Huon Aquaculture hits back at ‘defamatory’ claims of wrongdoing

With a community group calling for fish farms to leave the Huon, a salmon producer has hit back at the ‘unsubstantiated, baseless claims’ that they’re destroying the environment.

• ‘Death zone’: Tassal accused of risking reef
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ONE OF Tasmania’s largest aquaculture businesses has hit back at “defamatory” claims their practices are destroying the environment.

Huon Valley based group Neighbours of Fish Farming called on salmon producers Huon Aquaculture and Tassal to leave the region before it is “completely destroyed by their reckless practices”.

President Peter George, also Tasmanian Alliance for Marine Protection co-chairman, released footage showing a clear reef at Lady Bay in 2014 compared to a dying reef at Huon Island filmed on November 3.

Lady Bay and Huon Island are about 16 kilometres apart.

“Huon Aquaculture and Tassal licences demand no visible impact to marine life more than 35 metres from their leases yet Huon Island is at least 2 kilometres away from the nearest fish farm,” Mr George said.

“Marine life in the Huon and its estuary is being smothered, fish life is disappearing and the reefs are becoming dead zones all because of the salmon industry and all in breach of the rules.

“The truth is Tasmanian salmon is not clean and green, it’s dirty and destructive — and we’ll ensure that truth is going to get out to Australian consumers.”

Huon Aquaculture executive director Frances Bender refuted the “unsubstantiated, baseless claims”.

Huon Aquaculture's Frances Bender. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

“Our company has been successfully farming in the Huon River and Lower Channel for 35 years, and Storm Bay for the past six years, underpinned by extensive independent monitoring and research such as Broadscape Environmental Monitoring Program and provision of monthly data to the state government. BEMP reports are publically available,” she said.

Ms Bender said they stood by 35 years of robust research, monitoring and data collection that has been independently reviewed by world renowned marine organisation such as IMAS and CSIRO.

“These continued anecdotal, defamatory, baseless attacks on the most important agribusiness in this state directly threatens the livelihoods of our 800 permanent, skilled staff and their families — most of whom live in regional Tasmania,” she said.

“I am proud to defend the region and the waterways in which I was born and raised by my family, and to defend those hundreds of staff and families that also care deeply about their region, their jobs and the environment.”

Tassal declined to comment.

A spokeswoman for the EPA said they were continuing to work with IMAS to review information relating to the impacts of nutrient loads in the Huon River and D’Entrecasteaux Channel.

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