Media Release — Environment Tasmania 21 April 2025
Keep Sardines Wild, Not on Salmon’s Menu
The Tasmanian government is planning an enormous sardine industry on the coast of Tasmania and this has now been confirmed in RTI documents obtained by the ABC this Easter weekend as a venture that the salmon industry encouraged and acknowledged as “important for Tasmania” and demanded a thorough timeline for the development of the fishery.
Since the community has shown disdain for the likelihood of the 30,000 tonne per annum, proposed sardine industry heading for salmon feed, the government and industry representatives have backtracked, insisting the sardines will end on the plates of Australians. This is now blown out of the water by explosive revelations in these documents, showing just how deep the collusion runs between the salmon industry and the Tasmanian government.
The released documents show very clearly that the sardines are indeed an interest to the salmon industry for feed and always have been,
corroborated in the 2023 IMAS report on the same topic:
“The absence of a large-scale small pelagic fishery off Tasmania limits the opportunity for the salmon industry to obtain the tens of thousands of tonnes of forage fish that it needs annually from a sustainable local source”.
“There is no way the community will support an industrial-scale sardine fishery of this scale with the sardines headed for salmon feed, it has no social license whatsoever.” says Rebecca Howarth, Senior Marine Campaigner, Environment Tasmania.
“Sardines are the lifeblood of Tasmania’s marine ecosystem, feeding seabirds, penguins, and prized recreational fish like tuna and kingfish. Industrial-scale fishing for these baitfish threatens to disrupt this delicate balance, with devastating consequences for marine life and local communities.”
Leah
April 21, 2025 at 23:33
What a disgrace this government is!
There’s nothing better than a plate of fresh, local, sustainably caught sardines to replace the toxic salmon. But oh, no. This government has other ideas. Has the minister lied to parliament?
I listened to this debate, and feed for salmon was never mentioned!
Chett Wiseman
April 22, 2025 at 01:51
When is this control over our community going to stop?
It’s getting absurd to grow fish in your own backyard and leave Tassie alone!
Steve Jones
April 22, 2025 at 04:31
What a disgrace this government is! It has no idea of the devastating consequences in using the sardine fishery as the supplier of fodder for salmon farms!
This has already destroyed the whole eco-system in regard to letting trawlers go close to shorelines around Tasmania to kill flathead, and everything else that lives on the ocean floor.
I’ve seen this myself when I’ve been out on a trawler.
Chris
April 29, 2025 at 11:54
Sustainable?
It has been proven that it requires 4 kilos of sardines to grow 1 kilo of salmon.
I was told this by a fish pellet manufacturer in 1979.