture in Western Australia. Final ESD risk assessment report for sea-cage and land-based aquaculture.

The Western Australian Department of Fisheries is responsible for the management of aquaculture in WA and is committed to implementing ESD. These principles are contained within the objectives of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994 and the Department is keen to demonstrate both to the Government and the broader community that these principles are being achieved. The Department developed a policy statement in 2002 - “Policy for the Implementation of Ecologically Sustainable Development for Fisheries and Aquaculture within Western Australia” (Fletcher 2002) – that described its direction on incorporating ESD within fisheries and aquaculture management. Using the ESD Framework for Aquaculture, which was generated by the Fisheries Research and Development Council (FRDC) in conjunction with the Aquaculture Committee of the Australian Fisheries Managers Forum (AFMF) and the National Aquaculture Council (NAC), the marine and land-based finfish aquaculture sector is the first to be run through this process