Marine farming is a rapidly growing industry in the Waikato region. We need to ensure that marine farms are well managed to minimise effects on the coastal environment.
On this page:
Marine farming is of growing social and economic importance in our region.
Marine farms are currently found in:
- the Firth of Thames
- Coromandel Harbour, Port Charles, Kennedy Bay, Whangapoua Harbour and Whitianga Harbour on the Coromandel Peninsula
- Aotea and Kawhia Harbours on the west coast.
There are currently two types of marine farms in the Waikato region:
- mussel longlines
- intertidal oyster rack farms.
On 28 November 2001 the government imposed a moratorium on new aquaculture activities in coastal marine areas while the main reforms to the aquaculture legislation are put in place. The intent of the moratorium is to provide regional councils time to develop provisions in their Regional Coastal Plans for zones where aquaculture:
- can be undertaken with a coastal permit
- is prohibited.
Find out more about the aquaculture reforms on the Ministry of Fisheries website.
Benefits from marine farming
There are many benefits of having marine farms. These include:
- economic and social benefits
- less harvest pressure on wild fish and shellfish
- enhanced recreational fishing.
Disadvantages of marine farms
Marine farming can conflict with other uses and values of the coastal environment.
Marine farms can have undesirable effects including:
- changing natural coastal processes
- the build up of shell and waste material below farms
- a loss of natural character and amenity value
- adverse effects on water quality, coastal and marine plants and animals
- excluding other potential uses from marine farm areas (such as water skiing and boating).
Environment Waikato requires monitoring of the effects of marine farms on the environment as part of the conditions of resource consents issued for this activity.
What we are doing
Environment Waikato has identified the potential ‘trigger points’ (or performance criteria) for the environmental variables being monitored around the marine farms in the Wilson’s Bay Marine Farming Zone in the Firth of Thames (for example, nutrients and phytoplankton in the water; animals found in the sediment below the farm and the accumulation of shell-hash on the seafloor).
We are working closely with the Auckland Regional Council to plan for marine farming in the Hauraki Gulf. We are undertaking research to find out the sustainability of marine farming in the Firth of Thames.
You can view and print a copy of the report ‘Factors Related to the Sustainability of Shellfish Aquaculture Operations in the Firth of Thames: a Preliminary Analysis’ in PDF file format. Or you can order a copy at a cost of $40 (excluding GST).
Sections 1-3
(2908 kb, 415 seconds to download, 56k modem)
Sections 4-5
(869 kb, 124 seconds to download, 56k modem)
Sections 6-7
(412 kb, 58 seconds to download, 56k modem)
| Table of contents |
Page number |
| |
Executive Summary |
5 |
| 1 |
Introduction |
7 |
| 1.1 |
Aims and Structure of this report |
7 |
| 1.2 |
Terminology |
8 |
| 1.3 |
Review of Documented Aquaculture impacts |
10 |
| 2 |
Review of Present Data |
15 |
| 2.1 |
Physical Characteristics |
15 |
| 2.2 |
Mixing and fluxes of water and nutrients |
17 |
| 2.3 |
Physical processes and primary production in the Firth of Thames |
21 |
| 2.4 |
Secondary production in the Firth |
38 |
| 2.5 |
Faecal contaminants |
45 |
| 3 |
Issues Specific to the Firth of Thames |
47 |
| 4 |
Approaches to Assessing Carrying Capacity & Sustainability |
48 |
| 4.1 |
Definition of characteristics |
49 |
| 4.2 |
Definition of Thresholds |
51 |
| 4.3 |
Definition of Statistical Tests |
53 |
| 5 |
Assessment of Sustainability Based upon Present Knowledge |
55 |
| 5.1 |
Physical Carrying Capacity |
55 |
| 5.2 |
Production Carrying Capacity |
56 |
| 5.3 |
Ecological Carrying Capacity |
56 |
| 5.4 |
Flushing Times within the Firth of Thames |
77 |
| 6 |
Depletion Estimates |
81 |
| 6.1 |
Introduction |
81 |
| 6.2 |
Results |
82 |
| 6.3 |
Discussion |
86 |
| 7 |
Scoping of Research Leading to an Improved Estimate of the Sustainability of Shellfish Aquaculture within the Firth of Thames |
89 |