Media release – Greg Lawson, 1 February 2025
Community Draws a Red Line in the sand against fish farming in Storm Bay
In a truly awe-inspiring show of community solidarity and strength, local residents and friends of the southern beaches came together in large numbers for a vibrant and energetic community beach action at Carlton Beach on Saturday, February 1st, to firmly oppose the proposed expansion of commercial salmon farming within Storm Bay.
More than 1400 members of the community from all ages and walks of life, wearing red on the day and carrying binoculars, linked arms to form a human chain along most of the 2.7km Carlton and Park beach foreshore. Red was chosen in honour of the critically endangered red handfish, whose habitat is potentially vulnerable to the polluting effects of commercial salmon farming in these sensitive waterways.
People continued to arrive from both ends of the beach as the assembled crowd swelled to well over 1400 in an overwhelming display of public unity and the atmosphere was extremely positive from the start to the end of this unprecedented community gathering.
After a heart-warming acknowledgement of country and moving song by Aunty Cheryl Mundy Trimanya, speakers including Steve Sanders from Friends of the Bay, local resident Jenny Scott and MC Tim Duffy had full support from the assembled community around the clear risks of serious harm to Tasmanian waterways from further industrial fish farming.
In an impressive show of unity, recreational fishers, surfers, divers and swimmers, representing the full diversity of southern Tasmania’s coastal communities, the electorate of Lyons and beyond, have delivered a very clear message to the industry and their political backers:
…”We are watching, and we do not consent to dodgy practices in our bay”.
This event is supported by Neighbours of Fish Farms (NOFF), who have sourced extensive research into the damaging effects of commercial fish farming in the Huon River and other waterways around Tasmania.
“We, as the southern beaches and Storm Bay communities are tired of not being listened to by these multi-national corporations and our representatives in Parliament around the very real damage to Tasmanian waterways as already evidenced and documented in Oakhampton Bay, Long Bay, the D’entrecasteaux Channel and beyond and we firmly oppose any further expansion of industrial scale salmon farming in our bays.” – Greg Lawson, local resident.
It is also worth noting that water temperatures this week in southern Tasmania are over 18.3 degrees which is far too warm for salmon to remain healthy. The effects of this will need to be monitored carefully over the coming weeks.
Further reading and research can be found at www.noff.au/resources/
Participants from the Lyons electorate also signed a petition calling for the end of the expansion of the pens, and the permanent withdrawal of all leases for fin fish farming in our bays. This partition will be delivered to Parliament in the coming weeks.
Media release – Peter George, 2 February 2025
Salmon industry now firmly on Federal election agenda as 1,500 residents turn out to protest fish farms
The impact of the multinational salmon industry on Tasmania’s waterways and marine life is now firmly locked and loaded as a core issue in the Federal election campaign.
With four of the state’s five Federal seats in contention, Tasmania is placed to become a battleground state that will determine the shape of the next federal government.
All four electorates have Labor and Liberal candidates backing salmon industry expansion in Tasmanian waterways despite growing community opposition.
The warning signs were there again on the weekend when at least 1,500 people turned out on Carlton Beach, at Dodges Ferry, to protest salmon industry expansion plans in the north of Storm Bay.
Residents of all ages wore red to highlight the significant danger salmon industry expansion will pose to the critically endangered red handfish – along with their fears that their beaches and waters will become as polluted at the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, Huon River and Long Bay, near Port Arthur.
If the Labor and Liberal parties ignore the increasing growth of protests all around Storm Bay and other waterways – last month saw 700 turn up for a paddle out at Cremorne Beach, South Arm – they are more tin-eared than many Tasmanians already believe.
Federal Fisheries minister, Julie Collins, (and local Franklin MP for 17 years) has firmly put her support behind salmon industry plans to install another 50 huge fish pens in Storm Bay – further north than ever before, bringing Franklin into contention from an independent challenge as now widely acknowledged in the national media.
PM Albanese and Opposition Leader Dutton have shown they’re captured by the big donor salmon barons by promising to change Federal environmental laws so the industry can continue operations in Macquarie Harbour despite the threatened extinction of the 60-million-year-old Maugean skate.
Salmon industry lobbyist, Luke Martin, does his masters no favours by gas lighting the 1,500 residents who protested on the weekend as ‘activists’ and ‘wannabe politicians’.
He ignores former Liberal Primary Industry Minister, Jo Palmer’s, confession that the industry has already lost its social licence to operate in Tasmania.
