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Our projects

Water quality and litter (0)

Taking action to stop water pollution and litter before it gets into our waterways.

Develop and implement policy to protect high-value fish habitats through use of biodiversity offsets.

Building capacity on the risk-based framework

Increasing awareness of the risk-based framework through guidance forums and online portal.

Diffuse source water pollution oversight committee

Improving management of water pollution from diffuse sources in NSW.

Clean coastal catchment monitoring will assess the benefits of on-ground activities that aim to reduce diffuse-source water pollution.

Working with farmers to keep sediment and nutrients on the farm and out of coastal waterways, while supporting profitable and sustainable agriculture.

Researching fertiliser use and ways to reduce nutrient and sediment runoff from farms.

Assessing coastal floodplain systems and infrastructure to assist decision makers in the enhancement of water quality, habitat and biodiversity.

Rehabilitating degraded wetlands to improve water quality, habitat and biodiversity within the wetland and downstream.

Controlling sediment from construction sites through improved methods and development approval processes.

Monitoring the water quality and health of estuaries to detect problems and see the benefits of improved management.

Delivering an education program to council staff about the protection of fish and fish habitat.

Reducing sediment runoff into waterways from gravel roads and tracks by works such as road sealing.

Monitoring the condition of gauged streams using water quality and biological indicators for different landuses.

Mapping subtidal habitats and monitoring coastal outflow events to quantify impacts on coastal and marine waters

A pilot program implementing and evaluating systems that trap runoff and pollution from slipways and marinas in NSW. Project to commence in future years.

Extending the ‘Don’t be a Tosser’ litter campaign to include the marine estate.

Marine debris research and management program

Convene the Marine debris working group composed of agency representatives and academic experts to oversee a marine debris risk assessment and the research, monitoring, analysis and coordination of marine litter/ debris actions.

The Litter Prevention Strategy is expanding towards a greater focus on reducing marine litter. This includes establishing new targets to reduce litter in the marine environment and incorporating additional stormwater and catchment management actions into the litter prevention program.

Exploring better ways to restore oyster reefs.

Restoring natural oyster reefs to improve water quality, aquatic habitat and biodiversity.

Review of the NSW Water Quality Objectives

Reviewing the NSW Water Quality Objectives so they support current community values.

Risk-based framework for regional waterway health

Support the establishment of a new governance framework for the Richmond River catchment to manage diffuse source runoff in a regional area.

Risk-based framework for urban waterway health

Apply the Risk-based Framework in South Creek as an urban diffuse source water pollution pilot.

Working with other government agencies to improve the management of the marine estate’s water quality.

Rehabilitating degraded riverbank vegetation to reduce sediment and nutrient runoff into waterways, help stabilise riverbanks and improve biodiversity.

Protecting riverbanks from erosion to reduce the amount of sediment entering waterways.

Healthy coastal habitats (0)

Taking action to improve the management of foreshore and waterway structures to protect the marine environment.

This project will identify ownership of breakwalls (including rock walls, sheet pile, groynes and other training works) within estuaries on Crown land, to ensure they are appropriately managed. The project will consider social, environmental, cultural and economic values in priority locations to improve decision making concerning repair, replacement or removal of breakwalls.

Improving the design of coastal cities and towns by promoting environmentally friendly planning and infrastructure.

Providing a framework for managing coastal floodplain drainage to improve water quality, simplify approvals and support viable primary industries.

Implement the outcomes of the audit commercial dredging in estuaries that identified and recommended actions to improve licencing conditions and related environmental outcomes.

Domestic waterfront structure strategies

Developing estuary-wide strategies for jetties, pontoons and boat ramps to streamline approvals while protecting aquatic habitat.

Developing environmentally friendly methods of bank stabilisation to manage foreshores and guide future investment.

Developing guidelines and plans to include features in new and existing estuary breakwaters that will improve biodiversity, fishing and other social values.

Developing an approval framework to support entrance management for intermittently closed and open lakes and lagoons (ICOLL).

Exploring ways of using artificial intelligence to map and monitor habitats and species.

Developing new methods for mapping seagrass, mangrove and saltmarsh to determine species, measure condition and identify threats.

Developing estuary-wide strategies for rehabilitating and protecting mangroves and saltmarsh so they are resilient to key threats.

Restoring fish passage and river connectivity at priority weir and road crossings so that fish can move between habitats, avoid predators, find food and breed.

Reviewing jetty design to better protect seagrass.

Improving knowledge about deep rocky reef species in the Greater Sydney region and the effects of natural and human influences.

Understanding the effects of human activities on fish in Greater Sydney estuaries.

Understanding the effects of human activities on seagrass, mangrove and saltmarsh.

Climate change (0)

Taking action to identify marine environments and species at threat from climate change.

Using community data to map changes in marine species distributions due to climate change.

Monitoring the condition of offshore rocky reefs as a priority environmental asset.

