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Contesting The Merits Of Aquaculture Development: Port Stephens Pearls Pty Ltd V Minister For Infrastructure And Planning [2005] Nswlec 426, Warwick Gullett

Warwick Gullett

Australia's aquaculture industry has grown rapidly since the mid-1990s. It has become the fastest growing industry in the primary sector and is a valuable contributor to development in regional areas. However, there is increasing community concern about the potential environmental impacts of aquaculture. Concerns vary enormously depending on the type of aquaculture activities but they typically include habitat modification, marine floor degradation, diminished water quality, disease, translocation of aquatic organisms, cumulative impacts and, particularly in highly populated coastal stretches (such as in New South Wales ('NSW')), effects on amenity values. The challenge is to develop an approval process for aquaculture …