South East Tasmania
Storm Bay has been identified by both industry and the government as an area which can accommodate the sustainable and responsible growth of aquaculture.
Download our fact sheetWhy Storm Bay?
Petuna’s own research supports that the exposed waters in Storm Bay provide optimum farming conditions to enable maximum fish health and welfare in a best-practice farming environment.
Combining our own environmental monitoring with extensive environmental research and data analysis, conducted independently by CSIRO and IMAS, we have identified an ideal location within Storm Bay for marine farming.
This research includes a methodical assessment by IMAS on the optimal sites within Storm Bay, using detailed spatial data analysis of seabed composition, environmentally sensitive formations and existing leases, among other considerations, including recreational use of the waterways.
In conjunction with this program, CSIRO has developed a biogeochemical and hydrodynamic model that replicates the natural physical and ecological processes in Storm Bay, allowing the impact of salmon farming nutrient emissions to the water column to be tested and understood.
The aquaculture industry has invested millions of dollars in the model to date, and Petuna is set to invest more, to assess the impacts of the proposed change to our lease configuration on surrounding environments.
What is being proposed?
Petuna’s Storm Bay marine farming lease was formally approved in 2019. The lease configuration now needs to be changed to ensure it meets new Tasmanian biosecurity standards, which requires 4km separation between fish year classes (juvenile and mature fish).
We are proposing to divide the existing lease into two sites, with smolt entering the water at one site and growing out to harvest size in the other. The lease reconfiguration does not incorporate any more nitrogen (production) or space (footprint) than was originally approved, and it will provide better outcomes for our fish and the environment.
Our lease reconfiguration proposal will need to go through a full application and approval process, including the development of a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) which will involve a formal public consultation period.
However, we want to talk to the community now, before we submit our EIS, to understand any views, expectations or concerns you might have about the proposed change.
This informal community engagement is separate to the formal engagement we will be required to undertake as part of our statutory obligations during the EIS process. It is critical to us that the community’s input informs the development of our proposal.
What are the benefits to the local community?
Petuna’s expansion into southern Tasmania will deliver a multi-million-dollar investment program, creating significant new employment opportunities and providing economic stimulus in south-east regional communities.
The development will be a stand-alone operation, providing direct employment of at least 64 new FTE positions in the southeast as well as additional jobs in the hatchery and processing facility in the north of the state. In addition to this, there will be jobs created during the infrastructure commissioning and development phases. It is expected to generate hundreds of indirect roles within the local community and aquaculture service industry.
Petuna is investigating using the Port of Hobart and Margate as the gateways between our marine farm and wider operations. By using the Port of Hobart, we will minimise our vessel movement across Storm Bay to the northern region of the Channel.
Important information about Petuna’s Storm Bay marine farm
Petuna understands that we lease your waterways, and that you want to know how we are using and looking after the marine environment in and around where we operate.
Download our fact sheet