We have never seen anything like it.. Tasmanian Atlantic salmon has become an increasingly controversial ingredient as the fish farming industry has expanded around Tasmania's coastline over the past four decades. Its been a busy week for the industry. "Eating salmon is killing Tasmania that is a campaign which we are launching and will go nationwide sometime in the not distant future," he said. Key points: The now $1 billion industry has sparked the ire of activists and locals living near salmon farms. She went to the states Environment Protection Authority and asked to see the footage of the worst cage in Macquarie Harbour. By mid-July, 25,000 people have signed non-profit group Environment Tasmanias petition aimed at supermarkets, asking them to stop buying from the worst producers. A Tasmanian Atlantic salmon is the battery hen of the sea, Flanagan writes in the slim volume, released by Penguin in April. Tasmania salmon farming, ABC Four Corners investigation | news.com.au I could have mentioned, too, the legal tussle in 2017 between Huon and one of its fish-feed suppliers, Ridley. He has possibly one of the hardest public relations jobs in Australia right now. We went to the government, who told us they could do nothing about it and to go to the salmon company. A week later, in December 2011, the then Tasmanian . Cherrie resigned from the panel, as did a fellow scientist, Professor Barbara Nowak, a specialist in aquatic animal health and biosecurity. No one wants a fight, really, he says. As it happens, The Agrarian Kitchen has never served farmed salmon; Peak says it doesnt fit its sustainable food philosophy. And I set out to write it and I began talking to other people, and I began putting their stories together and the article started to grow and grow, it couldnt be contained in an article, and the stories were so shocking. Tassal has five leases on the eastern side of the bay, near Wedge Island, one of which has a licence and is stocked with fish, and another has also been given a licence and will be soon stocked with fish. Salmon aquaculture is the fastest growing food production system in the worldaccounting for 70% (2.5 million metric tons) of the market. In the late 2010s, at least 1.35 million farmed salmon died from disease and oxygen depletion as a result of severe overstocking at Macquarie Harbour, on the west coast of Tasmania and partly in a World Heritage area. When Castles bought his shack, the salmon farm across the water was small. Visibility is poor, the rain soft but persistent. Some politicians have been listening: a group of independents from Tasmanias Upper House set up a Fin Fish Farming Inquiry last year in response to consistent community concerns about the industry. I am, the industry is, he says. But the committee also recommended a plan to reduce inshore finfish farming sites, with priority given to "ceasing operations in sensitive, sheltered and biodiverse areas". The final report recommended there be prescribed criteria on which the minister could reject a recommendation from the paneland that if they did, they be required to table a full justification of their reasons to parliament. Interrupted by the state election, the inquiry is expected to release its findings later this year, although some fear its recommendations will end up as a report that sits on a shelf. bought by Canadian seafood giant Cooke in 2022, Huon Aquaculture was acquired by Brazil's JBS Foods. A registered lobbyist, Amos is a former chair of the Forest Industries Association of Tasmania and has previous business interests in mining, fossil fuels and aquaculture. Salmon is a priority commodity for WWF because it has significant potential for negative impact on the places and species we seek to protect. Booker Prize winning author Richard Flanagan's 2021 book Toxic presented a different view. Regardless of the amount of noise we make, says Environment Tasmania campaigner Jilly Middleton, until theres a commercial risk to the salmon companies nothings going to change in a big way.. The committee has recommended a review of the Marine Farming Planning Act, including an independent examination of the membership and governance requirements of the Marine Farming Review Panel. Here's a taste of the latest stories from Tasmania. Much of the report focuses on the 2017 Salmon Industry Growth Plan, with questions raised about a lack of consultation and lack of a transparent evidence base for the waterways that were identified for industry expansion. Its not. I want to know about the industrys plans to double its value to $2 billion by 2030. Dining on disaster: What goes into the Tasmanian salmon on your plate This is a mainstream problem., She no longer believes in a sustainable salmon industry, but she wont be advising people not to eat its products. Gerard Castles shack is like stepping back in time. Tasmania is one of the worlds greatest assets, its in all of our interest to respect and protect her., But as an eco-industrialist (he part-owns a factory that produces materials from waste wood and has other investments in environmental technology companies), Mowinckel is a pragmatist. It doesnt seem to serve anyone. Were going to a lease site 1.5 kilometres across the water thats owned by Australias biggest producer of farmed salmon, Tassal. The devil is in the detail, and to find the detail about the operations of the salmon farmers, one needs