Media release – Peter George, independent candidate for Franklin, 21 March 2025

EVIDENCE EMERGES: IS DISEASED ATLANTIC SALMON SOLD IN SUPERMARKETS NATIONWIDE?

Evidence is emerging that diseased, dead and dying Atlantic salmon from infected feedlots in Tasmania may be sold to consumers around Australia.

Fresh salmon remains on supermarket shelves despite the bulk of production being sourced from feedlots in the southeast of the state, all of which are reportedly suffering mass mortalities from the disease, piscirickettsiosis.

A full public investigation is needed into consumer health implications as a result of industry practices which may have been in operation for at least a decade.

Consumers nationwide should be assured that when they eat farmed Atlantic salmon sushi for lunch or a salmon steak for dinner it was not diseased or dead when it was processed.

The evidence that diseased salmon is being sold across the nation draws on industry standard procedure documents, industry insiders and a refusal by the industry lobby to respond to repeated questions over the past four weeks.

Salmon feedlots across the whole of southeast Tasmania, where the bulk of production is sourced, are now all infected by the disease according to official briefings given to Tasmanian cross-bench MPs over the past week.

Tasmania’s Minister for Minister Industry, Eric Abetz, has told the state parliament “Moribund or dead fish are not harvested for human consumption.” (Hansard 6 March, page 88)

However, salmon industry documents outlining the handling of dead, dying or diseased Atlantic salmon indicate standard operating procedures include sending such fish for processing, including for human consumption.

Dead salmon and rotting remains have been washing up on southern Tasmanian beaches for the past four weeks with rising community anger leading to mass protests.

Letters to the industry lobby, Salmon Tasmania, and Federal Fisheries minister, Julie Collins, seeking assurances that no diseased, dying or dead salmon has been or will be processed for human consumption have gone unanswered.

Researchers working through public documents have located standard operating procedures showing that salmon found dead in feedlots may be processed for human consumption depending on the degree of decay.

The Huon Aquaculture documents dating from 2014 were being used in public hearings as late as 2018.

If the industry denies the practices remain in force, it should immediately provide documentation that revokes them as extensive archival searches have not revealed them.

The salmon industry in Tasmania operates behind such a cloak of secrecy that only a full public inquiry will reveal conclusively how diseased, dying and dead fish are dealt with.

Resources

Selected Huon Aquaculture Standard Operating Procedures

Australian aquatic veterinary emergency plan (AQUAVETPLAN) for disposal

State of knowledge on Harvesting Diseased Fish

for Human Consumption

SNAPSHOT

On Thursday 6 March 2025, Minister Eric Abetz stated in Parliament, “Moribund or dead fish are not harvested for human consumption.” (Hansard 6 March, page 88).

However this appears incorrect. The evidence suggests that for over a decade fish that have died in mass mortality events have been processed for human consumption.

The evidence also makes clear that diseased and dying fish must be being harvested for human consumption.

On a key matter of national public health, it is no longer good enough to accept the denials of an industry and government that have lied and withheld key evidence about this ongoing mass mortality catastrophe. There must be an independent enquiry so that Australian consumers can know whether or not Tasmanian salmon is safe to eat.

  • Four salmon workers have come forward saying that diseased and dead fish are being harvested for human consumption during the mass kill off this year.

  • A briefing of crossbenchers by the EPA, CVO and CHO last week confirmed that all salmon farms in the south east are infected with P. Salmonis.

  • Peer reviewed scientific literature on P. Salmonis demonstrates that it is inevitable that diseased and dead fish are harvested for human consumption.

  • P. Salmonis may may show no outward signs of disease and go unnoticed prior to death unless specifically tested.

  • Huon Aquaculture’s own internal documents clearly state harvesting of dead fish from mass mortalities for human consumption is standard operating procedure and has been since at least 2014

  • Separate Huon Aquaculture procedure from 2017 makes the same point

  • Both documents below were used as examples of Standard Operating Procedures in 2018, and were publicly disclosed, suggesting that this is normal procedure

  • For Huon Aquaculture’s denials to be accepted as truthful, it needs to produce a document, similarly available on the public record, showing that their standard operating procedure on mass mortality events has fundamentally changed since 2018.

