Minister Rockliff and the EPA need to step in and enforce their own orders on the Franklin lease in Macquarie Harbour. Government must ensure salmon farming companies know there are serious consequences to breaking environmental protection regulations.
Tassal has exceeded deadlines to cease farming fish in the Franklin lease. The recent damning IMAS environment report provided evidence of the substantial damage caused by that company’s intensive farming activity, including likely long-term damage to harbour life.
The Franklin lease continues to sit over a huge dead zone, with fish still in the lease after the date it was supposed to be fully destocked. It's damaging the World Heritage Area and risking the survival of the endangered Maugean Skate.
The continued government de-stocking extensions show their priority is business interests over environment. They demonstrate how little they're prepared to set fair and strong rules for Tasmania's salmon companies, and their abject failure to regulate them.
The salmon industry regulator has granted another seven week extension to Tassal to remove their fish from Macquarie Harbour, after their previous five week extension. These extensions are the EPA putting a company's revenue stream above World Heritage values.
The Destocking Order to remove all fish from the Franklin lease by 28 February stands, with Tassal in breach of the order. The government and its regulator have stated they won't prosecute Tassal for refusing to comply with it.
The Franklin lease salmon must be taken out of the water now. It's a corrupt process for a government and regulatory body to ignore their own ruling, and favour short-term business interests over a fair commercial marketplace, the environment, and the community.
