Something fishy this way comes

TWO films advocating for the protection of wild fish will go on tour around Australia from today, with three screenings in Tasmania next week.

The films, Artifishal and Saving Martha, were produced by outdoor apparel company Patagonia and trace the impact of fish hatcheries and farms on wild fish populations.

Saving Martha is a short film about fish farming in Australia, and was mostly filmed on King Island off Tasmania’s North-West Coast.

It looks at the environmental impact of Tasmania’s salmon farming industries and the potential impact of proposed farms at King Island.

Artifishal was produced by the company’s founder, Yvon Chouinard, and was directed by cinematographer and producer Josh Murphy. It looks at fish hatcheries and fish farms from California to Norway.

Chouinard said Artifishal explored the high ecological, financial and cultural cost of “our mistaken belief that engineered solutions can make up for habitat destruction”.

He said an “extraordinary amount” of taxpayers’ dollars were wasted on fisheries and the industry hindered wild fish recovery, polluted rivers and waterways and “contributed to the problem it claims to solve”.

“Humans have always thought of themselves as superior to nature, and it’s got us into a lot of trouble,” Chouinard said.

“We think we can control nature, [but] we can’t.

“If we value wild salmon, we need to do something now. A life without wild nature and a life without these great, iconic species is an impoverished life.

“If we lose all wild species, we’re going to lose ourselves.”

Artifishal and Saving Martha will be screened in Hobart next Thursday (July 25), in Devonport next Friday (July 26) and at the King Island Club next Sunday (July 28). Ticket details are coming soon. For information, visit