Bob Brown, Peter George, Christine Materia …
Neighbours of Fish Farming (NOFF) hosted its first public event at the Woodbridge Community Hall on Saturday night October 22nd. The event was attended by over 30 people from the Huon, Channel and Bruny Island.
The film NET LOSS: The Storm Over Salmon Farming was screened followed by super and a discussion. The film examines the controversy over the salmon industry in regions from Chile to the Pacific Northwest, assessing the risks and benefits of salmon farming through interviews with marine scientists, government, the industry, first nations people, communities and local fishermen.
“Despite the film being a decade old it depicts very similar issues being experienced here in Tasmania at the present time. This includes the rapidity of the expansion of the industry, integrity issues, government support of the industry despite a lack of baseline data on current, tidal and water movement; the significant risk posed to Tasmania’s marine environment, impacts on other industries such as tourism, local commercial and recreational fishermen, and social and human health” said Dr Materia, the Spokesperson for the Group.
A young local who has lived all his life in the Channel described the changes that he has observed; the decline in wild fish, the quality of fish, the sediment that covers the bottom of the Channel and the lack of seagrass and weeds. “I remember when I was 4 or 5 we would watch thousands of mutton birds rafting on the Channel. I’m only 21 and I can’t remember the last time I saw them like that it was so long ago. Tourists don’t want to come to Tasmania and see salmon farms, they want to see clean water ways, whales, dolphins and sea birds. The mutton birds that were prolific when I was young have now disappeared and we don’t see as many dolphins”.
“NOFF recognises the salmon industry as a provider of jobs however there are major issues associated with salmon farming that are being ignored by the industry and government. We must ask what social, ecological and environmental price are we willing to pay for free reign by the industry to continue its expansion?” “This is not a clean green industry, people are realising this and wanting answers” she said.
NOFF is an incorporated association, whose principal objective is to protect the living and community environment of Tasmania, its biodiversity, its ecological systems including the waterways and marine and riverine ecosystems, and its wild and scenic resources, from impacts of or associated with the aquaculture industry.
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Dr Christine Materia Spokesperson, Neighbours of Fish Farming
