The State’s peak environment group has expressed its serious concern about today’s announcement by the Tasmania Government that only minor cuts will be made to salmon numbers in Macquarie Harbour. The EPA has announced that a minimum of 9,500 thousand tonnes of salmon will remain in Macquarie Harbour, despite the release of the latest report by the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies which shows low oxygen levels and marine dead zones persist in Macquarie Harbour’s World Heritage Area.

This is a great opportunity to make a contribution to protecting Tasmania's unique environment. If the Position Description below sounds like you, please give us a buzz on 0401 559 335. 

13/03/18

Media Release

Tassal confirms second mass fish kill in Okehampton Bay

Today in Federal Court proceedings Tassal have confirmed there have been two major fish kills at their new operations on Tasmania’s east coast over summer – a detail the company has until now concealed from local community members. 

“As the fish kill carnage in Macquarie Harbour continues we now have confirmation that Tassal has had not one but two mass fish kills at Okehampton Bay, adjacent to Maria Island Marine Reserve on Tasmania’s east coast tourism route,” says Laura Kelly, Environment Tasmania.

We’re in the final, heated days of the Tasmanian election – with voting March 3.

We put a few simple questions to all the parties running about their vision for the salmon industry, so we could create a voting guide for all of us who care about our marine environment. The results are pretty clear. Only two parties - the Tasmanian Greens; and Shooters, Fishers and Farmers of Tasmania, are committed to introducing transparency and accountability in the Tasmanian salmon industry.  

The State’s peak environment group is calling for immediate action by the Hodgman Government to cut salmon numbers in Macquarie Harbour, where dire environmental conditions are now causing mass fish kills, disease outbreaks and redundancies within salmon companies.

“The Hodgman Government still won’t disclose to the public how many fish have been killed in Macquarie Harbour this summer – rather than deal with the problem they are trying to cover it up in the middle of an election campaign,” says Laura Kelly, Environment Tasmania.

One of Australia’s leading Southern Right Whale experts, Professor Robert Harcourt, will appear in the Tasmanian Planning Commission today, to present evidence on the risks posed by Tassal’s plans to place industrial aquaculture infrastructure in endangered Southern Right Whale calving habitat.

Yesterday Tassal share price fell by 6.5% after a stockbroker downgraded the stock, and their clients sold out. This was largely in response to the downward trend in global salmon prices, but analysts will be watching fish kills in Macquarie Harbour closely, as the Tasmanian EPA has confirmed an outbreak of the Pilchard Orthomyxovirus (POMV) (1) in Macquarie Harbour on Tasmania’s West Coast and at Huon Aquaculture leases in the South East.  

On the eve of an Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) hosted conference on the future of salmon farming in Australia, Tasmania's peak environment group has released a report card rating Australia’s big three salmon companies take-up of new technologies. Given the biosecurity threats and physical constraints on growth that are hampering expansion in traditional net pen production systems, investment in new technology is the best indication of future growth potential for Australia's largest fisheries companies.  

Following yesterday’s media revelations of mass fish kills in Macquarie Harbour, EPA Director Wes Ford has this morning confirmed a disease outbreak at Tassal and Petuna pens has been a cause of mass mortalities.