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Approvals required
January 2013 Tropical Cyclone Oswald and flood recovery works - read the departmental fact sheet on Tropical Cyclone Oswald, flood recovery and fish habitats (PDF, 95 kB) about repairs and replacement of private and public authorised structures and temporary amendments to self-assessable codes (effective 7 February 2013 - 31 January 2017).
January 2011 cyclone and flood recovery works - read the departmental fact sheet on flooding events and information for the recovery and impact of fish habitats (PDF, 72 kB) about repairs and replacement of authorised public structures and temporary amendments to self-assessable codes (effective to 31 October 2015).
Activities that disturb fish habitats may require fisheries development approval under the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 (SPA). A resource allocation authority (a form of resource entitlement) may also be required under the Fisheries Act 1994.
Fisheries development
Aquaculture and disturbance to fish habitats are considered fisheries development, and therefore require a fisheries development approval issued under the SPA and the Integrated Development Assessment System (IDAS).
| Category of fisheries development | Activities included |
|---|---|
| Aquaculture | The cultivation of fisheries resources for sale, including aquaculture activities of all sizes |
| Marine plant disturbance | The trimming, pruning, burning, removing or damaging of marine plants for any purpose and on any tenure. Marine plants include mangroves, seagrass, saltmarsh and marine algae. |
| Construction or raising of a waterway barrier | Temporary and permanent waterway barriers including weirs, dams, culverts and causeways |
Some work, such as the maintenance of existing lawful structures involving marine plant disturbance, temporary waterway barriers or minor aquaculture, may be covered under a self-assessable code, so fisheries development approval is not required.
Fisheries development approval fact sheets
- Fact sheet 1, General information (PDF, 32 kB)
- Fact sheet 2, Waterway barrier works approvals (PDF, 34 kB)
- Fact sheet 3, Marine plants and declared fish habitat area approvals (PDF, 33 kB)
- Fact sheet 4, Aquaculture approvals (PDF, 36 kB)
- Fact sheet 5, Self-assessable codes (PDF, 39 kB)
Resource allocation authorities
If you are planning fisheries development on state land, you need to obtain the state government's consent before submitting a development application.
You need consent in the form of a resource allocation authority (RAA) from Fisheries Queensland for these uses of state resources:
- tidal aquaculture on unallocated state land (e.g. oyster aquaculture)
- work in a declared fish habitat area
- commercial collection of dead marine wood from unallocated state land.
Works covered under a self-assessable code may not require an RAA. Refer to the applicable code for guidance.
Further information
- Self-assessable codes
- Making an application
- Contacts and support for fisheries development applications
- Sustainable Planning Act 2009 (Department of Local Government and Planning)
