Media release – Minister Refuses Open Panel on Fish Farms, 21 December 2020
Minister Refuses Open Panel on Fish Farms
Tasmania’s peak marine protection body, Tasmanian Alliance for Marine Protection (TAMP), has lashed out at government refusal to include a community representative on a panel that meets in secret to explore plans to increase industrial salmon production in the state.
TAMP representatives met with the responsible minister, Guy Barnett, this morning to urge him to take the community into the government’s confidence when considering expanding industrial salmon production around the state.
The government has established a committee to examine changing ‘grow’ and ‘no grow’ areas for industrial salmon production around the state, with Petuna planning major expansion in the the north-west in the face of concern from professional wild fishers.
“In yet another example of lack of transparency in Tasmania, citizens will be cut out of the decision-making process until it is too late,” says Peter George, co-chair of TAMP.
News that a panel was meeting behind closed doors to find ways to reduce the ‘no grow zone’ for salmon production was leaked to TAMP last month.
“Now we discover the panel has been stacked to ensure just one outcome – that the industrial salmon producers will be able to expand with a compliant government making sure the community has no real say in the outcome,” Peter George says.
“The minister and DPIPWE advisors appear to believe a panel with no one on it who is not truly independent of the industry will cut the mustard with Tasmanians. It will not.
“All members were hand selected and each has a vested interest in aquaculture. There is no independent community representative on it.
“It’s a failed opportunity to be world’s best practice and it comes at a time when Tasmanians are no longer trusting of such government-constructed panels given the lack of history and lack of transparency record with this government.
“TAMP and its alliance members guarantees him that the community will let him know in no uncertain terms that the government will pay the price for its arrogance.
“As ever, he has proved that he and the government are lackeys of the salmon companies.
“But any planned expansion, especially in the north-west, will be met with a major push-back from the community.”
Mr Barnett has promised community consultation only after the panel reports its findings.
“Having learned the composition of the panel, we’re appalled to find that there’s no real independence of government or industry on the panel,” Mr George said. “It’s a closed shop with only one outcome in mind: letting the salmon producers do what they’re demanding which is to take over as much of Tasmania’s public waterways as they want.
“Frankly, the government’s being blackmailed with at least one company threatening to leave Tasmania for good unless it gets exactly what it wants.
“It’s a hollow threat and if the government had any guts at all, it would stand up to the companies and tell them to clean up their act or get out of the state before the industry collapses, jobs are lost and Tasmania’s reputation is trashed.”
Mr George says the government should be encouraging the salmon producers to follow international trends and move to shore-based aquaculture or move into true deep-water, offshore locations.
“Let’s see a plan for the sustainable future of aquaculture in this state – one supported by financial incentives that will see an end to the trashing of our waterways and coastline,” Mr George said. “That’d be something every Tasmanian could support.”