to trawl through websites or make freedom-of-information requests. The only solution is to turn it into a proper industrial process where you control everything that goes in and what comes out, just like any land-based industry. This survey had surprising results, Yet another adverse coronial finding for Launceston General Hospital, Ambulance service employees face 'intolerable' workplace stress, coroner finds, Dresses made from paper a passion for Tasmanian artist Stephanie Reynolds, At 61, Jacqueline can't find a job. The industry says its subject to all manner of regulations; locals say all manner of regulations count for nothing if regulations are not enforced. He said he has a good relationship with his salmon supplier, but thinks the industry as a whole needs to be more transparent to regain community support. Neither wanted their names on the sign-off to Storm Bay. But if west coast locals like MsCoon and the industry were hoping for an end to the activism around farming salmon in Tasmania they're likely to be disappointed. Whats under there is a sewer., A Huon Aquaculture boat travels up the DEntrecasteaux Channel, which locals say is polluted by effluent from fish farms.Credit: Adam Gibson. The government says its reviewing existing monitoring practices and developing a new Environmental Standard aligning with best practice for Tasmania. . He bought back into the company, just as he did with each of the listed open-pen salmon farming companies in Norway, so that he could have a say at their annual general meetings, generally to protest against dividend payments, which he believes the companies should invest in protecting the environment. Briefing note: Tasmanian intensive salmon farming 4 The Tasmanian government has recently responded to community concerns in a number of ways. We started digging and found out what was underneath those cages. Two Tasmanian salmon aquaculture companies, Tassal Operations Pty. The industry began to expand massively in 2012 and by July 2016, the government allowed up to 21,500 tonnes of fish a year to be farmed there (since revised back to 9500 tonnes). Dianne Coon operates a Huon pine shop at Strahan on Tasmania's west coast. In 2020, Mowi produced 440,000 tonnes of salmon, with farms in Norway, Chile, Canada, Scotland, Ireland and the Faroe Islands. Fish waste, cruelty to seals, an influx of algae, destruction of the marine environment and a lack of regulation are just some of the concerns surrounding the industry. Key points: Richard Flanagan said he was compelled to write after witnessing the degradation of his local environment But has she changed enough? She said the industry was also already moving to offshore farming. Woolworths appears similarly unperturbed: Tasmanian salmon production is heavily regulated with a wide range of checks and balances in place to ensure local operators uphold high standards.. What started as a boutique operation producing 55 tonnes of salmon in 1985-86 has expanded to become a key Tasmanian industry that in 2019-20 produced about 65,000 tonnes of fish, farmed on 2670 hectares of sea across seven marine zones. While salmon farming is being banned in other parts of the world, he said, the Tasmanian government was facilitating its growth. We coast past a canyon of pens cordoned off with black buoys. Tasmania has specifically been impacted by salmon farming, with World Heritage area Macquarie Harbour having dead zones on the seafloor and deaths of nearly 1.35 million farmed fish, resulting in failure to comply with 19 requirements for certification. The committee found penalties for breaches of environmental regulations in Tasmania were lower than in other parts of the country and should be reviewed "to reflect the serious environmental consequences that can arise from breaching regulations" and act as a deterrent. To his credit, he persists. They witnessed changes to the waters of North Bruny together, too. Seals are a major headache for fish farm companies, which use underwater explosives and lead-filled projectiles known as beanbag bullets to deter the predators. Elsewhere, in early July the Argentinian province of Tierra del Fuego became the first place on earth to ban open-pen salmon farms, thwarting the development of an industry in its waters. And they were pretty good. Which age group of men are the loneliest? Ms Coon is the chairwoman of the Strahan Aquaculture Community Forum which was established nearly 10 years ago after community concerns about the fish farm trucks travelling through the town. On a Thursday evening in early June, Im sitting in the lounge room of one of them, Louise Cherrie. No other industry is allowed to operate in this way. Set the ABC News website or the app to "TasmaniaTop Stories"from either the home page or the settings menu in the appto continue getting the same national news but with a sprinkle of more relevant state stories. Amos and I sit in sunshine at outdoor tables. This economic contribution is due to substantial growth. Eight months later? Thus, on a Thursday morning in late June I find myself sitting down with Amos at a cafe on Hobarts Salamanca Square close to Tassals retail outlet, The Salmon Shop, where a board out front encourages us to switch it for salmon. In 2005 it was bought by Tassal, and over time the pens multiplied. "We are extremely proud of the fact we are Tasmania's biggest primary industry, supporting [direct and indirect]jobs for over 5,000 people," the spokesman said. Huon hit back, saying the feed didnt have enough pigment in it, which cost Huon sales and reputation, and triggered compensation claims by customers. I ask Amos about the expansion into Storm Bay and the concerns raised by independent scientists about the amount of fish to be produced there and the impact increased nutrients might have on the marine environment and on Hobarts main river, the Derwent, into which Storm Bay feeds. This survey had surprising results, the state's primary industriesminister pleaded for the industry's social licence to be returned. No one wants a fight, really, he says. Richard talks about the battery hens of the sea, right, but its bullshit, its a nonsense Every [industrial farming] process involves a certain level of activity that some people might find upsetting but in terms of the health of the fish in this industry, there is no issue regarding its safety, there is no issue regarding its health, the idea of it being the battery hen of the sea or living in a swirl of filth I mean, is hyperbole, its exaggerated, its flamboyant literature, but its not the truth.. The Tasmanian government will encourage, but not compel, companies to switch to farming further offshore and says it will protect more than 2,000 jobs. An outbreak of 50,000 Tasmanian farmed salmon could potentially "pollute" the marine environment, according to local environmentalists. She spearheaded a detailed submission from the DEP that highlighted this and other problems to the Marine Farming Planning Review Panel when in 2018 it was discussing approvals and conditions for the expansion into Storm Bay. White-haired and bearded, described in The Mercury as an old Labor warhorse, Amos has the world-weary air of someone who has been through a few scraps, and doesnt hide his irritation at some of my questions. Australians love their salmon and eat it in the belief that its a kind ofsuperfood: cholesterol-busting, beauty-boosting, cancer-preventing, mental health-promoting, dementia-beating. I ask whether this doubling in value will result in a doubling of jobs. Those practices have been labelled "unconscionable" by environmentalists, and the Legislative Council committee recommended a review of how seals are being managed, calling for public reporting of the use of seal deterrents. Of course I wrote the book in the hope things would change but in another way Ive just learnt that what matters is you bear testimony to what you see, and that if you can do that with enough honesty and craft, then people respond to that truth. In December 2019, WWF-Australia also commissioned Seafood Advisory, an independent seafood consultancy, to prepare a report to examine the circumstances surrounding the ecological impacts of expanded aquaculture operations in Macquarie Harbour. In nearby Macquarie Harbour, all three salmon companies operate fish farms. An expert says concerns she and another review panel member raised about a 'massive' industry expansion were ignored. The 'cruel measures' used by Tasmania's salmon farming industry Secret salmon farming expansion maps, attributed to the state government, show much of Tasmania's north and north-west coasts, along with sections of the east coast, could be made available to . We just wanted to have this peaceful little bolthole.. An official tour with Tassals rival, Huon Aquaculture, had been planned for this day. A spiny pipehorse, to be precise. I wanted to see, if we get this wrong, how bad will it be? The footage showed piles and piles of fish waste, bacterial mat and worms all over it feeding under the cage. The Mowinckels sold out in the 1980s. Ltd., have embarked on an Australian government-funded project under the Caring for Our Country program to address potential water quality issues associated with in situ net cleaning. Im not an activist at all, and I respect people who are, but I have always taken the view that I could make better, more tangible change from the inside, Cherrie says. "That destroys the largest industry in the town and the one that employs me and most other people in the town and it's not true.". Within a month of publication, it was already on its fourth print run, and within two months it had become the fastest-selling book in the 101-year history of the famed Fullers Bookshop in Flanagans home town of Hobart. Meyers favourite diving spot used to be around Huon Island, which lies at the confluence of the Huon River, the DEntrecasteaux Channel and the Southern Ocean, a secret garden once rich with abalone, crayfish, mussels, leatherjacket. The industry is responsible for over 2% of Gross State Product and over 1% of employment, including considerable full-time employment. Tasmania's toxic secret: The rotting underbelly of the salmon industry His eyes spark with a deep love for his state, matched by a deep anger for the people who run it. This morning, the site is quiet; when its going, Castles says, it sounds like a convoy of idling trucks. A large banner appears on one of Hobarts old industrial chimneys with the words Fish Farms Harm. Far from being cowboys in a paddock, this industry brings to the table a social responsibility, a realm of science and a commitment to transparency emulated by few others., As Flanagans critics accuse him of hyperbole and of cherry-picking information to present an unbalanced argument, Toxic