  • Recent statements by govt and industry that morts are rendered for fish oil, mesh with examples of Huon and JBS statements on rendering of salmon oil for human consumption

  • The EPA acknowledged in its statement last Friday the dangers of mass antibiotic use creating antibiotic resistant superbugs in the sea. While the CVO has said P. salmonis is not a risk to human health, it is known for rapid mutation. Piscirickettsia and RLOs can survive outside a fish for up to a month. Its survival on moist fish flesh appears unstudied.

CONTENTS

PART 1: Whistleblowers

PART 2: Peer reviewed Scientific Literature

PART 3: Huon Aquaculture Mass Mortalities Procedure

PART 4: Huon Aquaculture Emergency procedure in the event of significant risk to fish health

PART 5: 2018 Standard Operating Procedures

PART 6: Morts rendered for Fish Oil for Human Consumption

PART 1: Whistleblowers

SYNOPSIS: Four salmon workers have given detailed explanations of how dead and dying morts are determined as suitable for human consumption.

Notable details statements:

  • Two different workers have come forward and leaked information to a scientist. One of these has explained that the gills are checked, and even if dead, if they have pink gills, they are selected for human consumption, or if not, they go for rendering into pet food or fish feed. 

  • One worker has come forward and leaked information to an activist, explaining a similar sort of checking procedure to that detailed above.

  • One worker has come forward and leaked information to another industry insider. This person has explained that there is an industry term called “flappers”, where if the fish show any signs of life such as gill movement or fin movement, then they are processed for human consumption

INTERPRETATION: These whistleblowers have chosen to remain anonymous. However, their detailed explanations, which are consistent with the published policies (below), suggest credibility.

PART 2: Peer reviewed Scientific Literature on Diseased Fish

SYNOPSIS: The species responsible for the mass mortality event has been identified as Piscirickettsia salmonis, a type of Rickettsia-like Organism (RLO). A peer-reviewed scientific paper reviews knowledge of Piscirickettsia and its disease, suggesting that it may go unnoticed prior to death. Piscirickettsia and RLOs can survive outside a fish for up to a month. Its survival on moist fish flesh, or in sushi or smoked salmon appears unstudied.

Notable details of CVO statement:

  • On 6 March, the Chief Veterinary Officer (CVO) of Tasmania identified the bacterium responsible for this mass mortality event as Piscirickettsia salmonis (pronounced “PISS-kuh-rick-ETT-see-uh sal-MON-iss”). The disease is called Piscirickettsiosis (pronounced “PISS-kuh-rick-ETT-see-OH-sis”).

Notable details of invisibility of Piscirickettsia in live fish:

  • QUOTE on page 175 indicating that the disease has an Incubation period of 10-14 days: “the incubation period for piscirickettsiosis under natural conditions has been estimated to be 10–14 days”

  • QUOTE on page 169 indicating that diseased fish may show no outward signs of disease: “during acute infections, mortality may occur without gross signs of disease”

Notable details of survival of Piscirickettsia in moist fish flesh:

  • The survival time of Piscirickettsia on supermarket fish flesh appears un-studied; however, Piscirickettsia and Rickettsia-like organisms (RLOs) can survive as free-living bacterial cells in water outside a fish host for up to a month, suggesting that it may survive on moist fish, for example sushi and smoked salmon (cold-smoked).

  • One study found that they can survive in seawater at least 21 days (Lannan & Fryer, 1994), while another still detected them in the water at 30 days (Olivares & Marshall, 2010). They can also persist as a biofilm on plastic or other natural and unnatural surfaces, for 15-30 days (Levipan et al., 2020).

INTERPRETATION: It is highly likely that diseased fish are being harvested for human consumption, even if not intentionally, as indicated in the procedures and whistleblowers’ reports indicated elsewhere in this report. It also appears that the bacterium may be viable on moist fish.

References for Peer-reviewed Scientific Papers:

Lannan, CN & Fryer, JL 1994. Extracellular survival of Piscirickettsia salmonis. Journal of Fish Diseases, 17, 545-548. Doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2761.1994.tb00251.x

Levipan, HA, Irgang, R, Yáñez, A & Avendaño-Herrera, R 2020. Improved understanding of biofilm development by Piscirickettsia salmonis reveals potential risks for the persistence and dissemination of piscirickettsiosis. Scientific Reports, 10, 12224. Doi:10.1038/s41598-020-68990-4

Olivares, J & Marshall, SH 2010. Determination of minimal concentration of Piscirickettsia salmonis in water columns to establish a fallowing period in salmon farms. Journal of Fish Diseases, 33, 261-266. Doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2761.2009.01119.x

Rozas, M & Enríquez, R 2014. Piscirickettsiosis and Piscirickettsia salmonis in fish: a review. Journal of Fish Diseases, 37, 163-188. Doi: 10.1111/jfd.12211

Reference for CVO statement identifying the bacterium: NRE. 2025b. Salmon mortalities. Department of Natural Resources and Environment. Available: https://nre.tas.gov.au/about-the-department/news/salmon-mortalities.

