Despite firm opposition from local communities, an industrial fish farming trial will go ahead in Bass Strait Commonwealth waters off the coast of Burnie this week. Another case of the industry and Liberal government ignoring the concerns of Tasmanians about marine impacts.
Bass Strait is a highly unsuitable waterbody for fish farming, with shallow waters not capable of flushing the tonnes of effluent produced by industrial-scale salmon production. Recreational and professional anglers that ply the waters of Bass Strait are also concerned about impacts on wild fish stocks, their livelihoods and lifestyle.
Given rising water temperatures predicted year on year, this industry has no future in Tasmanian waters. Atlantic salmon are a cold-water fish whose optimal water temperature is 12.7 degrees. Just today in Bass Strait, during mid-May, water temperature is around 17 degrees, typically rising to over 20 degrees in summer.
Bass Strait is also home to incredible threatened species, such as the Shy Albatross, which could be caught in sea cages. This would be a tragedy those magnificent creatures should never face.
This multinational industry is primed to continue to cause marine disasters given the state of the Liberals’ weak environmental laws.
The Greens will continue to support communities and push back against Big Salmon’s damage to Tasmania’s waters, from the Huon to Macquarie Harbour, and Okehampton Bay to Bass Strait.
