Call to put skates on over fish farms probe
Conservation groups and Salmon Tasmania have called for a speedy conclusion to a federal probe into the future of Macquarie Harbour’s fish farms, as a coalition of environmental bodies seek UNESCO help to save the endangered maugean skate.
Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek is undertaking a review of the industry under the terms of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act following requests from groups including the Australia Institute and the Bob Brown Foundation, which remain concerned about the impact salmon farming is having on the ancient species.
A two-month public consultation period closed in early February, with the minister yet to make a decision.
On Friday, Australia Institute Tasmania director Eloise Carr said with the clock ticking on the skate’s survival, the coalition had approached the United Nations’ World Heritage Committee “to hold the Australian government to account” on the issue.
“This is an alert to the international community that urgent conservation action is critical to save the skate from extinction,” Ms Carr said.
“New scientific evidence was presented to the Australian environment minister in June 2023 and showed the need to revoke the decision that allowed large-scale fish farming in Macquarie Harbour.
“We still don’t have an outcome.”
Bob Brown Foundation chief executive Steven Chaffer said it was imperative that Minister Plibersek announce an outcome on the review as soon as possible.
Mr Chaffer said industrybacked efforts to preserve the skate, including a captive breeding program and the Macquarie Harbour Oxygenation Project, were no substitute for the wholesale removal of salmon farming in the West Coast waterway.
“I think we all know, and the minister certainly knows, what needs to be done is to remove fish farms from Macquarie Harbour,” Mr Chaffer said.
“A decision is urgent – the skate cannot wait any longer.”
Salmon Tasmania chief executive Luke Martin described the environmental coalition’s letter to UNESCO as an attention-seeking stunt designed to generate anti-salmon sentiment on social media.
But Mr Martin also called for a swift conclusion to the federal government’s review process into salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour.
“What their ‘letter’ won’t tell UNESCO is that our industry has always taken its role in the harbour very seriously and has already spent more than $7m developing and delivering an oxygenation project that has undergone successful trials in recent weeks,” Mr Martin said.
“This project aims to offset the oxygenation drawdown of aquaculture, which we know from more recent science is actually having a minimal impact on the oxygen levels in the harbour.”
A spokesman for the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water said it was considering a significant amount of information provided during the public consultation period, with over 2500 submissions .