EVIDENCE that Piscirickettsia may go unnoticed in diseased fish:

Page 169 screen grab:

Page 175 screen grab:

CVO statement identifying P. salmonis:

PART 3: Huon Aquaculture Mass Mortalities Procedure

SYNOPSIS: A publicly available document on the NRE website indicates that dealing with Mass Mortalities by harvesting as many as possible for human consumption was standard operating procedure, from at least 2014 until 2018.

Notable details of document:

  • Options to recover by bagging by divers, or airlift

  • “If numbers of morts are large this option will also require … bin(s) with ice slurry for recoverable fish”

  • “In any large mortality event, as many fish as possible should be recovered for harvest and processing. Any fish in which the gills can still bleed is potentially recoverable and should immediately be bled (by making a broad vertical cut behind the 4th gill arch – but without severing right through the ventral surface of the gill attachment to the base of the head. All recoverable fish must be kept separate and placed into an ice slurry ASAP”

  • “Recovered fish in ice slurries must be clearly marked as “Rollovers” and left next to the harvest container. Action – Operations manager to contact the Harvest Manager and Factory Manager at Parramatta Creek must be contacted as soon as the number of rollovers is known.” —- NOTE THAT PARRAMATTA CREEK IS WHERE FISH ARE PROCESSED FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION

INTERPRETATION: Fish dying in a mass mortality event are harvested as quickly as possible, put on ice, and transported to Parramatta Creek Processing Plant, for which the main product is Head On Gutted fish for sale for human consumption. There is no indication that this procedure is restricted to certain types of mass mortality events. The majority of mass mortality events, and certainly the biggest ones, are due to disease.

Notably, this explanation of the bleeding procedure is consistent with, but unique from, the two detailed procedures explained by whistleblowers for determining viability of morts for human consumption. Thus, there we now of three different ways of determining which fish are to be processed for human consumption.

Document date: 20 February 2014

Document Owner: Huon Aquaculture

Use of document: 2018 example of Standard Operating Procedures for the Trumpeter EIS Storm Bay MFDP

Document URL: https://nre.tas.gov.au/Documents/Appendix%20D%20-Standard%20Operating%20Procedures.pdf

[See screen grab of Mass Mort Procedure on next page]

PART 4: Huon Aquaculture Emergency procedure in the event of significant risk to fish health

SYNOPSIS: A publicly available document on the NRE website indicates that dealing with Emergency Procedures in the event of Risk to Fish Health by harvesting for human consumption was standard operating procedure, at least in 2017.

Notable details of document:

  • At the bottom of page, in Bold ALL CAPS: “WHENEVER AFFECTED FISH ARE > 3KG, ROLLOVERS SHOULD BE BLED AND PLACED INTO ICE SLURRIES SO THAT THEY CAN BE PROCESSED IF APPROPRIATE”

INTERPRETATION: This is another procedure, created three years after the previous, which also indicates that dead fish are harvested for human consumption. Note that some of the examples given, e.g., AGD bath, red tide, jellyfish, oil or chemical spill, may result in toxic or poisoned fish.

Document date: 16 February 2017

Document Owner: Huon Aquaculture

Use of document: 2018 example of Standard Operating Procedures for the Trumpeter EIS Storm Bay MFDP

Document URL: https://nre.tas.gov.au/Documents/Appendix%20D%20-Standard%20Operating%20Procedures.pdf

[See screen grab of Emergency Procedure for Risk to Fish Health on next page]

PART 5: 2018 Standard Operating Procedures

SYNOPSIS: Both of the preceding documents were used as examples of Standard Operating Procedures in Huon Aquaculture’s application to extend its Storm Bay lease off North Bruny Island, to create a new marine farming zone known as Yellow Bluff. These documents were intended for public exhibition and are publicly available on the NRE website.

