Hundreds gather at Victor Harbor to protest against tuna pen development near Granite Island

A FLOTILLA of protesters have swam, rowed, paddled, kayaked and sailed from shore at Victor Harbor in protest against a “swim with the tuna” development near Granite Island.

10/01/16 - Hundreds of people participated in a "paddle out" at Victor Harbor protesting against the recently approved Oceanic Victor project, which will have a tuna pen installed near Granite Island. Photo Tom Huntley

A FLOTILLA of protesters have swam, rowed, paddled, kayaked and sailed from shore at Victor Harbor in protest against a “swim with the tuna” development near Granite Island, amid concerns that the planned tourist attraction will draw sharks to popular beaches.

Organisers were overwhelmed on Sunday when 1000 people — 500 of whom took to the water — gathered on the foreshore to oppose the tuna pen, primarily over fears it would lure sharks to the popular resort and surrounding surf coast that includes Chiton Rocks and Middleton.

Tourists will be able to hand feed and swim with tuna or observe them underwater.

“The Tuna Cage? Jawesome Idea”, said one placard. Another showed an image of caged bluefin tuna being stalked by a shark with a surfer nearby.

Spokeswoman Nisa Schebella said the group would appeal this week in the Environmental Resource and Development Court over its social impact, including the risk of sharks, but also impact on real estate and the prized view to Granite Island.

“The evidence does say that sharks and seals do congregate around these fish farms or fish pens,” Ms Schebella said. “It’s going to look pretty ugly sitting out there, especially now they want to paint it battleship grey. It’s going to look like an ugly big frigate.”

The proposal to relocate an existing aquarium pen at Port Lincoln to 200 metres inside the breakwater near Granite Island has divided the community, with some residents including the mayor Graham Philp welcoming it. Mr Philp said it may reinvigorate Granite Island for tourism and accepted Government assurances that it would not attract sharks.

“We do understand there is a lot of community angst as far as the issue with sharks,” he said. “We have to place our trust in the State Government assessment process.”

The advice to the Government by PIRSA was that “historical information suggests that commercial aquaculture is unlikely to significantly alter shark behaviour above what is naturally occurring.” It said no “interactions” with sharks were reported at Port Lincoln.

Developers, Oceanic Victor, directed by Michael Dyer and Port Lincoln tuna baron Tony Santic said people confused the aquarium containing 50 species including tuna with a tuna farm (where wild tuna are corralled into pens and fattened for sale). He said the development would reopen Granite Island as a tourism opportunity and educational asset for schools.

“You can swim with them, you can handfeed them from above, you can walk down underwater and look through the glass,” he said.

Ms Schebella said the proposal was at odds with the spirit of the town, where many South Australians have holiday homes but which also has a permanent population of mainly retirees.

“It is five tonnes of critically endangered southern bluefin tuna in a cage for entertainment and we just feel that is wrong on every level,” she said. “It works OK in Port Lincoln but it’s not who we are down here and we don’t want to encourage it.”