EPA documents show an industry spiralling with skyrocketing mortality figures for December last year.
The Tasmania Inquirer and The Guardian Australia have reported staggering increase in salmon mortalities as Tasmanian waterways start warming up for the Summer.
The combination of P.Salmonis, now listed as endemic to Tasmanian waterways, alongside other environmental factors could see climbing numbers of dying fish becoming the new normal for the Tasmanian industrial salmon industry.
- EPA figures released show December figures at 1,250 tonnes for one month alone
- 2500 tonnes in the last three months of 2025
- Newly Approved antibiotic florfenicol has now been used to treat 13 pens in Tasmania’s South East waterways.
- It remains unclear as to whether there are any penalties or deterrents at all for the industry in response to high mortality rates, leaving Tasmanian regulation well below world’s best practice, where hefty fines are applied.
- Norway penalises companies for salmon deaths in accordance with their Animal Welfare Laws.
“Increased reliance on antibiotic use is not the only solution - and it’s clearly not the most effective one, as the evidence is suggesting.” Says Jess Coughlan, Senior campaigner at Environment Tasmania.
“The industry is facing increasing mortalities which is a situation likely to become the new normal due to the endemic nature of P.Salmonis in our waterways, and other environmental factors. While farmed Atlantic salmon and trout remain the only species to be at risk fo infection by the bacteria, the obvious solution should be mandatory fallowing, with the goal of eradication.” Said Coughlan.
“Penalties must apply, as they do in Norway, as a disincentive to allowing current mortality rates to become the new normal, and bring animal welfare back into focus for an industry that is clearly beyond control.”- Jess Coughlan
All comments attributed to Jess Coughlan
Senior Campaigner
Environment Tasmania
0431684741