Salmon Tasmania CEO Luke Martin criticises new anti-salmon farming Bob Brown Foundation campaign

A war of words has erupted between the Bob Brown Foundation and Salmon Tasmania after the environmental group launched a new website criticising the aquaculture industry. Join the debate >>

One of the posters that the Bob Brown Foundation has put up across Sydney and Melbourne in protest against Salmon Tasmania. Picture: Supplied.

Salmon Tasmania has slammed the latest anti-fish farming campaign by the Bob Brown Foundation (BBF) as “juvenile” and “childish”.

The BBF has put up posters around Sydney and Melbourne condemning the fish farming activities in Tasmania.

The organisation has also launched a new website, salmontasmania.com, with a domain name almost identical to the state’s peak aquaculture body at salmontasmania.au.

Salmon Tasmania CEO Luke Martin described the newly created website as an example of cybersquatting.

“It’s another stunt by an activist organisation that frankly seems to have too much time on their hands,” Mr Martin said.

“It’s juvenile; I think that people can see it for what it is. It’s a tactic, and it’s pretty childish, but we’re not going to lose sleep over it.”

One of the posters that the Bob Brown Foundation has put up across Sydney and Melbourne in protest against Salmon Tasmania. Picture: Supplied.

Three different posters have been plastered around the streets of Melbourne and Sydney.

One depicts a seal in a fish pen, another shows a cut of salmon meat coated in the skin of the Maugean skate, and the final poster features a recipe book titled “Tasmania Salmon: a recipe for disaster”.

All of the posters feature the heading “Tasmanian salmon has a deadly catch”.

BBF Antarctic and Marine campaigner Alistair Allan said the organisation wanted to inform people on the mainland about the Tasmanian salmon industry.

“A huge amount of Tasmanians know how bad farmed salmon is; I don’t know if that is replicated on the mainland,” Mr Allan said.

“I’m really keen to get consumers on the mainland to know what is farmed salmon and what are some of the problems with it.

“I think that most consumers would be horrified to know that they’re potentially buying salmon that’s causing an extinction of the Maugean skate.”

Luke Martin is the chief executive of Salmon Tasmania. MUST CREDIT: Alastair Bett

With the website, Mr Allan said it was a satirical take on what Salmon Tasmania was doing.

“The whole point of the website is to somewhat mirror the PR front that is Salmon Tasmania with our own PR coup.

“There’s even taglines that have been reworked that they the use. The whole point is to have a sense of humour but also educate people on the facts.”

In response, Mr Martin said that Salmon Tasmania was merely an association of Petuna, Tassal and Huon Aquaculture.

“It’s a representation of the thousands of people they employ. Our job is to put the messages out from the industry.

“We’re trying to do that as transparently and with as much clarity as we possibly can, which is what a lot of the critics and the industry have been calling for.

“I think questions need to be asked about what the BBF’s motivations are.

“It seems to be a very well-funded professional activist organisation that seems more interested in throwing rocks than actually engaging in science in proper policy debate.”

Originally published as Salmon Tasmania CEO Luke Martin criticises new anti-salmon farming Bob Brown Foundation campaign