Free online marine and fisheries maps

The Department of Primary Industries (DPI) has developed a new online mapping tool which identify fisheries assets and aquatic ecosystem features in popular NSW waterways.

The department says the information can be easily accessed through the Department’s website, allowing access to important ecosystem information at the click of a button. There are online instructions on the link below.

Information is available on aquaculture leases, NSW Marine Protected Areas, estuarine macrophytes (seagrass, mangroves and saltmarsh), Freshwater Fish Community Status and threatened species.

DPI Deputy Director General Fisheries, Dr Geoff Allan, expects the information to be useful to industry, consultants, other government agencies, educational institutions, local councils, developers, NGOs and the general public. Have a play around with it.

"For the first time this detailed data is available free of charge, online and downloadable as maps or shapefiles in line with the NSW Government’s open-data policy.

"Previously, requests for such data were dealt with on an individual basis by a range of fisheries staff, which took considerable time and resources," he said.

The portal provides access to detailed maps, key datasets and metadata all in one place. Anyone can use the portal to examine a particular area of NSW and find out what key fisheries assets occur in that area.

"This will greatly assist researchers, academics or managers who need access to fisheries area-based data," Dr Allan said, adding that the new portal allows them to download the most recent data as a shapefile to incorporate in their analysis.

The information might also interest angling and boating groups as well as individuals with a keen interest in the waterways and how they are divvied up, protected, used and valued.

The portal is available at DPI’s online mapping portal.