makes the case for everyone from politicians to industry leaders to everyday Australians to see whats at stake. Not one government politician has said anything about major threats to public health, of an industry thats gone rogue and which seems to run the government rather than the government regulate it, and I fully expect they will say nothing its shameful., By sheer coincidence, Toxic was released in the week of the Tasmanian state election. Sat 11 Dec 2021 14.00 EST Last modified on Sun 12 Dec 2021 00.47 EST S almon is consistently one of the most popular kinds of seafood in Australia, but the Tasmanian farmed salmon industry has. Backlash against salmon farming has become such an issue that at a recent launch for a long-term plan for salmon growers, the state's primary industriesminister pleaded for the industry's social licence to be returned. Those jobs are now under the control of foreign-owned companies, after takeovers of all three companies which were founded in Tasmania. "Given the overwhelming scientific data and community concern on finfish farming, this report is appropriate and responsible," she said. In the early decades of farming, Tasmanian salmon - a carnivore in the wild - were largely fed on anchovy-based fishmeal and fish oil imported from Peru. CheckMate: Do WA's new Aboriginal cultural heritage laws 'do the same thing' as the Voice? PDF Intensive salmon farming in Tasmania - The Australia Institute Photograph: Bloomberg via Getty Images. The industry and government have dropped talk of "growth targets" but it's on track to become a $2 billion enterprise by 2030 regardless. She said while the aquaculture industry is "nowhere near perfect", companies were willing to share information with the community and continue to work on improvements like reducing marine waste. For what its worth, Good Weekend was told via email, the government would not be providing a critique of Richards book. Whats the financial benefit for Tasmanians in the end? Prize-winning author Richard Flanagan slams the Tasmanian salmon industry, describing it as disastrous for theenvironment,with overstated health benefits and says expansion plans for fish farms around the state are much bigger than the public know about. The Problem with Tasmanian Farmed Salmon and the Fight to Save King Richard Flanagan dedicates Toxic to all the brave women who helped him write it. Indeed, old colleagues, he says. Tassal fish pens in the DEntrecasteaux Channel. In search of someone to talk to from the industrys side, I was directed to Julian Amos, spokesman for the Tasmanian Salmonid Growers Association. "We've got terrible standards of governance regulation in name only and you can pretty much do whatever you want here and the government will give you the seas which are our seas to destroy," he said. Like so many unfixed, unresolved and ultimately unresolvable problems with salmon farming, the Tasmanian salmon industry has been talking about seal-proofing nets for almost as long as there has . I am not a specialist, Woodham says, but for us, we in the abalone fishing industry, we dive in areas where there is salmon farming and its obvious that there are more nutrients than in the past.. Greens MP Rosalie Woodruff welcomed the report. Community meetings were held around the state after the book's release. The government has already made moves to make the Environment Protection Authority a statutory authority, but the report also recommended it be better funded so it canbetter monitor environmental, noise and light impacts of fish farms. These figures make Tasmanias industry seem like a goldfish bowl. We just wanted to have this peaceful little bolthole.Credit: Adam Gibson. Salmon company Tassal told the stock exchange the book had been unsettling but did not detail its impact on sales or consumption of their product. Internationally, theres a growing movement towards land-based salmon farming in closed-loop systems that have less impact on the environment and require fewer pesticides and antibiotics to be used on fish as they are less prone to seaborne diseases. The results show that One in two (49%) Australians support a moratorium on the expansion of the salmon farming industry in Tasmania until issues raised in the inquiry have been resolved, 15% oppose. How Tasmania's salmon farms are being cleaned up by author Richard Flanagan How will it do this if not by putting more fish in pens, or more pens in the sea? In an emailed statement, Coles says the supermarket labels its seafood as either wild-caught or farmed and that its Responsibly Sourced Seafood Program recognises a range of certification and assessment programs which ensure potential impacts on marine health and the environment are carefully monitored. Two of its relatives, a common seadragon and a big-bellied seahorse, hang on the wall. The bulk of the market for salmon is not Tasmania, but the rest of Australia, with 65 per cent of the fish sold domestically. "The aquaculture industry approached us and said your problem is ours, so we ended up with a community forum that has morphed over the years," she said. "Some people come in and they're quite vocal and they tell us we shouldn't stock it, some people come in and ask us where we get it from," he said. While government lauds the money and jobs salmon brings to the states small and disadvantaged economy, locals are becoming increasingly intolerant of