Voters back salmon crackdown to save Maugean skate, as Plibersek told to ‘make a decision’
A new poll could embolden Tanya Plibersek to take on salmon farmers - and the Prime Minister - to save a rare fish from extinction.
As Tanya Plibersek considers curtailing salmon farming in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour, a poll suggests most Australians back the move, if necessary to save an endangered fish.
The poll of 1000 mainland voters for the Australia Institute shows 58 per cent – including a majority of Labor and Coalition voters – support ejecting fish farms where they pose an extinction risk to the Maugean skate.
Ms Plibersek is reconsidering 2012 federal environmental approvals for large-scale salmon farming in the remote western harbour, following heightened concern for the skate.
The minister has received scientific advice that waste and oxygen depletion linked to salmon farms are having “catastrophic” impact on the skate, a stingray-like link to the dinosaur age found nowhere else on Earth.
However, the salmon industry has pointed to recent improvements in water quality and the stabilisation of skate numbers, and warns hundreds of jobs would be lost if fish farms were removed.
This weekend marks a year since Ms Plibersek began her rethink and the polling comes as all sides in the debate – and Tasmania’s lower house – called for Ms Plibersek to declare her hand.
Federal Labor is concerned any decision to significantly wind back fish pens would devastate its vote in key Tasmanian marginal seats, particularly Braddon.
However, the new national polling, conducted by Dynata from November 13 to 15, suggests mainland voters back intervention where salmon farms place the skate at risk.
While support for stopping fish farming in this scenario was highest among Greens voters (74 per cent), a majority of Labor (58 per cent) and Coalition (54 per cent) voters also backed such intervention.
Only One Nation voters were overall opposed, with just 46 per cent support, while all age groups – except the over 60s – backed ending fish farming where it threatened the skate’s survival.
The Australia Institute, whose request to Ms Plibersek helped prompt the review, said the polling showed the minister had majority support to intervene.
“After a year of waiting, our research shows that Australians support what the science is telling us we need to do: stop salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour,” Australia Institute Tasmania director Eloise Carr said. “A majority of voters from across the political spectrum support this.
“This is a matter of national environmental significance, not only because the endangered skate is protected under national environmental law, but also because it is one of the natural values of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.”
On a recent trip to Tasmania, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appeared to pre-empt Ms Plibersek, saying fish farming was the “backbone of regional communities” and it was “essential” to support it.
Tasmania’s House of Assembly on Thursday passed a bipartisan motion calling on Ms Plibersek to end her review and allow fish farms to remain in the harbour.
Salmon Tasmania called on her to comply.
“The West Coast community and industry has been left hanging in limbo for more than a year now, with only platitudes from their elected representatives in Canberra,” chief executive Luke Martin said.
“In that time the science has repeatedly shown that the conditions in the harbour continue to improve, the population of the skate is stabilising and the captive breeding program, together with the Macquarie Harbour Oxygenation Project, are proving a success.”
Ms Plibersek has vowed to make a decision in accordance with federal environment law and science.