Tassal’s application to use the antibiotic florfenicol at its Okehampton Bay salmon lease off Triabunna raises questions for East Coast residents and fishers regarding potential disease outbreaks and government backing for the expansion of antibiotic treatments into critical fishing waters.
Media release – Rosalie Woodruff MHA, Greens Leader, 2 December 2025
Questions Over Tassal’s East Coast Florfenicol Application
Confirmation Tassal have applied to the Federal Government to dose their Okehampton Bay fish farm lease with Florfenicol will shock East Coast residents and recreational fishers.
The EPA revealed at Budget Estimates that over 800kg of the antibiotic florfenicol had been dumped into South East waters in the two weeks after salmon companies had been granted a permit. Since then, another two florfenicol treatments have begun between Dover and Bruny Island.
Tassal’s application to treat salmon at Tassal’s Okehampton Bay lease off Triabunna raises many questions.
Is there a current disease outbreak on the East Coast lease site? And how big is it?
These emergency antibiotic permits are only supposed to be used when there’s no other choice to manage diseased fish. The florfenicol permit for South East Tasmania was granted after backing by the state government.
Has Tassal’s Okehampton Bay application also been given the government’s backing?
Okehampton Bay is the heart of East Coast fishing waters, and where many people spend summer on the water and fishing.
If the Rockliff Government has supported Tassal’s East Coast antibiotic expansion they owe residents and fishers an explanation.
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