Approvals for aquaculture operations

The aquaculture industry is managed by multiple agencies and across local, state and federal governments. The approvals you will need will depend on the type, scale and location of your aquaculture project.

Your works may be either:

• development-related—requires approvals issued under the Planning Act 2016 (Qld)
• non-development—requires approvals issued under separate legislation.

The Australian Business Licence and Information Service (ABLIS) can help you understand the licences required at local and federal levels.

Start an aquaculture business

If you're starting a new aquaculture business, you will need development approval and an aquaculture authority, unless your aquaculture development meets the accepted development requirements.

We strongly recommended you seek pre-lodgement advice via SARA prior to lodging any applications.

Development approval

Some aquaculture works can be carried out without a development approval if they meet the accepted development requirements.

If your proposed works do not meet these requirements, the works will be an assessable development and you need to apply for a development approval.

Your development must meet the requirements of State code 17: Aquaculture of the State Development Assessment Provisions (SDAP).

Read the SDAP guidelines to understand how your development is assessed under the code.

You must also meet the requirements of:

• any other applicable codes within the SDAP
• state planning requirements.

Aquaculture authority

If your proposed aquaculture development requires a development approval, you will also need an aquaculture authority before aquaculture activities can be undertaken.

The operation of the aquaculture development must meet the requirements of the aquaculture authority code.

Read the aquaculture authority code guideline to understand how your aquaculture operations are assessed under the code.

Native Title

You may need a Native Title notification for some approvals.

Declared Fish Habitat Areas

You need a resource allocation authority if all, or parts of, your aquaculture development is within a Declared Fish Habitat Area (e.g. water intake and discharge infrastructure).

Access state land

You will need to apply for approval to lease any state land that may be part of your proposed aquaculture operation.

Build structures or waterway barriers

If you plan to build inlet or outlet structures on tidal land, you must apply for a permit to occupy.

You need development approval for any works that:

• impact a declared fish habitat area
• create a barrier in a waterway.

Remove, destroy or damage marine plants or vegetation

You may need development approval if your operations could destroy or disturb marine plants.

You can complete maintenance on lawfully constructed aquaculture drains (within farm boundaries) and intake or discharge structures that will disturb marine plants, provided this maintenance is done in accordance with the accepted development requirements.

Development on some sections of land may be constrained or require approvals for regulated vegetation.

Discharge wastewater

If your farm needs to discharge drained pond water (containing nutrients and algae), your development may be an environmentally relevant activity, which will require a development approval and an environmental authority (EA).

An EA is required for any intensive agricultural activities that could release contaminants into the environment.

Environmental impact

If work you’re undertaking could impact matters of national environmental significance, you will need an assessment under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

Matters of national environmental significance include:

• World Heritage properties or national heritage places
• wetlands of international importance (e.g. the Ramsar wetlands)
• threatened species, ecological communities and migratory species
• Commonwealth marine areas.

Marine parks

You will need a permit to access tidal land for aquaculture activities (other than inlet or outlet structures) within a marine park.

Industry plans support regulated marine aquaculture in certain sites within marine parks in Queensland, however a permit may still be required for some activities.

Collect broodstock

You need a permit to collect broodstock and culture stock in Queensland waters.

You will need a permit to collect species from within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park or a or state marine park.

Release aquaculture product

You need a permit to release aquaculture product into Queensland waters other than approved aquaculture areas (i.e. releasing from approved containment structures).

Marine aquaculture performance bonds

If you have been issued an aquaculture authority for aquaculture activities in tidal waters or on unallocated state land, you must provide a marine aquaculture performance bond before starting any activities.

A performance bond is a bank guarantee used to recover costs of any maintenance or rehabilitation works that the state may be required to undertake, including removal of abandoned aquaculture infrastructure.

This requirement applies to all non-land-based aquaculture authority holders (i.e. located on tidal lands, or within estuaries, rivers, coastal or marine waters), except sea ranching operations (which do not use aquaculture infrastructure).

Read the marine aquaculture performance bonds policy for more information.