Race on for fleeing fish

MORE than 50,000 fish have escaped a local farm.

Huon Aquaculture said a fire broke out at a fish pen in the Channel on Monday morning, melting infrastructure below the water line.

Tasmanian fisherman Carl Hyland said local anglers would be trying for a catch.

“Whole fish like that can attract a price tag of about $ 100,” he said.

FIFTY thousand fish that escaped a salmon giant’s Huon pen after fire damage to infrastructure have been labelled a boon for local anglers but a major financial hit to the salmon producer.

Huon Aquaculture said a fire broke out at a fish pen in the Channel on Monday morning, melting infrastructure below the water line.

A count of the fish left in the Zuidpool pen has the company estimating a loss of more than 50,000 fish.

“We are estimating that we have lost between 50,000 and 52,000 4kg fish and in accordance with our reporting requirements, we have notified MAST, EPA and DPIPWE Marine Farm Branch,” Huon Aquaculture chief executive Peter Bender said.

Mr Bender said calm weather allowed crews to fetch any pen components that had come adrift during the fire.

He said it was the first time in 35 years of farming the company had an electrical fire on a fish pen.

“The cause has baffled us,” he said. “An investigation into the cause of the fire is under way and we are not ruling anything out at this early stage, and we encourage anyone who saw the fire to contact us.” Mr Bender said studies of previous fish escapes along with the 2018 IMAS survey indicated it was unlikely the escaped salmon would have significant impact on native marine fauna.

“The IMAS survey was consistent with previous studies here and overseas where farmed salmon generally don’t appear to feed on native species as they are typically used to feeding on fish pellets.

“Tasmania has no native salmonids so there is no impact on wild genetic stocks ( a problem in some northern hemisphere countries) plus escaped salmon typically don’t last long, unfortunately, what the seals don’t get, the fishermen quickly do.”

Mercury fishing columnist Carl Hyland said he imagined local recreational anglers would pounce on the opportunity to catch an escaped salmon.

“Whole fish like that can attract a price tag of about $ 100,” he said.

“It’s a boon for local anglers but a ‘ bummer’ for the salmon company.”

IT’S A BOON FOR LOCAL ANGLERS BUT A ‘ BUMMER’ FOR THE SALMON COMPANY FISHING COLUMNIST CARL HYLAND