The Tasmanian salmon farming industry is operating and expanding in an unsustainable and often destructive way. Both Labor and the Liberals have allowed the industry to write its own rules and expansion plans. The consequence has been disastrous – a legacy of water pollution from thousands of tonnes of fish faeces, waterway congestion from large fish pens, degradation of local fisheries, seal ‘relocations’, collapsing ecosystems, noise and light pollution, the impact on marine scenery, and damage to Tasmania’s clean green brand.
Our marine environment needs protection, and we must ensure everyone has a say on if, where, and how salmon farming should operate in public waters around the State. Until a better system is in place, we need a moratorium on fish farm expansion.
