Seaweed production as a nutrient offset for Moreton Bay

Moreton Bay is a 1,500 km-squared urbanised estuary adjacent to one of the fastest growing regions in Australia. Rapid population growth creates a challenge for wastewater utilities to deal with the increase in nutrient loads. This includes the Luggage Point Sewage Treatment Plant (owned by Queensland Urban Utilities (QUU)) at the mouth of the Brisbane River that discharges into the bay.

Seaweed is a diverse and abundant resource with significant potential for aquaculture because of its use in food and agricultural products, its capability to extract nutrients from seawater, and the ability to co-culture it within existing aquaculture operations. Nutrient mitigation is a problem across many industries, including aquaculture. This investment is a collaboration with University of Sunshine Coast, Healthy Land & Water (Natural Resource Management group), QUU, Moreton Bay Rock Oysters and the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation to assess the potential for seaweed farming in Moreton Bay as a nutrient offset for sewage discharge, for co-culture with existing oyster production, and/or as new aquaculture opportunities for Indigenous communities.