Last week the Hodgman government dismissed concerns from prominent developer Graeme Wood, that expansion of salmon farming into prime marine tourism areas is creating risks for tourism businesses.

Yesterday The Mercury revealed that the Wardle family – leading architects and tourism operators, and Epicurious Travel director Jennifer Wilkinson, have joined leading tourism operator Rob Pennicott in calling for salmon industry expansion to be better regulated.

“The list of leading tourism operators calling on the Hodgman Government to review their antiquated salmon industry regulations is growing – and making it difficult for government to deny that there is a problem with their unbalanced support for unbridled salmon industry expansion along Tasmania’s coast,” said Laura Kelly, Strategy Direction at Environment Tasmania.

Tomorrow a closed session of the Marine Farm Review Panel will consider appeals against two plans for industrial salmon farm expansions in coastal tourism destinations – Okehampton Bay on the east coast and iconic North Bruny Island.

Environment Tasmania say they have no confidence that the panel will deliver balanced advice – because the regulations they are working with are severely outdated and were written by the salmon industry whose expansion plans are being reviewed.

“Regulations governing the Okehampton Bay and Bruny Island industrial expansions are up to 20 years old and in the case of Bruny Island – were written not by government, but by the salmon industry. No review hampered by outdated laws written by the industry that is meant to be under review, will deliver a balanced outcome for all industries and the community.”

“To diffuse further conflict, the Hodgman Government needs to run a transparent, evidence-based review of big salmon regulations – rather than irrationally attacking the reasonable concerns of the tourism industry and coastal conservation groups as ‘anti-jobs’,” Ms Kelly said. “This isn’t about picking sides, it’s about creating long-term, sustainable jobs for coastal communities.”

Download a map showing proposed salmon industry expansion off North Bruny and Storm Bay …

StormBayAquacultureLeases_bathy_v2.pdf
Laura Kelly, Strategy Direction at Environment Tasmania