Fish farm plan row

A PLAN to create a more sustainable, world-leading salmon industry over a decade has sparked mixed reactions.

Primary Industries Minister Guy Barnett said the plan would prioritise inland farming and offshore operations in Commonwealth waters and would include an immediate 12-month moratorium on operations in Tasmanian waters.

But it was met by cynicism from both the Labor Party and Tasmanian author and activist Richard Flanagan.

A DECADE-long plan promising a more sustainable, worldleading salmon industry has sparked mixed reactions from industry leaders.

Primary Industries and Water Minister Guy Barnett announced in parliament on Thursday a ten-year salmon plan would prioritise inland farming and offshore operations in commonwealth waters, and would impose an immediate 12-month moratorium on operations.

The plan would start on January 1, 2023.

“There will be no net increase in leased farming areas in Tasmanian waters,” he said.

The minister said the policy would strive to attain world best practice and would improve regulations and transparency.

He said a new Fin Fish Compliance director position would be created and a new fee structure would reinvest in compliance.

Greens MP Dr Rosalie Woodruff said the plan was similar to the Greens’ marine policy announced in April.

She described the new plan as “a huge admission from the government that the community protest is winning”, citing the mainland anti-salmon billboard campaign.

Labor member Dr Shane Broad described the government plan as a “cut and paste from the Greens election platform”. “The government here, on a day when we find now we have the worst unemployment rate in the country … are adopting the Greens policy, which is a moratorium on the salmon industry, which in the government’s own words, will cost jobs,” Dr Broad said.

Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry CEO Michael Bailey said the policy heralded a “dark day for Tasmanian industry”.

He said the move would stop growth, increase taxes and “attack” workers.

Mr Bailey questioned the logistics of effectively farming saltwater fish inland.

But Tassal CEO Mark Ryan welcomed the announcement.

“We believe the industry doesn’t need more hectares in Tasmanian waters,” he said.

“For Tassal, growth will come from considering species and geographical diversification, expanding land-based production through our prawns and salmon life cycle extension, and through better use of technology in our existing farms, such as expanding our seaweed production to remove carbon and nitrogen from waterways.”

Premier Peter Gutwein said Tassal, Huon Aquaculture and Petuna had given positive feedback.

“(The TCCI is) obviously not speaking to them,” he said.

But Tasmanian author of anti-salmon farming book Toxic, Richard Flanagan, has called the plan a “sham”.

“It’s not a ten-year plan but a three thimble con trick to cover for a rogue industry in deep crisis,” he said.

“It’s a re-run of what we witnessed after the Macquarie Harbour disaster in 2016.

“Back then the (Environmental Protection Authority) was declared independent, new rules and regulations announced, and we were told the industry was going into deep water.

“Now the EPA has been declared independent again, the industry is being touted as world’s best practice again, we are being told the industry is going deep water again, and nothing will change except for the worse.”