Tasman Harbourmaster has lifted the direction which implemented an exclusion zone around a marine farm located in Tasman Bay, near Motueka.
Safety concerns around sunken lines refloating intermittently in the vicinity of the farm, as well as several incidents of vessels colliding with unmarked lines prompted the direction to be implemented on May 2.
With the cooperation of the farm personnel, the Harbourmaster has been working with marine farm industry and their contractors, to complete two surveys of the area in recent days.
All lines have since been resunk from the one farm where issues had been identified and remediation work to ensure navigation safety standards are being met has been completed.
Following a further check by the Harbourmaster on Saturday – we are now in a position to lift the exclusion zone.
Council Compliance staff are investigating the situation in regards to possible consent breaches, and some compliance monitoring has already occurred.
We would like to thank the public for their assistance and cooperation while we have dealt with the situation.
We want to ensure the safety of everyone on the water. Marine farms are work sites that undergo daily changes and multiple hazards exist. all boaties and watercraft users must slowdown to 5 knots within all aquaculture reserve area. Various items and hazards are always present in the water.
Also, reporting of any incident at the earliest opportunity can mean situations such as this can be addressed sooner.
In an emergency, Make a Mayday Call on vhf 16 or call the Police/ 111 for immediate assistance. They will be able to coordinate with the appropriate service, be it Coastguard, Harbourmaster or Maritime NZ.
When you are out on the water always have your VHF turned on and tuned to channel 16 you may not have a radio licence yet but you may hear someone in distress close by......
However, in the case of any maritime accident, incident, or near miss please report to maritime New Zealand. https://www.maritimenz.govt.nz/forms/incident/(external link)
And let the Harbourmaster know as soon as possible via this online portal Report a maritime incident | Tasman District Council(external link)