update from NW Tasmanians for Clean Oceans

You must be aware of the salmon farming expansion plans and the issues surrounding the environmental record of the salmon industry.

It is highly recommended that you read Richard Flanagan’s book ‘Toxic’. It is an eye opener and the significant thing is that the revelations about the salmon industry and its poor animal health and environmental record have not been challenged by the salmon industry in court because all the evidence presented in the book is fully backed up. The industry has had to rely on simple statements of denial and scientific gobbledygook that actually doesn’t dispel any of the evidence against them.

Petuna has announced plans to place fish pens 12 Kms north west of Stanley, with Stanley being the service port. Clearly the industrialisation of Stanley will have an effect on the nature of the village as we know it.  The industry promises jobs but in spite of the many thousands of jobs claimed by the government (arounbd 10,000+), industsupplied figures for 20/21 show that the salmon industry currently employs 1734 full time equivalent jobs.

As a direct result of community pressure the government has announced a new 10 year plan. It is short on detail but you can view a summary here.

 https://www.premier.tas.gov.au/site_resources_2015/additional_releases/working_together_to_develop_tasmanias_10-year_salmon_plan.

The Tasmanian Alliance for Marine Protection (TAMP), of which NWTAS for Clean Oceans is a part, has been invited to take part in a two year review which will look at the legislation supporting the industry with a view to strengthening it. The government also promises a short one year moratorium and an independant EPA and research into land and deep ocean based salmon farming. TAMP is viewing the initiative as suspicious and will not offer full support unless the review is overseen by an independent person.  The initiative has already been discredited by the discovery by TAMP of current maps that show all of the Tasmanian north coast along Bass Strait to be part of the future expansion zone., The maps have been verified as genuine by IMAS, part of UTAS.

In the meantime the Burnie Council has passed a motion that calls for a moratorium (a long one) on the introduction of fish farming in the north west until verifiable science can prove that no harm will be done to the marine environment. He also is attempting to get the Waratah-Wynyard and Circular Head Councils involved in planning a workshop to understand and create a combined council’s stance on the subject.

In the meantime everybody please sign the petition sponsored by Ruth Forest MLC which asks for a moratorium (popular word all of a sudden) until the salmon industry is better regulated and independently overseen and the government commits to land based aquaculture. The petition can be signed at  https://lcepetitions.parliament.tas.gov.au/lcepet/Home/PetitionDetails/40?title=Petition%20Details