Media release – Neighbours of Fish Farming, 25 July 2023
MORE THAN 80 GROUPS WORLDWIDE DEMAND FARMED SALMON ACCREDITATIONS STOP GREENWASHING THE EXTINCTION OF THE MAUGEAN SKATE
Shoppers being misled by eco-certifications on Macquarie Harbour farmed salmon
More than 80 organisations from around the globe are calling for the accreditation schemes, Best Aquaculture Practices and GlobalG.A.P., to immediately revoke their ‘sustainability’ certifications from farmed salmon and trout raised in waters adjacent to the World Heritage Area, Macquarie Harbour, Tasmania.
The demand comes as federal and state government workshops are held in Hobart this week to decide on urgent action to prevent the extinction of the Maugean skate – a rare animal related to sharks and dating back to the time of dinosaurs.
Despite scientific evidence that industrial fish farms in Macquarie Harbour are having a major impact on the waterway’s health and skate numbers, all three salmon farming companies operating in the harbour are certified as ‘environmentally responsible’ by BAP or GlobalG.A.P.
Signatories from 17 countries have sent open letters to both schemes demanding withdrawal of certification, condemning the misleading of unsuspecting shoppers, and calling for an end to greenwashing the extinction of the prehistoric skate. (Links to letters below)
The signatories include marine, shark conservation, animal welfare, and community groups, as well as independent scientists, a public policy think tank, and award-winning authors.
Found only in Macquarie Harbour, the endangered Maugean skate is one of the listed natural values of the World Heritage Area.
Scientists from the University of Tasmania’s Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies renewed their alarm recently after reporting a dramatic collapse in Maugean skate numbers with almost half disappearing in less than seven years.
The scientists attribute the Maugean skate’s decline to the degraded environmental conditions in the Harbour, particularly dissolved oxygen levels, and explicitly named fish farms as one of the main causes of low dissolved oxygen levels in Macquarie Harbour.
Joining NOFF as signatories to the letters are Living Oceans Society, Greenpeace, Patagonia, Sea Shepherd, Animals Australia, Australian Marine Conservation Society, David Suzuki Foundation, Tasmanian Alliance for Marine Protection, Australia Institute, Global Salmon Farming Resistance & Wild Fish Conservancy. [FULL LIST OF SIGNATORIES ATTACHED]
Quotes:
“Major supermarkets rely on these certifications to sell farmed salmon and ocean trout with their “responsibly sourced” logos as part of their sustainable seafood policies. But there is nothing responsible about driving one of the rarest skate species in the world to extinction.” – Kelly Roebuck, SeaChoice
“This is certified ecocide. The Maugean skate has one critical habitat, one chance at survival, the science is there, and the urgent action that is required to save this animal is simply not happening. Instead, we have greenwashing.” – Jessica Coughlan, Neighbours of Fish Farms
“These certifications must not shirk their responsibility here. They cannot palm this off to the auditors or wait until the companies’ next audit to address this dire situation. Macquarie Harbour fish farm certifications should be immediately revoked, or they will be the first certification schemes in the world to certify an extinction of a species.” – Alistair Allan, Bob Brown Foundation
“Shoppers should be outraged to know that not only are they being misled by these certification claims, but they are unknowingly contributing to the demise of a species as old as the dinosaurs,” – Rebecca Howarth, Environment Tasmania
“The federal government is in Hobart again this week because the Tasmanian Government cannot be trusted to prevent the extinction of this species. Meanwhile, so-called ‘sustainability’ certification continues to greenwash the unsustainable practices of the salmon industry.” – Eloise Carr, Tasmanian Director, the Australia Institute
Background
Letter to Best Aquaculture Practices
Tassal (Cooke Aquaculture) and Petuna (Sealord) are BAP certified
Huon Aquaculture (JBS) is GlobalG.A.P. certified
IMAS Interim Report: Macquarie Harbour Maugean skate population status and monitoring
Certification open letters: full signatory list
Kelly Roebuck, Representative, SeaChoice, Canada
Peter George, President, Neighbours of Fish Farms, Australia
Eloise Carr, Director, The Australian Institute Tasmania, Australia
Karen Wristen, Executive Director, Living Oceans Society, Canada
Kilian Stehfest, Marine Conservation Specialist, David Suzuki Foundation, Canada
Simon Ryder-Burbidge, Marine Campaign Coordinator, Ecology Action Centre, Canada
Peter McGlone, CEO, Tasmanian Conservation Trust, Australia
Trish Baily, Representative, Tasman Peninsula Marine Protection, Australia
