Deloraine’s 41 Degrees South, a salmon and ginseng farm, uses a system called aquaponics.

Aquaponics uses the waste from fish to fertilise plants grown in the water hydroponically; the plants in turn purify the water.

Alternatives to ocean-based salmon farming was raised by the Shooters and Fishers party this week, who advocated land-based options.

The comments come after issues about overstocking in Macquarie Harbour, on Tasmania’s West Coast, were aired by Huon Aquaculture’s Frances Bender.

A plan was put forward last week by North-West-based Petuna Seafoods, who called for a new management model to support the harbour.

Concerns over overstocking of the harbour have been raised since 2015.

41 Degrees South co-owner Ben Pyka said the aquaponics system at the farm used a gravity-fed system to take water from Western Creek to feed 20 man-made tanks.

A wetland has been introduced into the air to act as a bio-filter and allows the farm to hydroponically grow vegetables, including, onions, lettuce and watercress.

“The fish waste is absorbed by the plants, so we use the waste to grow another byproduct, for example a tree, or vegetables,” he said.

A decision to use inland farming systems was made when the farm was introduced because it served as not only a working farm but a tourist attraction.

“We wanted to have something to intrigue visiting tourists; something that would be a showcase and would teach them something,” he said.

The farm showcases sustainable and natural farming practices, as the gravity-fed aquaponics system means the farm does not produce any waste from its salmon farming.

Mr Pyka said the farm wanted to grow in the future.

“The EPA is the only limiting factor to growth in the industry,” he said.

In June, Primary Industries Minister Jeremy Rockliff announced management of salmon farming in Tasmania would be undertaken by the Environmental Protection Agency.

It had previously been managed by the Fisheries Department.

An EPA spokesman said specific environmental conditions that may be imposed on an inland fish farm would be determined on a case-by-case basis in consideration of pollution control measures.

“For inland fish farms the treatment and disposal of both liquid and solid wastes must be managed to meet necessary environmental performance levels to protect water quality of inland waters,” the spokesman said.

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