Formal complaints lodged by Animal Australia’s legal team expose an industry that maims and tortures fish, seals, dolphins, cormorants and other sea birds and mammals as a routine part of its operations, yet is continually let off the hook by Biosecurity Tasmania.
The animals whose injuries and deaths are detailed in two Animals Australia complaints to Biosecurity Tasmania are protected under the Animal Welfare Act 1993, but they are not protected by the Tasmanian Government through its regulatory arm, Biosecurity Tasmania.
Regrettably, Biosecurity Tasmania is clearly hindered in exercising its regulatory responsibilities by a government that is entirely captured by Big Salmon.
Fin-clipped fish overstocked in pens, stressed and susceptible to disease; thrown live into barrels full of dead fish during last year’s mass mortality event; dolphins drowned in predator nets; multiple seals dead from blunt force trauma; and cormorants trapped in nets, some killed, others later shot. On and on it goes.
This is the salmon industry’s track record on animal welfare and it’s abysmal.
Despite the evidence of breaches of the Act, detailed in multiple Right to Information documents, Biosecurity Tasmania is failing to prevent animal mismanagement and cruelty, failing to investigate or press charges, and arguably failing in its statutory duty.
In March 2025, drone footage captured live fish being dumped into barrels full of carcasses. Biosecurity Tasmania said it was investigating. Eighteen months later, and there is still radio silence. Will charges be laid, or will big salmon get a free pass again?
The salmon industry gets away with persistent, regular acts of neglect, mismanagement and cruelty towards animals because they know, here in Tasmania, government will let them.
The Animals Australia complaints must be taken seriously. They contain detailed evidence of the systemic mistreatment of animals. Biosecurity Tasmania has a statutory responsibility to uphold the Animal Welfare Act, and the Greens join calls on them to do so with the urgency this issue demands.