Rebecca Howarth, Marine Campaigner, Environment Tasmania, Australia
GrassRoots Action Network Tasmania, Australia
Trish Bailey, Vice Chair, Tasmanian Alliance for Marine Protection, Australia
Catalina Cendoya, Coordinator, Global Salmon Farming Resistance, Argentina
Dr. Lisa Gershwin, Research Scientist, Salmon Reform Alliance, Australia
Gerard Castles, Killora Community Association, Australia
Matthew Abbott, Marine Program Director, Conservation Council of New Brunswick, Canada
Dan Lewis, Executive Director, Clayoquot Action, Canada
Antoinette Vermilye, Co founder, Gallifrey Foundation, Switzerland
Ruben Oddekalv, Leader, Green Warriors of Norway, Norway
Brock Callen, Founder, Planet Oceans, USA
Mark Sherwood, Executive Director, Native Fish Society, USA
Stan Proboszcz, Senior Scientist, Watershed Watch Salmon Society, Canada
Crystal Canney, Executive Director, Protect Maine’s Fishing Heritage Foundation, USA
Caroline Rowley, Director, Ethical Farming Ireland, Ireland
Dani Casado, Director, Centinela Patagonia, Chile
Glenys Oogjes, Chief Executive Officer, Animals Australia, Australia
Alistair Allan, Antarctic and Marine Campaigner, Bob Brown Foundation, Australia
Richard Flanagan, Author, Australia
Emma Helverson, Executive Director, Wild Fish Conservancy, USA
Fernando Reis, Executive Director, Sharks Educational Institute, Portugal
Marcela Ramos, Member, Asamblea de Mujeres Insulares por las Aguas – Chiloé, Chile
Johan Flyvbjerg, Founder, Ingen burfisk i havet, Denmark
Dr. Sandra Altherr, Co-founder, Pro Wildlife, Germany
Elvar Örn Fridriksson, Program Director, North Atlantic Salmon Fund, Iceland
Jón Kaldal, Icelandic Wildlife Fund, Iceland
Simon Allston, Chair, Friends of North Bruny Inc, Australia
Brendon Sing, Co-Founder, Shark Guardian, UK
Ulrich Karlowski, Biologist, Director’s board, Deutsche Stiftung Meeresschutz, Germany
Cassandra Wright, Treasurer, NWTAS for Clean Oceans INC, Australia
Dr Iris Ziegler, Head International Cooperation, Sharkproject International, Germany
Jeff Hansen, Managing Director, Sea Shepherd Australia, Australia
Mick Lawrence, President, Surfrider Tasmania, Australia
Natalie Parra, Campaign Director, Oceanic Preservation Society, USA
Sue Waters, Campaign and Content Consultant, Global Salmon Farming Resistance, Canada
Georgia Hancock, Director and Senior Attorney, Marine Life Program, Animal Welfare Institute, USA
Marie-Celine Piednoir, Associate Director – Partnerships and Communities, SeaLegacy, USA
James Kirkpatrick, Chair, Tasmanian Independent Science Council, Australia
Mark J. Palmer, Associate Director, International Marine Mammal Project of Earth Island Institute, USA
Carly Madge, Policy and Campaign Manager, Ocean Conservation and MPAs, Nature Canada, Canada
Gloria Hidalga, Co-founder, Océanos de Vida Libre, Spain
Lucero Gonzalez Ruiz, Biodiversity Campaigner, Georgia Strait Alliance, Canada
Verena Platt-Till, Project Manager, Gesellschaft zur Rettung der Delphine e.V., Germany
Nick Haines, Senior Campaign Manager, Ekō, Global
Julia Sorochan, Assistant Director, SkeenaWild Conservation Trust, Canada
Dr. Cornelia E. Nauen, President, Mundus maris asbl, Belgium
Rachel Mulrenan, Scotland Director, WildFish, Scotland
Fay Orfanidou, Co-founder, Director, Katheti AMKE, Greece
Eva Douzinas, Co-founder, Katheti AMKE, Greece
Peter Carr, Chief Operating Officer, Endangered Species Protection Agency, UK
Benedikta Guðrún Svavarsdottir, VÁ! félag um vernd fjarðar, Iceland
Patti Schaefer, Managing Director, Rauch Foundation, USA
Macarena Sanchez, Patagonia, Chile
Sandy Stewart, Director, Rob Stewart Sharkwater Foundation, Canada
Brian Stewart, President, United Conservationist Inc., USA
Dr. Tarsicio Antezana J, President, Asociación Para la Defensa del Ambiente y la Cultura de Chiloe, Chile
Henry Sharpe, President, Frenchman Bay United, USA
Juan Carlos Viveros, Coordinador general de Defendamos Chiloé, Chile
Catherine Collins, Author, Salmon Wars, Canada
Doug Frantz, Author, Salmon Wars, Canada
Aquaculture sub-group, Coastal Communities Network, Scotland
John Murphy, Chairperson, Salmon Watch Ireland, Ireland
Tom Allen, Campaign Manager, Wilderness Society Tasmania, Australia
Dr. Julien Armijo,Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins, Santiago, Chile
Jorge Serendero, CEO, For the Oceans Foundation, Costa Rica
Ben Pearson, Country Director, World Animal Protection, Australia
Katrina Love, State Convenor, Animal Justice Party Tasmania, Australia
Haans Siver, Australian Director, Captain Paul Watson Foundation, Australia
Darren Kindleysides, CEO, Australian Marine Conservation Society, Australia
Erica Martin, CEO, Humane Society International, Australia
Michael Long, Head of Operations, Parley, USA
Sarah King, Head of Oceans and Plastics Campaign, Greenpeace, Canada
Dani Casado, Director, Tanana Pictures, Chile
