Salmon maps nonsense
CONTRARY to the latest assertions being made by Gerald Castles (Talking Point, October 7), there are no plans — I repeat, no plans — by any salmon company to expand beyond the present lease sites, other than the very public statements made by Petuna on the North-West Coast. As much as Mr Castles and his band of followers might rant and rail against some giant conspiracy theory to swamp the coast with salmon pens, and as much as Mr Castles might want to believe this to be true, the fact remains that it is not.
Whatever the maps that Mr Castles refers to might represent from a government planning perspective, they have no relevance whatsoever from any industry interest. The original 2016 map that is continually paraded was not an exercise in saying where industry could expand as it was a reference to what areas were out-of-bounds. And that remains the case.
The government has recently announced its interest in collaborating with the federal government regarding development of aquaculture in Commonwealth waters, and it is a sensible thing for governments to do. But that is a world away from the nonsense being perpetrated by Mr Castles of coverups and secret deals.
Julian Amos Tasmanian Salmonid Growers Association