Navigating Blue Risk: Divergent Pathways in Tasmanian Aquaculture

Corrine Condie, Alistair Hobday, Justine Lacey, Rachel Kelly and Scott Condie
Additional contact information
Corrine Condie: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Environment, Australia
Alistair Hobday: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Environment, Australia
Justine Lacey: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Environment, Australia
Rachel Kelly: Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS), University of Tasmania, Australia
Scott Condie: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Environment, Australia

Ocean and Society, 2027, vol. 4

Abstract: The blue economy is commonly framed as a pathway to sustainability, promising the reconciliation of economic growth with environmental protection and social equity. In practice, however, industries seeking to operate blue face significant challenges translating high-level principles into practice. The study examines how the Tasmanian aquaculture sector (i.e., salmon, oyster, and seaweed industries) operationalise blue economy principles on the ground, and where gaps and burdens emerge. Survey data were drawn from the CSIRO Tasmanian Coastal Waters and Seas Survey 2025 , a statewide stakeholder survey ( n = 931). Results suggest widespread stakeholder concern in relation to environmental decline, strong expectations for transparency and accountability, and low perceived public influence over marine decision-making. While these conditions appear to have intensified social risk, the response by industry has been varied and includes enhanced environmental monitoring, regulatory compliance beyond minimum requirements, third-party certification, community engagement, and investment in mitigation and adaptation measures. However, stakeholder perceptions of the effectiveness and legitimacy of these actions vary markedly. Salmon aquaculture remains highly contested, with polarised views reflecting tensions around environmental performance and governance, while oyster and seaweed farming sit in lower conflict but more uncertain spaces. The findings suggest that navigating social risk in the blue economy requires industry-specific strategies that extend beyond formal policy alignment and regulatory compliance to provide the nuance and innovation needed to address cumulative impacts, accountability, and community expectations.

Keywords: aquaculture; blue economy; conflict; governance; marine risks; social risk; social licence (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2027
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.cogitatiopress.com/oceanandsociety/article/view/13000 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cog:ocesoc:v4:y:2027:a:13000

DOI: 10.17645/oas.13000

Access Statistics for this article

Ocean and Society is currently edited by Fábio Vicente

More articles in Ocean and Society from Cogitatio Press
Bibliographic data for series maintained by António Vieira () and IT Department ().