Sick salmon move fears

PLANS by Huon Aquaculture to move salmon that may be sick from Storm Bay to Norfolk Bay has alarmed locals on the Tasman Peninsula.

The salmon producer wants to move its harvesting site to Norfolk Bay near Murdunna to harvest fish previously infected with pilchard orthomyxovirus (POMV).

Huon Aquaculture’s application to the Marine Farming Branch would see salmon from its Storm Bay site near Bruny Island transported to a new two-pen site at Green Head, Norfolk Bay, over a threemonth harvest operation.

Fish in the Storm Bay pens have been dying from POMV, which killed more than one million fish at Macquarie Harbour this year.

Mark Duncan, owner and operator of Dodges Ferry fishing charter company Mr Flathead said the proposal would damage his business.

“I am extremely concerned about the impact on my business and brand if the Huon Aquaculture Norfolk Bay proposal is to go ahead,” he said.

“The core of my business is promoting the clean green image of Tasmania, and that would no longer be possible if I’ll now have to navigate around large industrial operations.”

Tasman Mayor Roseanne Heyward said the community was concerned the move would be the start of more fish farms in the area.

Mr Duncan said the pro- posed harvesting site at Norfolk Bay might also damage fish stocks in the area.

“I have fears that it could infect our wild stocks such as flathead, salmon, whiting and mackerel. The area is a sanctuary and breeding ground for school and gummy sharks, so it would be utterly disappointing to see that get disrupted.”

Huon Aquaculture marine operations general manager David Morehead said the company required a new harvesting site because transferring fish from Storm Bay to its current harvesting site at Hideaway Bay would pose the risk of POMV transmitting to fish in the lower Huon River.

“POMV is a disease concerned with biosecurity that we need to manage,” he said.

“We’re reducing the risk (of further virus) by having an alternative harvest site rather than exposing infected fish to fish that haven’t been infected.

“Those fish (moving to Norfolk Bay) are not testing positive for POM, their samples were negative, but there could still be carrier fish within that population, so we still prefer to not have that risk of bringing those fish back.”

Mr Morehead said the harvest relocation would be temporary and the company is talking to the community about its concerns.

“I can’t see there being any impact on local businesses in the area, we’ll be operating on the water with harvesting happening in the evening which should have minimal impact.”