WITH an offshore wind zone officially declared off the Hunter coast in July, the Australian Trade Fishing Association (AFTA) is forecasting dark days ahead for Port Stephens’ commercial and recreational fishing sectors.

When operational, the zone, which covers 1,854 square kilometres of the Pacific Ocean between Norah Head and Port Stephens, is expected to generate up to 5GW of wind energy, enough to power an estimated 4.2 million homes.

Advertise with News of The Area today.
It’s worth it for your business.
Message us.
Phone us – (02) 4981 8882.
Email us – media@newsofthearea.com.au

Despite the potential clean energy upside, the Association fears the impact on the region’s fishing industry will be too great.

“Whether it is the commercial or recreational fishing sector, all will be impacted by the introduction of offshore wind farms,” an Association spokesperson told News Of The Area.

“The sheer scale and resultant exclusion zones of wind farms across key fishing areas will severely impact the viability of both sectors.”

AFTA has expressed concerns that installation and operation of wind turbines would impact on the movement of marine species.

“The construction and installation of offshore wind turbines will cause a significant underwater disturbance, affecting marine species’ behaviour and migration patterns.

“Besides taking away prime fishing grounds through exclusion zones, the wind turbine structures will become large-scale full-time floating artificial reef structures, each creating a whole new marine ecosystem system based around each wind turbine underwater structure.

“The number of structures planned will naturally draw baitfish and, as a result, draw target species away from permissible fishing areas.

“These will also compete with and overtake the benefits of any seasonal Fish Attraction Devices (FADs); they will alter the migration pattern of schooling baitfish, which in turn will alter the pattern of the pelagic species that follow.”

Australia’s first offshore wind zone was declared in Gippsland, Victoria in December 2022, with the Hunter named as the second.

Earlier this month, consultation opened to the community regarding the development of an offshore wind zone in the Illawarra.

AFTA believes fishers in all regions pursuing offshore wind will be affected, but stress the importance of Port Stephens as a game fishing mecca.

“Whilst this is a national issue, the proposed area for the Hunter-Central Coast offshore wind farm, for example, covers the prime regions for pelagic sportfishing; predominantly marlin, tuna, dolphin fish and sharks.

“Renowned locations such as ‘The Carpark’, ‘Allmark’, ‘Newcastle Canyons’, ‘Norah Head Canyons’ and other prime areas will all be affected through exclusion zones,” the spokesperson said.

According to AFTA, these impacts will have a detrimental effect on the region’s tourism industry.

“There is no doubt that the tourism-reliant economy of Port Stephens will be directly impacted.

“Port Stephens is the original home of game fishing.

“It is where it all began in Australia.

“The exclusion zones will jeopardise the game fishing participation rate and, as a result, this will directly impact the viability of the Billfish Shoot-Out, the NSW Interclub Championship, and other smaller tournaments, all contributing heavily to the local tourism-based economy.”

Following months of community consultation, a process which attracted almost 2000 submissions, the declared offshore wind zone was reduced from its original size to 1,854 square kilometres.

The zone now sits 20 kilometres from the coast at its closest point, with turbine height capped at 260 metres for aviation purposes.

For comparison, the Gippsland zone is 15,000 square kilometres in size.

Commercial fishing concerns were raised in 25 percent of all submissions received during the public consultation.

Recreational fishing concerns were also raised in 25 percent of the total submissions made.

Preserving the fishing rights and access of traditional owners was also noted as important among submissions.

A spokesperson for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water told News Of The Area, “The Australian Government is committed to genuine consultation with all communities and local groups and seeks to balance the views of local communities and industries while supporting the development of a new offshore wind industry with the potential to support thousands of regional jobs.

“The Minister (Chris Bowen) considers concerns raised in community submissions before making a decision to declare an area as suitable for offshore wind.”

The period for developers to submit feasibility licence applications for proposed offshore wind projects in the Hunter area opened on 8 August and closes on 14 November 2023.

During the feasibility stage, licence holders must undertake detailed environmental assessments and further stakeholder consultation to advance their specific project proposals.

Construction cannot begin until the feasibility stage is complete, and environmental and other approvals are in place.

Proposed offshore wind projects need to undertake rigorous environmental studies and are subject to requirements for environmental approval under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.

This includes assessments of any environmental impacts, including the impact to whales, birds, fish and other marine life.

Developers will have to demonstrate that they have implemented measures to avoid and mitigate any potential environmental impacts that their specific project may have.

The Minister for Climate Change and Energy Chris Bowen, and Minister for the Environment Tanya Plibersek were contacted for comment.

By Doug CONNOR