Tasmanian fish farms offshore push given a boost

Tassie’s salmon industry has welcomed plans to help it move into deeper waters, but opponents say it comes too late. LATEST HERE >>

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TASMANIA’s salmon industry has welcomed plans to help it move into deeper waters, but opponents say it comes too late.

Primary Industries and Water Minister Guy Barnett and federal Assistant Minister for Forestry and Fisheries Jonathon Duniam on Monday announced an agreement to hasten the development of aquaculture in Commonwealth waters three nautical miles off the coast of Tasmania.

Aquaculture is worth $1.6 billion to the Tasmanian economy and employs more than 5000 people.

“Currently, aquaculture in Australia is operated in state or territory waters and by moving further offshore … we can harness recent technological improvements and investigate the potential environmental and resource access benefits available from undertaking aquaculture in deeper waters,’’ Senator Duniam said.

Tassal salmon pens in Macquarie Harbour, Strahan, West Coast of Tasmania Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

“The work will be led by the Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), an independent not-for-profit company funded under the Australian Government’s CRC Program.”

Chief among the challenges are building pens that can survive the rougher conditions further offshore and autonomous technologies for feeding and monitoring.

Timelines for the shift further out to sea have not yet been determined, although Senator Duniam said “the sooner the better”.

Mr Barnett said the plan to move further offshore was bold and innovative and would help drive the future growth of the industry.

“The Tasmanian aquaculture sector has been a national success story, with the industry growing steadily to provide world class products while also delivering jobs in regional Tasmania,” he said.

Guy Barnett.

Tasmanian Liberal Senator Jonathon Duniam. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

“In 2020, Tasmanian aquaculture gross value of production increased by over seven per cent to $931 million and this memorandum of understanding with the Commonwealth fits perfectly with our recently announced 10-Year Plan Salmon Plan,’’ Minister Barnett said.

Julian Amos from the Tasmanian Salmonid Growers Association welcomed hte move.

“Whether it’s finfish, seaweed, shellfish, new species or integrated multi-trophic farms, this provides a new frontier for responsible growth of Australian aquaculture to match the growing Australian and global consumer demand for healthy farmed seafood,” he said.

“The salmon industry in Tasmania has always been innovative in its approach, in freshwater hatcheries, and sea farming.”

Tasmanian Alliance for Marine Protection spokesman Peter George said Monday’s announcement was a distraction.

“The ministers’ promise to explore unproven deep-ocean technology while doing nothing to stop the salmon industry pouring thousands of tonnes of untreated sewage into coastal waters is nothing more than window dressing for a toxic industry,” he said.

“It’s yet another failed attempt at sleight of hand – asking Tasmanians to look out over the horizon when the cause of the smell is right under their noses.

“When industry and government relinquish and rehabilitate the disastrous coastal salmon leases, Tasmanians might begin to believe honest intent.

“Until then, pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into an embryonic, unproven technology to support a discredited industry is no more than cynical political theatre.”

Greens MP Rosalie Woodruff said the announcement was a “industrial scale red herring distraction” from the reputational issues the industry was facing.

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