A spokesperson from Biosecurity Tasmania has confirmed that the bacteria Piscirickettsia salmonis has been found in farmed salmon stocks. This news will continue to concern Tasmanians, who’ve been raising alarm at mass fish death and chunks of dead salmon washing up on local beaches.
We understand this bacterium has been responsible for decimating farmed salmon populations worldwide, and collapsing Chile’s industry altogether. With at least a third of farmed fish stocks infected with this bacterium typically dying, the implications for Tasmanian waters are worrying.
What will the affect of hundreds of thousands, potentially millions, of fish dying have on the marine environment? Will chunks of dead salmon continue to pollute Tasmanian waters and wash up on favourite beaches? What will be the impact on native trout and rivers if flow-through hatcheries are contaminated?
The EPA and salmon farming companies need to be transparent with Tasmanians. We need to know the full extent of the farmed salmon deaths, and what is being done to reduce the impacts on the Tasmanian people and environment.
