The Environment Protection Authority has granted approval for the Franklin lease in Macquarie Harbour to be restocked, paving the way for a new management model that will see improved animal welfare, biosecurity and environmental outcomes.
While the Franklin lease is still owned by Tassal, under a new joint venture (JV) between Petuna and Tassal, Petuna will manage the farming operations on the lease, which has been fallowed for the past 15 months.
Petuna CEO Ruben Alvarez said under the JV, the two companies had developed a stocking plan that staggered the placement of salmon across all their lease areas in the Harbour, allowing for longer fallowing periods between production cycles.
“Our alternating stocking plan will see smolt placed on the southern leases for a shorter time period of 9 – 10-months, before being moved to the northern leases in the Harbour, where they will continue to grow to harvest size,” Mr Alvarez said.
“This will allow the more sensitive southern leases at Franklin and Bryan’s Bay to be rested for at least 15 months before the next group of smolt are transferred, giving more time for sediments within the leases to recover naturally.
“This is a material shift in how farms in the Harbour have been managed in the past and will achieve significant biosecurity and environmental improvements in the long term.”
Mr Alvarez said the lower biomass cap of 9,500 tonnes as determined by the EPA, as well as a more conservative stocking plan, would vastly advance environmental recovery, ensuring a more sustainable future for salmon farming in the Harbour.
“These are decisive and positive steps in maintaining a sustainable and viable industry for the Harbour and importantly for the West Coast community,” he said.
Petuna General Manager Marine, Richard Miller, said Petuna understood leases in the southern end of Macquarie Harbour required a more precautionary management approach.
“The ongoing environmental health of the Franklin lease will be very closely and constantly monitored by Petuna, which will be reviewed on a monthly basis and where necessary remedial action taken in consultation with the EPA,” Mr Miller said.
“There have already been regular, post-fallow environmental surveys undertaken at the Franklin site, which have revealed good recovery to a number of key benthic health indicators within the lease.”
Petuna CEO Ruben Alvarez