Huon Aquaculture fined $40,000 for environmental breaches
An ASX-listed Tasmanian company has been fined for dumping waste water containing chemicals and heavy metals onto the foreshore of a popular recreational waterway.
Tasmania
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AN ASX-listed aquaculture company has been fined for breaches of environment law.
Salmon farmer Huon Aquaculture pleaded guilty to five counts of breaching an environment protection notice and one count of depositing a pollutant where environmental harm may be caused.
In the Hobart Magistrates Court before Deputy Chief Magistrate Michael Daly the company was sentenced for offences which occurred between January and May 2018.
The offences took place at Huon Aquaculture’s net washing facility at Whale Point, Port Huon, which was to operate subject to an environmental protection notice, but the court heard the site manager was not aware of the notice.
The court heard waste water was released on more than one occasion onto the nearby foreshore which contained pollutants, including ammonia, copper, lead and zinc.
Mr Daly said these would have been toxic to a range of marine species and Whale Point was a recreational fishing area, with threatened fish species found there.
But, he said he had not been informed of any specific harm or damage caused by the spills.
Mr Daly said the incidents highlighted a lack of training and a failure of communications between the management and employees, but said the company had since provided further training for staff and new procedures had been adopted to ensure ongoing compliance.
Mr Daly said the charges under the Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act carried penalties of up to $150,000 each.
Huon Aquaculture was convicted of each count and Mr Daly imposed a global penalty of a $40,000 fine.
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