Vica Bayley MP:
The EPA has confirmed what the public suspected – the fatty chunks washing ashore on Tasmanian beaches are a result of mass farmed salmon deaths. The salmon farming companies are responsible for this rank pollution that stopped local communities from using their beaches during summer.
The salmon farming companies and Liberal Government need to be fully transparent with Tasmanians. The public has a right to know about the scale of the salmon deaths, what work is being done on this catastrophe and the implications this has for the Tasmanian environment.
As climate change continues to heat our waters, mass fish deaths which effectively close Tasmanians beaches during summer will become the new normal. The salmon farming industry relies on trashing the Tasmanian environment, and the Liberals need to step up and shut it down.
Senator Nick McKim:
The salmon farming corporations need to stop ducking for cover and the government needs to hold the industry to account. This was a disgusting and gross pollution event on a much-loved beach. It’s time for marine ecosystems to be prioritised over corporate profit.
For too long salmon farming corporations have acted as though they are above the law. Their industry profits are underpinned by mass fish mortality and using waterways and coastlines and dumping grounds.
