Science Council: End Salmon Farming in Long Bay

Media release – Tasmanian Independent Science Council (TISC), 21 July 2023

Time to end salmon farming in Long Bay: Scientists say

Independent scientists are calling for salmon farms to be removed from Long Bay, near Port Arthur on the Turrukana/Tasman Peninsula when the current lease expires on 30 November 2023.

A report from the Tasmanian Independent Science Council (TISC) has found that the shallow, sheltered Long Bay lease is not suitable for open pen salmon farming. The report shows that the salmon farm has been a major contributor to water pollution, persistent nuisance algal blooms and damage to nearby reef and seagrass habitats.

Key points:

• Salmon waste is responsible for over 90% of excess nutrients discharged into Long Bay – the equivalent of sewage discharged by at least 25,000 people.

• Monitoring by the EPA, IMAS and independent consultants has shown that the environmental impact of the lease extends beyond the allowable 35 m compliance zone.

• The Tasmanian Government is currently developing new Environmental Standards for salmon farms that will extend the allowable impact from 35 m to 135 m beyond the lease boundary.

• The Environmental License and Marine Farming License for the Long Bay lease is due to expire on 30 November 2023.

• Last year, a petition signed by nearly 1300 people was tabled in Parliament asking that salmon farming operations be removed from Long Bay.

“Long Bay has been polluted by salmon farming for over five years. Environmental damage is occurring well beyond the allowed 35 m impact zone,” says Christine Coughanowr, leading water scientist at the TISC.

“Long Bay has sensitive, sheltered and biodiverse waters that are simply not appropriate for salmon farming. Tasmania’s Parliamentary Inquiry into Finfish Farming recommended priority be given to ceasing salmon farming in exactly these types of waters.”

“The Tasmanian Independent Science Council strongly recommends that salmon farming is no longer permitted in Long Bay,” says Professor Jamie Kirkpatrick, Chair of the TISC.

“We call on the EPA and relevant Ministers to not extend the current licenses, and to ensure that the new Environmental Standards do not further weaken the existing rules.”

Read the full report here: Why salmon farming should be removed from Long Bay – A MULTIPLE LINES OF EVIDENCE SCIENCE REVIEW