Researching the effects of climate change to fill knowledge gaps and guide future management actions.

Climate change threats to seagrass, mangrove and saltmarsh

Develop a first-pass model of wetland distributions under future sea level rise scenarios to help identify those most at risk and to prioritise land suitable for wetland protection and retreat.

Applying the NSW and ACT Regional Climate Modelling (NARCliM) projections in research to understand the local impacts of climate change on marine estate values.

Informing the Climate Change Adaptation Strategy

This project is the key action for climate change adaptation.Using adaptation assessments, it would build the knowledge and capacity of coastal and marine managers and communities to increase resilience and identify adaptation solutions to climate change in the marine estate.

Investigating a blue carbon demonstration site on primary production land

This project aims to transform a 13-hectare peninsular adjacent to the Richmond River near Ballina, currently used for cattle grazing, into a blue carbon demonstration site. A boardwalk is planned to go through part of the site allowing members of the community to witness the progress of blue carbon ecosystem recovery at the site.

Aboriginal cultural values (0)

Taking action to increase active participation of Aboriginal people in managing the marine estate.

Evaluate current arrangements of Aboriginal peoples’ participation in Sea Country management and establish an effective Aboriginal engagement framework.

Investigate the impacts of climate change on Aboriginal communities and culture in the marine estate and develop strategies to reduce or adapt to this risk.

Identify and expand opportunities for economic development across the marine estate.

Delivering targeted funds to increase economic opportunities for Aboriginal people in the fishing and seafood industry.

Work with Aboriginal communities to increase cultural interpretation in marine parks. This will include signage and artwork depicting the stories and cultures of Aboriginal peoples’ connections to Sea Country and will be developed with Aboriginal communities to increase public awareness of Aboriginal cultural values.

Develop a research, monitoring and evaluation approach that is integrated with the Aboriginal engagement framework (Aboriginal engagement project) and aligns with overall Monitoring Program.

Developing cultural resource use agreements with Aboriginal communities in marine parks.

Undertake local cultural research activities with local Elders and communities, starting with Buckenbowra fish trap.

Deliver ‘Elders as Mentors’ project in each marine park. Elders are important knowledge holders in Aboriginal communities. This new project provides a special opportunity to respect and honour Aboriginal Elders as experts to spend time alongside marine estate staff and impart knowledge so that a greater respect and appreciation of Sea Country and Aboriginal cultural values can be obtained.

Implement Stage 2 of Safe and Sustainable Sea Country Harvest of Shellfish project enabling Aboriginal people to harvest pipis and consume them safely for cultural purposes.

Work with Aboriginal communities to maintain or revive cultural knowledge and practices of Sea Country.

Enhance opportunities for Aboriginal employment in NSW Government to manage Sea Country

Develop Sea Country plans with Aboriginal communities. Sea Country plans are an important way for Aboriginal people to determine their custodian roles, responsibilities and priorities to care for Sea Country and protect their cultures. It also provides important cultural information such as cultural management practices, subsistence fishing and continuity of cultural traditions to be handed down for future generations.

Work with Aboriginal communities to design and deliver a caring for Sea Country ranger model and activities across the marine estate.

Threatened & protected species (0)

Taking action to protect threatened and protected marine wildlife from harm.

Education to protect and conserve marine wildlife

Explaining the need to protect marine threatened and protected species and the importance of community to achieve this.

Analysing data from the Estuary General Fishery to address threats to fish from bycatch and harvest.

Improve reporting of interactions with marine wildlife

Improving reporting and data sharing on marine threatened and protected species to support evidence-based decisions about marine wildlife management.

Updating the commercial fishing observer prioritisation to address threats to marine ecosystems.

Ocean Trap and Line Fishery observer survey

Extending the observer-based survey of the Ocean Trap and Line Fishery to better understand the threats from bycatch and harvest.

Analysing data from the NSW Ocean Trawl Fishery to address threats to fish from bycatch and harvest.

Strengthening partnerships with government, community and industry to enhance the management, incident response and rehabilitation of marine threatened and protected species.

Improving strategic planning and coordination of marine threatened and protected species programs across NSW.

Understand and reduce impacts of habitat modification on threatened and protected species (project to commence in future years).

Undertake research and monitoring to help fill key knowledge gaps identified in the statewide TARA, and to address cumulative threats to marine wildlife, monito r trends in threats and the health and condition of their habitats.

Strategies for mitigating species interactions

Developing and implementing strategies to reduce interactions between commercial fishing gear and threatened and protected species.

Sustainable fishing & aquaculture (0)

Taking action to support commercial, recreational and Aboriginal cultural fisheries and aquaculture to be economically viable and ecologically sustainable into the future.

This project will undertake a socio-economic valuation of the aquaculture industry in the marine estate, filling key social and economic knowledge gaps.

Protecting important seagrass habitat by using the best-practice guidelines in the NSW Oyster Industry Sustainable Aquaculture Strategy.

