When will the Rockliff Government stop prioritising the profits of multinational salmon corporations and start putting Tasmania first? Closing down the wild caught fish industry so that salmon companies can use florfenicol on their terms is a stark demonstration of the government’s priorities.
Before last summer the salmon industry insisted using florfenicol wouldn’t have any negative impacts. That was quickly shown to be false, after widespread and lengthy shutdowns were imposed on the abalone and rock lobster industries. Eventually the florfenicol permit was suspended by the federal authority after antibiotics were detected in wild fish, many kilometres away from treatment sites.
The salmon companies are pushing to make florfenicol use permanent. There’s no doubt such a move would be a direct threat to Tasmania’s wild caught fisheries. But rather than backing these iconic and important local industries, and insisting on alternatives to mass antibiotic use in salmon farms, it seems the government is again allowing multinational corporations to set the rules that maximise their profits.
There is no way the dumping of thousands and thousands of kilograms of antibiotics into marine waterways won’t force the closure of wild caught fisheries. It’s arrogant of salmon companies to refuse to work to a solution with wild fishers. Unfortunately it seems the Liberals are again backing this approach of wild catch shutdowns for this hot summer and others to come.
The Liberals need to refocus on putting our local wild caught fisheries first, not to mention the marine environment, ahead of protecting the profits of the salmon industry.
