This report examines whether warm water tolerant giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) exists among remnant Tasmanian giant kelp habitat, and if so, assesses their use in restoration trials. Giant kelp forests were previously common in Tasmanian waters, but ~95% declines of giant kelp cover over recent decades led to Federal listing as an endangered community. This decline is related to changes in regional oceanography and ocean warming, and while restoration is one possible conservation approach, any intervention must consider these ongoing threats. Using spores from remnant giant kelp we established a collection of 48 unique kelp cultures or ‘family-lines’. Thermal tolerance experiments found ~10% of the family-lines showed significant warm water tolerance. These ‘super kelp’ were then used in restoration trials, with several hundred juvenile giant kelp now established at two field sites. This project has progressed selective breeding of kelp and innovative restoration interventions.

This report primarily targets water authorities and state/territory-based environmental protection agencies. It provides a pathway forward for establishing a national standard for reporting outfall wastewater treatment plant data. Key findings from our survey of water treatment authorities (WTAs) are:  (1) the majority of WTAs agreed on participating in further discussions to develop standards, (2) WTAs supported the concept of annual reporting used for the National Outfall Database (NOD), and (3) WTAs are willing to collaborate to develop outfall report cards. The pathway forward is to establish a consultative process with key stakeholders to develop and implement the second phase of the NOD. Establishing a network of key stakeholders in the national wastewater sector will be important for developing a national reporting standard.  

This report provides an analysis of the Australian coastal outfalls and ranks them according to the total flow volume and nutrients load to prioritize the potential degree of impact of each source to the environment and human health. The pollutant contribution index, based on nitrogen and phosphorous loads, was calculated for each outfall. Outfalls were ordered from lowest to highest index value to rank them according to their relative pollutant contribution to the coastal and marine environment. The index is based on a total nutrient load discharge using the variables of flow, nitrogen and phosphorous. The ranked loads throughout Australia were mapped by quartiles. The top quartile (lowest nutrient load) of outfalls seem to be more prevalent in regional areas and discharge less nitrogen and phosphorus loads into the coastal and marine environment. The bottom quartile, on the other hand, with higher nutrient loads principally occur around the major cities. This ranking of nutrient loads from Australian outfalls by site at a national scale can therefore be useful in prioritizing treatment upgrade resources to manage biodiversity impacts and human health concerns.