Commercial Fisheries socio-economic research

This project will produce an annual time series of economic and social indicators for NSW commercial fisheries, filling key social and economic knowledge gaps.

Explore potential pathways to enable assessment of cultural fishing in NSW in terms of participation, catch and effort and relate these aspects to access arrangements within current resource management decision making processes including harvest strategies.

Building marketing and promotion capability in seafood businesses through small-scale and large-scale grants.

Improve fishing access by fish stocking and artificial reef installation at key places and planning fishing platforms.

Develop information and training package in partnership with key fishing sectors and assist in delivery.

Developing harvest strategies for use by commercial, recreational and cultural fishers to reduce the risks of fishing on species of concern.

Develop and operationalise NSW Government policy and guidelines on fisheries harvest strategies, and progress assessment and management of ecological risk posed by NSW fisheries, prioritising potential management responses.

Utilise the Marine Waters Aquaculture Strategy to identify and establish new marine aquaculture ventures in NSW.

Using social research into recreational boaters' knowledge of the risks of aquatic pests and diseases to develop a communication and behavioural change management program.

Investigate the non-economic benefits from a healthy NSW marine estate gained by stakeholders undertaking fishing activity and examine variables that maximise those returns to benefit management decisions (new project).

Oyster aquaculture business and environment

Assist the recovery of oyster aquaculture farms affected by natural disaster events and incentivise innovative solutions that mitigate future impacts and ensure resilient businesses and sustained healthy estuaries (new project).

Recreational fishing environmental assessment

Limiting the environmental impacts of recreational fishing by completing an environmental impact assessment and a recreational fisheries strategy.

Examine historical NSW recreational fishing surveys to examine what motivate fishers and what factors relate to a greater sense of satisfaction. This research will inform Strategy monitoring programs.

Identifying the priorities for socio-ecological research to support the Marine Estate Management Strategy.

Contributing NSW biological, catch and effort data to help develop the Status of Australian Fish Stocks Reports and develop Harvest Strategies.

Safe & sustainable boating (0)

Taking action to provide boating access to our waterways that is safe and protects marine environments.

Working with partners in the Boating Now grants program to improve environmentally sustainable access to the marine estate and manage conflicting uses.

Develop options to manage vessels that are reaching or have reached the end of their useful life to mitigate potential environmental risks and enhance access to moorings.

Establish a performance-based standard for Environmentally Friendly Moorings (EFM) and review policy and regulatory options for improving adoption and maintenance of EFM.

Reviewing the Marine Pollution Act 2012 and its role in protecting the NSW environment from pollutants discharged from ships.

Clarifying the status of Transport for NSW's Appropriate Regulatory Authority (ARA) with a focus on pollution from vessels in marine parks.

Working collaboratively with key stakeholders to invest in maritime infrastructure as part of the Maritime Infrastructure Plan 2019–2024.

Optimising mooring density in mooring fields to better meet demand.

Improve the strategy for audit of moorings and enforcement of mooring licence conditions.

Review and modernise the strategy for mooring management and administration to improve access to moorings.

Continuing to educate recreational boaters about compliance with environmental regulations.

Review and investigate the effects of large commercial shipping vessel anchoring within the Greater Sydney region.

Continue to enforce environmental standards and regulations among domestic commercial vessels and recreational vessels.

Analysing data in shipping movements and interactions with threatened and protected species to identify knowledge gaps.

Consider options for a camera network to address dangerous and non-compliant behaviour in Port Hacking and Georges River.

Enhancing community benefits (0)

Taking action to increase understanding of the way we all use and share the marine environment.

Working across multiple sectors to develop a Blue Growth Strategy for NSW which explores opportunities for coordinated, innovative, long-term, sustainable development of the marine estate with a focus on those current and emerging activities which provide the greatest opportunity for sustainable growth for NSW (project to commence in future years).

Collecting social, cultural and economic data to provide a foundation for long-term monitoring of community wellbeing associated with the marine estate.

Monitoring the economic benefits associated with the marine estate under the community wellbeing framework.

Implementing the NSW Marine Estate Education Strategy and curriculum-based schools package.

Assessing threats to marine historic heritage and recommending strategies to manage those threats.

Pilot a comprehensive, spatial mapping project of human use activities, to support marine planning prioritisation and management. Project to continue in future years

Effective governance (0)

Taking action to trial new ways of managing our marine environment that are more efficient and effective, simpler and clearer for everyone and provide greater opportunities for stakeholder involvement in decision making.

Greater Sydney region compliance focusing on marine protected areas

Achieving optimal compliance through educating the community and other stakeholders, and enforcing fisheries and aquatic reserve rules and regulations.

Improved marine protected area planning and management

Develop new planning processes for the preparation of management plans, and supporting management rules, with the community, industry and stakeholders to ensure good governance, a more streamlined approach and to support improved management of marine park values.