Call for seal death details

Neighbours of Fish Farming, the marine environment group in the Huon and Channel region, has called for a full revelation of the cause of death of three seals which died at the hands of the aquaculture industry in the last year.

ABC news has revealed the three deaths and the relocation of 232 seals from fish pens with, apparently, most of these from Tassal operations. Huon Aquaculture says it relocated 26 seals up until August.

“We are calling for full public disclosure of how the three seals, which are protected, died and what happened to the other 229 relocated seals. The public should also be told what species of seals, other than Australian fur seals, have been relocated or died,” NOFF spokesperson Christine Materia said today.

“Tassal wants to expand its operations to Oakhampton Bay near Triabunna on the East Coast. The obvious question is what impact its seal relocation actions, including deaths, will have on the East Coast population of Australian fur seals and their attractiveness for tourism,” Dr Materia said.

NOFF advocates land-based aquaculture and says that the move by Huon Aquaculture to place new farms further out to sea should proceed only if its inshore fishfarms such as those in the Huon River and D’Entrecasteaux Channel are removed.
Dr Christine Materia, Neighbours of Fish Farms