its impact on their lives and the seas in which they fish, swim, paddle, snorkel, surf and dive. The thing that made me decide that I had to do something was that I realised the sea all around me was dying because of the salmon farms., In staying silent for so long, he says, he was complicit in what he saw happening. Today, Norway is the worlds largest producer of farmed salmon. We were prepared to put up with it because no one wants a fight, really, and we just wanted to go down there and have this peaceful little bolthole, he says. We eat horror.. But for many of the people who live near the farms, theres nothing beautiful about them. When Atlantic salmon made its debut at a Hobart restaurant in the mid-1980s it was hailed as speciality dish, with a main course costing between $25 and $35. She believed in a sustainable salmon industry and wanted to help prevent a repeat of Macquarie Harbour. Regardless of the amount of noise we make, says Environment Tasmania campaigner Jilly Middleton, until theres a commercial risk to the salmon companies nothings going to change in a big way.Credit: Adam Gibson. 50% of Greens voters support, 17% oppose. Tasmanian right-to-informationdocuments have revealed theextent that salmon producers go to protect their harvest against seals. The now $1 billion industry has sparked the ire of activists and locals living near salmon farms. If youre improving your technology it improves your profitability, it doesnt automatically lead to increasing employment. I later ask the Tasmanian government how the salmon industry will double in value if not in size, and the response seems at odds with that given to me by Amos: The government is currently assessing spatial and technological requirements for salmon farming; this includes both increased production from existing marine fin fish farming leases and assessment of new areas suitable for farming fin fish.. I dont like to tell people what to do. Its a mild winter morning, about 14 degrees, but our interview gets off to a frosty start. The report calls on the government toreview all finfish farm environmental licence conditions and set defined limits for dissolved nitrogen and other key nutrients, and how many fish can be in an area. He bought it about 18 years ago. Tasmania has announced a 'reset' of its heavily scrutinised salmon industry in a bid to increase land-based farming. A study published by The Australia Institute in 2019 estimated that this $1 billion industry paid about $920,000 to the state government in annual lease and licence fees. Summary. Lines of seagulls sweep alongside us. After a big blow, youd go for a walk and you could find them washed up in the kelp, Castles says. Wild salmon gets its colour from astaxanthin naturally found in the small crustaceans it eats. "I think the vocal minority might be bigger than everyone thinks," he said. Its incredible that were now nearly a month out, three weeks since the book first appeared in Hobart, and not one politician theres no denial of any of the claims, he says. 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The industry claims to support 12,000 Tasmanian jobs indirectly but a local economist, Graeme Wells, writing in The Mercury, called this an exaggeration, estimating that at most the industry provides 4400 jobs indirectly. Flanagan believes the book gave communitiesthe courage to speak out against neighbouring fish farms. The committee found Tasmania could be getting greater financial returns from the salmon industry, and recommended an independent review of the fees and levies for operators, including setting lease fees, local government rates and rates of levies required to cover the cost of regulatory monitoring and compliance. Darren Robertson of Three Blue Ducks fame, with restaurants across Australia, and Palisa Anderson of Sydneys Chat Thai, have not served Tasmanian farmed salmon for several years. A seahorse hanging over the mantelpiece sways hypnotically in the heat rising from the wood fire. Sign up here. The last survey the industry did in areas that it was in found 90 per cent of what they found was not actually from fish farms Im not trying to transfer the blame to someone else, what I am saying is the [industry] is a convenient scapegoat in many ways.. To date the Tasmanian government has treated the state's salmon-farming industry as a potential goldmine which, under its sustainable industry growth plan, it hopes will be worth $2bn by. Tassalwas bought by Canadian seafood giant Cooke in 2022. Biomass limits came under scrutiny during the rapid expansion of salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour, and high amounts of dissolved nitrogen and nutrients from fish farms have been blamed for green algae in Tasmanian waterways. Who is telling the truth? An awkward Emmys and no more Barbie red carpets: What happens next with Hollywood on strike? Richard Flanagan's 2021 book Toxic presented a different view. Were working to restore it. Noise from the site causes distress for the nearby Killora community. Regulating Feed. Its because of the sadness of whats happened., A feeding barge at the Tassal salmon farm on the DEntrecasteaux Channel houses a diesel plant that powers automated fish feeding. Shes in a high-vis orange vest and black lace-up work boots, having just arrived home from seeing a large industrial client.
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