Salmon producer Tassal lodges application for $46m hatchery at Hamilton in Tasmania’s Central Highlands

Tassal has lodged an application to build a $46 million hatchery in Tasmania — its third smolt growing facility in the state.

3 week old Salmon alevins at Tassal's Ranelagh hatchery in the Huon Valley, Tasmania in 2014. Picture: PETER MATHEW

TASMANIAN salmon producer Tassal has lodged an application to build a $46 million hatchery near Hamilton in the Central Highlands, which it says will allow it to grow larger smolt that need less time at sea.

The hatchery, about 6km from Hamilton on Woodmoor Rd, will use fresh water from Meadowbank Lake.

Used water will be treated onsite before going into a dam to be used as irrigation on a neighbouring property.

Fish waste will be treated to become compost.

The application has gone to the Central Highlands Council and the board of the Environment Protection Authority for assessment and public comment is open until October 18.

According to Tassal’s environmental impact statement, the proposed hatchery would be able to produce smolt weighing up to 600 grams.

The company says larger smolt required less time at sea to reach harvest size, saving Tassal money and improving fish health.

A pump station would be built at Meadowbank Lake capable of supplying 650 mega litres of water to the hatchery each year.

The footprint of the hatchery and associated infrastructure would be about 7.8ha on a 58.8ha property.

Tassal has two other hatcheries, one at Ranalegh and one at Russell Falls, which between them produce 10 million smolt a year.

The company said it needed to build another hatchery to keep up with Australian and international demand for salmon products.

Tassal says the new hatchery would be able to produce between 750 and 1400 tonnes of fish each year.