The Tasmanian Smart Seafood Partnership

Image credit: Joanne Smart

Tasmania’s marine ecosystems are home to species found nowhere else in the world. They support world-renowned seafood industries and have been culturally important for thousands of years.

The Tasmanian Smart Seafood Partnership (TSSP) is a partnership project between NRM South and the Tasmanian Seafood Industry Council (TSIC), which aims to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of Tasmania’s seafood industry practices to conserve and restore marine biodiversity in our waterways. The State-wide project builds on partnerships between the Tasmanian seafood industry, NRM organisations, training organisations, government and regulatory authorities, and community.

OUR PARTNERS

The TSSP is hosted by NRM South and works in partnership with the Tasmanian Seafood Industry Council.

FUNDING

The Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and Environment funds the TSSP through Round One of the National Landcare Program’s Smart Farming Partnerships.

The Initiatives

All boating impacts our waterways.

So we've written a responsible owners' guide.

Tasmanian Smart Seafood Partnership

Responsible Boating

Professional sea fishers and farmers rely on healthy coastal and marine waters for their livelihoods. However, with changing sea temperatures bringing new biosecurity risks, and uncertainty around contemporary recommendations for looking after the environment, not all boat users understand their responsibilities.

Our coastal activity affects shorebirds.

So we're alerting the community.

Tasmanian Smart Seafood Partnership

Helping Shorebirds

The seafood industry regularly undertakes clean-up activities along Tasmania’s coastline to ensure that the environment on which it relies is healthy and safe for plants, animals, and people. Shorebirds also rely on Tasmania’s shoreline for breeding and to support their global populations, however some shorebird numbers are decreasing.

Our seafood industry is constantly evolving.

We're telling the next generation about it.

Tasmanian Smart Seafood Partnership

Educating the next generation

The Tasmanian seafood industry is committed to building a future workforce that can adapt to the challenges of harvesting and managing marine resources in a changing environment. To achieve this, the industry recognises that it needs to collaborate with teachers to develop knowledge about the local seafood industry including how it is monitored and managed.

Our kelp forests are disappearing.

So we're restoring them.

Tasmanian Smart Seafood Partnership

Kelp Restoration

Over the past few decades, Tasmania has lost 95% of its surface canopy-forming giant kelp due to warming waters. These magnificent underwater forests contribute to carbon sequestration through photosynthesis and are a unique and integral part of Tasmania’s marine ecosystems.

Urchins are munching our oceans.

So we're putting them on the menu.

Tasmanian Smart Seafood Partnership

Urchins

The long-spined sea urchin (Centrostephanus rodgersii) moves on warming waters along Australia’s East Coast, and now has a presence in Tasmania – an area it has previously not occupied. The urchin can have devastating impacts on kelp reefs due to overgrazing, creating expansive urchin barrens.

Tassie oysters are sensitive.

So we're monitoring their water.

Tasmanian Smart Seafood Partnership

Oysters

Tasmanian oysters are sensitive to changes in water. This means that for periods of time, oysters are affected by different environmental events such as increased rainfall or higher water temperatures.

Stuff keeps washing up.

So we keep helping the clean-up.

Tasmanian Smart Seafood Partnership

Clean Southern Shores

Tasmania’s south west coastline is wild, rugged and largely inaccessible. However, despite its location, significant volumes of marine debris still wash up onto these remote shores. Since 1999, a small team of dedicated volunteers have set out once a year to spend time collecting, counting, and removing tonnes of detritus as part of the Tasmanian South West Marine Debris Cleanup.

Related News

Links and Media

Eat More Seafood TSIC page

ABC news article - Giant Kelp Project

Resources

Seafood Trail App

SITCAP – connecting education and industry case study (2021)

TSSP Education Resource (combined factsheets)

TSSP Education Resource Sheet 1

TSSP Education Resource Sheet 2

TSSP Education Resource Sheet 3

TSSP Education Resource Sheet 4

TSSP Education Resource Sheet 5

We are lucky in Tasmania to be surrounded by fresh produce, both from the land and sea. Tasmania’s seafood industry uses adaptive management strategies informed by scientific research to make the industry as sustainable as possible. If you choose to source and purchase local seafood you are supporting local fishers and their families, and you’ll receive a top-quality product with low food miles. NRM South is working in partnership with the Tasmanian Seafood Industry Council to support industry based training, school education and habitat restoration through the Tasmanian Smart Seafood Partnership. Whether you are a seafood lover or simply intrigued, have a look at the Tasmanian Seafood Industry Council’s Eat More Seafood page to identify local suppliers and delicious recipes. They will also be launching an exciting new Seafood Trail App soon. Information about the status of various scalefish species and aquaculture can be found in reports produced by IMAS. Remember to choose local wherever possible, and enjoy!