Notable details of document:

INTERPRETATION: These two standard operating procedure documents were provided for public exhibition, suggesting that Huon Aquaculture saw nothing wrong with harvesting diseased or poisoned fish for human consumption. Together, these documents include 2014 and 2017, for exhibition in 2018. They are consistent with statements made by whistleblowers in 2025 that this still occurs.

Document date: Open for comment until 17 January 2018

Document Owner: Huon Aquaculture

Use of document: 2014 and 2017 examples of Standard Operating Procedures for the 2018 Trumpeter EIS Storm Bay MFDP

Document URL: https://nre.tas.gov.au/aquaculture/aquaculture-regulation-and-planning/marine-farming-development-plans/existing-marine-farming-development-plans-and-proposals/storm-bay-off-trumpeter-bay

Screen Grab of NRE Web Page, with Appendix D highlighted:

PART 6: Morts rendered for Fish Oil for Human Consumption

SYNOPSIS: Both Industry and government have said that fish from the current mass mortality are disposed of in a variety of ways, including rendering for pet food, fish meal, and fish oil. Numerous unrelated statements by industry indicate that salmon oil is used for human consumption.

Notable details of documents:

  • Various permutations of the phrase “rendering into fish meal and salmon oil for both human and animal consumption” is common.

INTERPRETATION: It is evident that rendering into pet food, fish meal, and fish oil for human and animal consumption is a common way to dispose of morts.

Document dates: Various, as indicated

Document Owner: JBS / Huon Aquaculture

Use of documents: Permit applications and Public relations

Document URLs: See below.

EVIDENCE:

Item 1:

Lonnavale Notice of Intent, 2023

Rendering into human or animal consumption (document page 6)

Huon Aquaculture Company Pty Ltd, Maiden Meadows Rendering Facility, Lonnavale – NOI.pdf

Screengrab:

URL: https://epa.tas.gov.au/Documents/Huon%20Aquaculture%20Company%20Pty%20Ltd,%20Maiden%20Meadows%20Rendering%20Facility,%20Lonnavale%20-%20NOI.pdf

Item 2:

JBS Webpage Aug 17, 2023:

URL: https://jbsfoodsgroup.com/articles/huon-aquaculture-to-invest-20-million-in-new-rendering-facility

Item 3:

Lonnavale Proposal

EPA webpage, 20 July 2023:

URL: https://epa.tas.gov.au/business-industry/assessment/proposals-assessed-by-the-epa/huon-aquaculture-company-pty-ltd-maiden-meadows-rendering-facility-lonnavale

Media release – Craig Garland, independent MHA for Braddon, 21 March 2025

Diseased salmon for dinner?

Today Andrew Wilkie MP, federal member for Clark, provided documents that show at least one salmon farming company in Tasmania has been in the practice of processing dead and diseased fish for human consumption. This information is shocking but not surprising. I support his call for the State Government to launch an immediate independent inquiry into the salmon companies’ processing of diseased fish.

There is still a lot we don’t know about the unfolding mass salmon die off, but the question I tried to get answered by the Government on the 6th of March 2025 was whether the salmon industry are harvesting diseased fish and selling them for human consumption.

I asked this question because I was told by workers in the industry, that in pens containing dead salmon, the live, and quite probably infected salmon, (referred to in the industry as “flappers” because they’re still showing signs of life when others around them are dead), are being salvaged for human consumption, while the dead fish are being disposed of.

The answer I got from the Minister, after taking the question on notice, was “that dead fish and moribund fish are not harvested for human consumption.”

The revelations by Mr Wilkie and the evidence he has released to the public must be immediately considered by the Government for urgent action.

This information and the Minister’s answer clearly leaves open the likelihood that diseased salmon, or flappers, are being sold for human consumption, otherwise the answer would have been “no”. In fact, this is probably why Salmon Tasmania CEO told ABC RN in February “We are dealing with an outbreak of a particular bacteria that is perfectly safe for human consumption.”

Yes, the Public Health Officer has put out a statement saying the bacteria killing the salmon in their millions is not harmful to humans, but the public must be fully informed about what salmon companies are supplying to the market so that they know where these salmon are coming from, what condition they are in, and be able to determine if farmed salmon is still on their menu.

Salmon Crisis – Is This What We Are Eating?