Media release – Neighbours of Fish Farming, 24 November 2020
Two hundred tonnes of salmon pollute our marine environment.
The fire and subsequent release of 50,000 4-kilogram Atlantic salmon into Tasmania’s publicly-owned marine environment requires an urgent independent investigation and appropriate prosecution, community watchdog, Neighbours of Fish Farming, said today.
“Claims by Huon Aquaculture that the 50,000 hungry salmon will have no impact on the natural environment are nonsensical,” NOFF president, Peter George says.
“Huon Aquaculture’s spin is intended to make this environmental pollution spill look like nothing more than a boon to fishers and seals.
“It’s like claiming a sewage spill is all good because it releases nutrients into the food chain.
“Beyond the immediate impact of salmon on the living marine environment, there is the long term danger of salmon establishing in our river systems as has happened overseas.
“The question for the Minister for the Environment is what is the penalty for a pollution episode like this? Surely it is not government silence and compliance?”
Mr George called on fishermen who caught escaped salmon to check and photograph their guts as there have been reports of salmon found with small native fish in their bellies.
“Any evidence of salmon predating on native fish ca be sent to the Facebook pages of NOFF or the Tasmanian Alliance for Marine Protection (TAMP).
“If evidence comes to light, our organisations can ensure the proper authorities are notified and that there’s no cover-up.”
