Tasmanian aquaculture has experienced unprecedented growth in the past several years.
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The main players – Huon Aquaculture, Tassal and Petuna – have all exponentially grown their businesses as demand and appetite for Tasmanian-farmed salmon grows nationally and globally.
However, a storm is brewing on the horizon for the sector as its speedy growth raises questions about environmental sustainability.
That can of worms was first opened up by the ABC late last year when Four Corners released a report in November that claimed temperature spikes and drops in water oxygen levels were harming salmon in Macquarie Harbour, in Tasmania’s West Coast.
Macquarie Harbour is where Tassal, Petuna and Huon all intensively farm salmon.
A bombshell was also dropped this week when Huon Aquaculture’s Frances Bender announced on Monday the company would file legal proceedings against the Tasmanian Government and the Environment Protection Agency (EPA).
Ms Bender was featured in the ABC report where she alleged the harbour was under stress.
Huon Aquaculture will allege the government and the EPA failed to effectively regulate salmon farming activity in Macquarie Harbour.
It will also allege that too high a biomass cap – or the amount of salmon in any given area – has been set in the harbour. The EPA set the cap at 14,000 tonnes in January.
The industry has always said it keeps environmental sustainability at the forefront of its operations, with Petuna and Tassal achieving global accreditation in this area.
In July 2015, Petuna was awarded best aquaculture practice certification from the Global Aquaculture Association, and in 2014 Tassal achieved similar certification from the Aquaculture Stewardship Council.
Tasmania’s brand is built on its environmentally sustainable image and that image should be extended to all primary industry activities, including aquaculture.
An increase in demand for trace-ability, or the ability to trace a product from “paddock to plate” or from “harbour to the plate”, in the case of salmon, means regulation and sustainability are paramount.
Environmental sustainability is important to today’s consumer, which is part of the reason for Tasmania’s success with its product. The way forward is unclear but the industry is facing a time of change.