In a shameless attempt to secure votes in Tasmania, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has cosied up to salmon foreign corporates and promised to hasten the extinction of the Maugean skate in Macquarie Harbour. Albanese has pledged to override already weak federal environmental laws to look after the profits multinational corporations.
Read Senators McKim and Hanson-Young’s statement here.
A new IMAS report on the state of the Maugean skate calls for ongoing monitoring of the critically endangered species. The report suggests Maugean skate numbers are beginning to recover after a likely mass mortality event in 2019, but also repeatedly says it is incorrect to conclude the skate population is higher now than in 2014.
It’s scandalous Prime Minister Albanese has weaponised this report to justify overriding federal environmental laws, and shows his disdain for the evidence-based management of a critically endangered species.
The scientific advice sitting on Tanya Plibersek’s desk is clear. The fastest and best way to improve the health of Macquarie Harbour and save the Maugean skate is to remove industrial fish farms. The industry’s proposal to do extra monitoring, run diesel-fuelled oxygen bubblers or captive breeding programs will make no substantial difference to the massive pressure on harbour health every day coming from salmon pollution.
Earth’s climate is heating fast. The waters of Macquarie Harbour will continue to get hotter, and we need to do everything we can to protect the iconic endangered Maugean skate. Salmon farming must end in Macquarie Harbour and go on-land to ensure the future of the skate.
The Liberal and Labor politicians, state and federal, are locked on to protecting the interests of foreign salmon corporates. Tasmanian communities won’t stand for the privatisation and degradation of our beautiful waterways by big foreign corporates. Only the Greens are fighting to protect the Maugean skate and our special marine environment.
