Fisher folk rush to catch escaped salmon

A SUDDEN bonanza of salmon more than 10,000km from their natural habitat has shareholders raising questions about just how many fish Huon Aquaculture lost during Hobart’s wild storm.

A SUDDEN bonanza of salmon more than 10,000km from their natural habitat has shareholders raising questions about just how many fish Huon Aquaculture really lost during Hobart’s wild storm.

Anglers are reporting hundreds of like-size salmon, believed to have escaped from Storm Bay fish pens, have been hooked around Midway Point and Cremorne, many weighing 6-7kg.

Huon has admitted to losing some fish during the savage storm of May 10, along with several pieces of equipment, when Storm Bay’s swell was measured at 11m.

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But the company has refused to reveal how many fish escaped, maintaining the losses were not enough to inform the Australian Securities Exchange and nowhere near the 600,000 figure claimed by the Greens.

Tassal has said it lost no fish during the storm.

Atlantic salmon are not native to Tasmanian waters, with their natural habitat – the North Atlantic and North Pacific – at least 13,000km away.

Huon shareholder and activist Stephen Mayne said the company needed to tell its investors more.

“In times like this transparency is the best solution,” Mr Mayne told the Mercury.

“If you’re perceived to be secretive, it just eats into your credibility and trust.”

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A Huon spokeswoman said the company stood by its earlier statements, but was unable to respond to the new developments by the time of publication.

Anglers rushed to McGees Bridge on the Midway Point Causeway on Wednesday.

Aaron Flakemore and his mate Adrick MacDonald landed four 6-7kg Atlantic salmon after earlier success on Tuesday.

Fishermen Aaron Flakemore and Adrick MacDonald were some of the lucky ones who latched on to one of the many salmon off McGees Bridge at Midway Point. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

Hundreds of other fishermen have crowded the bridge since Friday with more in boats and kayaks reeling in the salmon.

“I was down at my local tackle shop [on Tuesday] and asked the guy where to catch some fish. He said head to the bridge on the causeway. I got here at 2pm and hooked up pretty much straight away,” Mr Flakemore, of Risdon Cove, said.

He was back first thing on Wednesday morning.

“The same thing is happening today. By midday, I had caught four and there are literally fish being hauled in and dropped on the ground,” he said.

“It’s an event.”

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies scientist Jeremy Lyle said it was almost certain the fish were Huon escapees.

But fishers will need to be quick, he said, with the salmon unlikely to survive in the wild for more than a couple of months.

“They’re not well-adapted to feeding in the wild,” Dr Lyle said.

“They’re either predated upon by seals or sharks, they are caught by fishers or they effectively starve.

“Fishers will tell you that they’ll often get very skinny-looking salmon.”

Dr Lyle, who studied fish released in Macquarie Harbour, will begin surveying recreational fishers to get a better understanding of where the salmon disperse to and how long they live.

Huon’s losses were reported to the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment.

McGees Bridge at Midway Point causeway packed with fishermen. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

Dr Lyle said environmental impacts were likely to be minimal, with escaped salmon ill-equipped to feed on native animals and diseases already present in the farming environment.

“There’s unlikely to be mass mortalities where they’re all together,” he said.

“They’re highly dispersed. There’s enough predators and scavenger fish out there to clean up.”

Mr Flakemore said he hasn’t tasted his catch yet.

“I took it home, but haven’t cooked it up yet. I have to get some friends to help me eat it as it’s pretty big,” he said.

DPIPWE was contacted for comment.