Building a connected marine evidence base for the Blue Mackerel offshore wind project
At a glance
A proposed offshore wind development off Gippsland, Victoria required a clearer picture of marine, coastal and onshore environments to inform project design, impact assessment and approvals. We established an integrated programme that brought long-lead marine studies together early, creating a growing evidence base for environmental assessment while reducing overlap between survey activities.
The challenge
Environmental assessment for the proposed Blue Mackerel offshore wind project relies on evidence from connected offshore, coastal and onshore environments. Many marine studies require long monitoring periods, with delays also delaying the evidence available for design and assessment.
The team had to coordinate fieldwork around weather, specialist teams and monitoring equipment, and the seasonal movement of sensitive marine species. Findings from one study could also shape the scope or interpretation of another.
The task was to make these studies work as one programme, while protecting the scientific integrity of each investigation and adhering to Commonwealth and Victorian regulatory requirements for offshore wind projects in Australia.
Our response
We brought environmental approvals, marine ecology, underwater acoustics, fisheries, coastal processes, shipping and navigation, GIS and project controls into one coordinated programme. Mobilising these workstreams also required coordinated survey planning, management of aviation and vessel interfaces, emergency-response arrangements, subcontractor coordination and HSE controls. Where compatible activities could share a mobilisation, we planned them together, reducing duplication and connecting related datasets.
The programme has been building an evidence base through several connected studies, including:
- Marine mammals: We completed more than 115 hours of systemic aerial surveys between January 2025 and June 2026.
- Cetaceans and sharks: A 24-month passive acoustic monitoring programme is gathering evidence about threatened cetacean species. During its first year, the associated acoustic telemetry work detected more than 120 individual white sharks.
- Marine and coastal ecology: Our studies cover seabirds and benthic and intertidal ecology, as well as fish, invertebrates and fisheries.
- Physical and navigational conditions: Shipping, oceanography and coastal-process investigations are building a picture of how the project area functions.
The impact
The evidence base is taking shape while several longer-term studies continue. Data from the marine mammal, acoustic, shark, seabird and coastal investigations can now be considered together, rather than as separate technical outputs, supporting assessment of project and cumulative impacts.
Starting the long-lead marine studies early has allowed data collection to progress alongside assessment and design activities. Shared fieldwork has also reduced duplication and supported integration between disciplines.
Work is still under way and as monitoring continues, the evidence is expected to inform project design, environmental assessment and future approvals. Final regulatory and project outcomes will depend on the findings and subsequent assessment process.