Marine farming in Canterbury: why we are interested

Environment Canterbury, on behalf of the people of the Canterbury region, manages 800 km of coastline and neighbouring marine area from the Waitaki River mouth in the south to Kekerengu in the north. Our responsibility extends out to the 12 nautical mile limit and covers 11,620 square kilometres of open waters.

This seaspace is referred to as the coastal marine area (CMA).

In theory, all this space is open to the public to use and enjoy. Maintaining or enhancing the public’s access to the sea is a matter of national importance enshrined in law, and a responsibility Environment Canterbury takes very seriously. Some uses of this area are incompatible and some restrictions are necessary for a variety of reasons, such as safety and protection of the environment.

In the near future the Canterbury community will be required to make decisions on 2 major issues regarding its sea-space. These decisions are necessary because of changes to the Resource Management Act 1991 (the RMA). These issues are:

• Creating zones for marine farming
• Charging for occupation of public sea space.

An amendment is currently being drafted that will make marine farming a prohibited activity unless there are specific zones set aside for it.

Amendments already made to the RMA require Environment Canterbury and the community to decide whether or not to charge people who occupy crown space in the marine area. Any money collected this way can only be spent on sustainable management of the coastal area in the region it was collected.

When the Canterbury community considers these issues the following are just some examples of the factors that should be taken into account:

• Your aspirations for the public space of the sea
• Encouraging (or restricting) economic growth
• Maintaining opportunities for recreation
• Protecting ecosystems and the environment
• Cultural and spiritual values of the sea
• The Treaty of Waitangi
• Protecting existing uses and encouraging new ones
• Private profit-making from public space.

What has been decided so far?

Under the amendments to the RMA, marine farming will be prohibited outside of aquaculture marine areas (AMAs).

As part of its draft Regional Coastal Environment Plan, Environment Canterbury has agreed to charge for use of coastal space.

Environment Canterbury has invited marine farmers to suggest areas in our coastal waters that they think meet their requirements for development of the industry in the future. These suggested areas are shown on the interactive maps of Canterbury's coast. However, Environment Canterbury can choose whether or not to have AMAs, and if so, their number, size and location.

Research is underway to determine the best way to charge for use of coastal sea-space, for example, whether marine farmers should be able to tender for the right to operate in an AMA. Whatever decisions we make must be stated in our Regional Coastal Environment Plan.

Canterbury’s Coastal Marine Area

The sea and the coast are important elements in the lifestyle of many people living in the Canterbury region. Our 800 km coastline varies from the rough and rocky features of Kaikoura to eroding sandy beaches along the Canterbury Bight from Kaitorete Spit to Timaru and lagoons and river deltas south to the Waitaki River. In some places, for example Timaru and Lyttelton Harbours, the environment is significantly altered, in others a high degree of natural character remains.

The coast is highly valued by the community and is enjoyed in many ways. It is the source of kai moana (seafood), a place for active recreation such as surfing, walking and swimming, for passive recreation and contemplation, and for boating and fishing. These values and uses should not be compromised by inappropriate use and development of the marine area.

The coast also has a significant economic value. The fishing and tourism industries provide many jobs based in the marine area. The Lyttelton and Timaru Ports are vital transport links to national and international markets. There is great potential for further economic growth if the resources of the marine area are sustainably managed.

The Canterbury community can have direct input into the management of the area administered by Environment Canterbury, both formally and informally. Environment Canterbury is seeking input from all sectors of the community to guide it in drafting changes to its draft Regional Coastal Environment Plan (RCEP).

Once consultation has taken place, Environment Canterbury will try to build the community's aspirations into a Proposed Regional Coastal Water Space Allocation Plan, which will be formally notified under the RMA. The community can then have formal input through the submission process.

A bit about marine farming

Marine farming, or aquaculture, is a fast growing and lucrative industry. It contributed over $200 million to the New Zealand economy in 2000, having grown from just $25 million in 1989. The vast majority of this income is from the export of green-lip mussels. Overseas demand exceeds supply and is growing. Approximately 28,000 tonnes of mussels were produced from 3000 ha of intensive mussels farms, mostly in the Marlborough Sounds.

This intensive development has created problems for the industry, the public, and the environment. Due to a shortage of sheltered water space, future mussel farms are likely to be on open, exposed coasts. They will be less intensive, and as a result, much larger. In the past most individual farms have ranged from 3 ha to about 50 ha. Nationwide, there are several proposals for open coast farms of 3000 ha to 5000 ha each (30 to 50 square kilometres).

In Canterbury, Pegasus Bay Aquaculture is proposing the largest marine farm in the world at 10,600 hectares using a submerged system for mussel-growing and navigational buoys to delineate the farm’s perimeters.

This represents the size of Christchurch city as a marine farm. As a community we need to decide how much, if any, of the CMA to set aside for marine farming. The space set aside could not be used for other activities that require permanent occupation, but until the space is taken up by a marine farm it could be used by the public in the same way any other part of the CMA is used.

The Aquaculture Council have predicted that export earnings will exceed $1 billion by 2020. They estimate that this would require about 17,000 ha of inshore mussel farms or approximately 10x that space for offshore farms. By the end of November 2001 there were over 200 applications for mussel farms nationwide for a total of nearly 50,000 ha.

To establish a viable aquaculture industry in a new area, the industry has stated that it would require a production capacity of 10,000 tonnes of mussels. This could support onshore processing facilities and contribute as many as 350 full-time jobs to the local economy (counting both the farm and factory employees). This level of production would require between 3000 and 4000 hectares of space. Once the initial investment was made and the industry had become established, smaller operations would also be viable.

As this is a new industry for most parts of the country, regional plans have not been written to deal with large mussel farms. The potential returns have led to a large number of applications without a proper planning framework. As a result, the government announced a 2-year moratorium on marine farm consent applications, which will end in March 2004. Prior to that time, all regional councils like Environment Canterbury must consider creating aquaculture management areas (AMAs). These are zones that are suitable for marine farming. Marine farming will be prohibited by law outside of AMAs.

Charging for the occupation of sea-space

Some activities and structures occupy space in the marine area and effectively exclude the public. At the moment, such occupation is at no cost to the occupier, and to the detriment of the general public.

Some of these activities are commercial and generate a profit for the occupier, while some have only non-monetary benefits.

Some private occupations or structures may even have public benefits too; for example, a privately constructed jetty or boat ramp may be usable by the general public. But, in general, most private occupations have an adverse effect on the public’s access to and along the marine area.

Environment Canterbury has decided to charge people for the occupation of coastal water, foreshore and sea-space. Revenue collected must be spent locally on sustainable management of the coast.

These charges will not come into effect until Environment Canterbury has an operative Regional Coastal Environment Plan.

The wider environmental effects of occupying the CMA (eg reduction in natural character and visual amenity, impacts on ecosystems and marine mammals) are issues to be considered during the resource consent process. With regard to occupation charging we are required to focus on the degree of private benefit and public cost and/or benefit (this is discussed in 6.3).

Occupation charging is not a compensation for adverse environmental effects. If these were significant, consent would not be granted. It is also possible for Environment Canterbury to require financial contributions from a consent holder to offset the environmental effects of their activity. Occupation charging is intended to be a monetary return to the community that compensates them for the loss of their use of part of the CMA. Money gathered from coastal “rent” must be used for “promoting the sustainable management of the coastal marine area” (RMA s.64A (s)), the details of which are still be to decided.