A Legislative Council inquiry into fish farming in Tasmania begins hearings in Hobart this week

A parliamentary inquiry into fish farming in Tasmania has received an overwhelming number of submissions.

Tassal salmon pens, in Macquarie Harbour, Strahan, West Coast of Tasmania Picture: MATHEW FARRELL fish / pen / salmon / farm / fish farm / net / cage / aquaculture

CRITICS of fish farming in Tasmania will dominate the two days of hearings in a parliamentary inquiry into the industry.

A Legislative Council committee is conducting an inquiry into the State Government’s Sustainable Industry Growth Plan for the Salmon Industry and the regulation of the industry.

The committee has received a massive 224 submissions.

The state’s three major fish farming companies have made submissions, arguing that the industry is already the state’s most highly regulated type of farming.

A significant proportion of individual submissions endorse recommendations by the Tasmanian Conservation Trust.

The Trust wants independent water and environmental studies performed before fish farm licences are issued, hard caps placed on biomass and pollutants coming from fish farms, community input on licences and an overhaul of the Marine Farming Planning Review

Panel.

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The Trust will appear before the committee today, as will the Environmental Defenders Office, Bruny Sustainable Agriculture, Neighbours of Fish Farming and the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies.

There are currently 16 licenced salmonid freshwater fish farms (hatcheries) operating in inland waters and 47 licenced salmonid marine farming leases in Tasmanian State waters.

The industry has a target of doubling in size to a $2 billion industry by 2030 and the target is supported by the State Government.

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