War of words over fish disease outbreak

Anti-aquaculture campaigners have released footage of dying salmon being sealed en-masse into skip bins amid calls for better environmental and animal welfare oversight of the industry. WATCH.

Anti-aquaculture campaigners have released drone footage of dying salmon being sealed en-masse into skip bins amid calls for better environmental and animal welfare oversight of the industry.

The Bob Brown Foundation says footage taken yesterday showed that the Environment Protection Authority and the RPSCA were not up to the task of policing the industry.

Thousands of salmon in pens south of Hobart have died due to a bacterial infection and waste has washed up on beaches in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel.

Bob Brown Foundation Marine Campaigner Alistair Allan speaks to the media on parliament Lawns in Hobart on Thursday, March 6, 2025.

“There is an absolute crisis unfolding on the waterways right now with huge mass mortalities, hundreds of thousands of fish, if not millions, are dying from disease,” BBF Marine Campaigner Alistair Allan said.

“What we saw yesterday on the water was both dead fish and live fish being pumped into bins, lid sealed shut, absolutely nothing done to ease the suffering of those live fish.

“Not only did we see that, we also saw the rotting chunks that have been washing up on beaches all around the south of the channel leaking out of the pens as well.

“So this industry is still firmly in the midst of a crisis, and it looks like it’s just getting worse and worse and worse.”

Images supplied by the Bob Brown Foundation amid an outbreak of disease in aquaculture pens near Hobart.

Salmon Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin said the industry was doing the best it could to deal with an unprecedented event.

“The industry is required to be transparent and disclose details of the whole issue with the regulators the EPA and any other government authority,” he said.

“That has been the approach since day one

“We expect and the Tasmanian community expect that the appropriate authorities are keeping them updated.”

Premier Jeremy Rockliff says he understood public concern and said he expected the salmon industry to be transparent with the community.

“The current salmon mortality event is largely due to an endemic bacterium that does not

grow in humans and does not present a human or animal health or food safety risk,” he said.

“From an environmental perspective, the critical issue is the timely collection and management of fish residue in an improved manner.”

Piscirickettsia salmonis is a bacteria which causes piscirickettsiosis, some strains of which have a mortality rate of up to 90 per cent in fish.

Minister for Primary Industries and Water Jane Howlett said it does not pose a risk to human health.

“The Chief Veterinary Officer said the test results confirmed that these are fish bacteria that do not grow in humans and that they are not human or animal health or food safety at risk.

“The matter remains under investigation, led by the EPA,” she said.

Independent MP Craig Garland speaks to the media on parliament Lawns in Hobart on Thursday, March 6, 2025.

Independent MP Craig Garland he had been told said the problem was worse than many believed.

“This is Tasmania. You can’t hide things here forever. Eventually the truth comes out and the truth about this industry is coming out,” he said.

“I’ve had workers come up to me in the supermarket I’ve never met before and they said to me that if the community knew what is going on in these leases, it would be shut down tomorrow.”

“They had to bring workers down from Macquarie Harbour to deal with the problem. Down here, they were running out of skip bins to put them [dead fish] in.

“They tell me it’s safe. I don’t know about you, but I used to baulk at eating a calicivirus rabbit. I certainly wouldn’t eat a diseased fish.”

Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff and MP Tabatha Badger speak to the media on parliament Lawns in Hobart on Thursday, March 6, 2025.

Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff accused the government of not doing enough.

“This is a biosecurity emergency,” she said,

“You have allowed Tasmanians to continue swimming and fishing in waters filled with the decaying remains of heavily diseased salmon, while the gutless Environment Protection Authority told people the rotting fish on beaches are good for you just like fish oil tablets.”

Originally published as War of words over fish disease outbreak