Ms BURNET question to MINISTER for the ENVIRONMENT, Ms OGILVIE
Just in February, well over a million full-grown salmon have died in a mass mortality event in Tasmanian waters. We know rendering and other facilities are overwhelmed and unable to cope. These diseased salmon are being dumped. The EPA has reported the landfill sites they regulate are being used to take dead salmon, but also that non-compliant dumping is occurring. We have reports that salmon and salmon offal are being dumped on private land at St. Peters Pass and Crown land elsewhere.
Can you confirm whether these fish are being dumped at any sites the EPA does not regulate? Will you provide the House with information about where illegal and other dumping is occurring?
ANSWER
Honourable Speaker, I thank the member for her question. It is a very important issue. We are all very aware of the issues that we have had in the salmon industry over the past few weeks, and we have discussed many of those in this Chamber.
I am aware that a briefing is being provided today by the EPA and others to your party and others. I am sure you will be able to ask those questions directly at that table.
However, I will say that the EPA’s regulation and its role as an independent environmental regulator does provide that comprehensive environmental monitoring including cross waste and regulation of our salmon industries. We do know that mortalities are a known aspect of salmon farming worldwide and can be experienced during the production cycle. We have seen those high rates of mortality. The high water temperatures, disease, and jellyfish impacts have occurred and, from an environmental perspective, the critical issue is timely collection and management of mortality waste in an approved manner.
The EPA requires aquaculture companies to report any suspected or known incidents of disease or mortality affecting greater than 0.25 per cent of fish per day for three consecutive days or greater than 0.5 per cent on any one day in any individual fish pen.
Of course, as we all have in this Chamber, I acknowledge community concerns at this very difficult time, and I also acknowledge the challenging situation that salmon companies themselves have been dealing with due to the high number of mortalities occurring within a short period of time.
The EPA has been rolling out new environmental licence conditions as set out in the government’s environmental standards for Tasmanian marine fish farming, that require reporting of the combined weight of deceased fish arising from marine fish farms each month. The first of these reports is expected mid-March 2025, with companies in all regions expected to be reporting monthly by May.
These conditions also require deceased fish to be removed from pens as soon as practical. Being a controlled waste, transporters of mortality waste must be registered with the EPA and the mortality waste must be taken to a site that is approved to receive it.
I have not been advised of any of the sites to which you refer, but I will look into those. As I have said, I understand that you are having a briefing today with the EPA, where you can ask that question directly.
SUPPLEMENTARY QUESTION
Ms BURNET – A supplementary question, Speaker.
The SPEAKER – I will hear the supplementary question from the member.
Ms BURNET – Thank you. I appreciate the minister is suggesting that there is a briefing today, but I am requesting that the minister answer the question and bring that information to the House. We need transparency and we know that there is regulation around this, so, it is important that the House hear. So, I wonder if –
The SPEAKER – The time for restating the question has expired. The supplementary is in order as it arises from the answer that you gave. The question is whether or not you will be updating the House on that information when you receive it, minister.
Ms OGILVIE – Certainly. Post the briefing today, I am sure we can provide an update.
Ms BURNET – You are taking it on notice.
The SPEAKER – Thank you. I am just confirming that we will get an update. I think we are still waiting for a couple of the updates from yesterday too. Just to put that on the record. I have not seen the Hansard yet, but I will check with the minister.
