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Bass Basin areas
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SCALLOP FISHERMEN'S ASSOCIATION OF
TASMANIA INC
[redacted]
21June2023
Submission on 2023 Offshore Greenhouse Gas Storage Acreage
Release - Bass Basin GHG23-9
The SFAT is the peak industry body representing the best interests of all scallop fishermen and processors in both the Tasmanian and Bass Strait Central Zone commercial scallop fisheries.
It is therefore with some alarm that we read your email of 19 May 2023 with attached map which shows your proposed area of acreage release covering both the Tasmanian state scallop fishery and the Commonwealth managed Bass Strait scallop fishery.
Both fisheries are extremely valuable both in terms of production of scallops and as an employer in mainly regional communities and we definitely do not want any interference with the resource and reproduction of future generations of scallops. Fishermen have been harvesting scallops in the areas for over 60 years so they have an intimate knowledge of the area and the resource.
Scallops are harvested from the seabed using a harvester towed behind a fishing vessel. The fisheries are managed by individual transferable quotas, and a number of input controls that include limited entry, transfer restrictions, seasonal closures, legal minimum size and area closures.
The Tasmanian fishery has adopted a spacial management regime in that all state waters are closed to fishing and only discrete areas are open each year when minimum criteria is met. The Bass Strait fishery management opens up the whole of Bass Strait each season with some closed areas. ln both cases the closed areas are designed to protect spawning biomass of scallops which is the next generation available for harvest in following years.
Commercial scallops are found in beds in habitat consisting of course sand to mud in waters from 20 metres to about 80 metres.
Whilst we do not harvest in all waters in any given year we do monitor most scallop beds on a yearly basis to determine the best opportunity for harvest and only open beds that can provide the best economic return in any one season.
The state of Tasmania jurisdictional management extends between 3 and 20 nautical miles into Bass Strait under an Offshore Constitytional Settlement arrangement with the
Com monwealth Government.
It is therefore extremely important that beds of scallops be kept undisturbed by seismic activity and any other measures that disturb the scallop fishing grounds and the water column. Some mitigation rneasures may be necessary to ensure that the scallop resources are protected.
The Greenhouse Gas Storage release area covers a massive Tasmanian scallop ground to the east of the Boags MPA and immediately north/northeast the main harvesting grounds in the
Bass Strait Commonwealth fishery hence our alarm at this proposal.
Attached are two maps of scallop activity in the Bass Basin. Map A covers the recent areas where scallop harvesting has been undertaken in Tasmanian state waters. Map B shows where scallop harvesting has occurred in recent years in the area specifically east of King lsland. Significantly both areas are within the Bass Basin GHG storage acreage areas.
We wish to emphasise that these maps are the known recent scallop harvesting areas.
There is a lot of unknowns with scallops. Scallop larvae can float around in the water column for more than a month travelling where tide, current and weather allows and can then settle if the seafloor is favourable. This means that many areas in Bass Strait can potentially be scallop waters and it is vital that this natural process not be disrupted.
Much of the geology of the area subject to your assessment and approval processes is well known with Beach Energy having conducted intense seismic over the area in late 2021. They were looking for gas deposits to connect to the Yolla Gas platform so you should contact them as part of your desktop assessment. ln summary before an assessment permit to explore is granted please consider that the
Tasmanian and Bass Strait scallop industry are opposed to any activity that disturbs the seabed or water column where scallops may be present.
Bob Lister
Scallop Fishermen's Association of Tasmania
[redacted]"[P
Offshore region