A high-ranking bureaucrat has defended a decision to issue a permit for salmon giant Tassal to trap up to 20 seals in a pen at the very same time the company was being investigated for alleged breaches of animal welfare laws.
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Documents released under Right to Information show the Department of Primary Industries, Parks, Water and Environment Department gave a special permit to Tassal in August 2016.
Appearing before a Legislative Council inquiry into the state's salmon industry yesterday, DPIPWE secretary Tim Baker said the department had conducted a full investigation into the matter and it had been referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
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"They [Tassal] have been very strong about the fact that it was done as a safety precaution for their workers and the seals before they were relocating," Mr Baker told the inquiry.
"What I would say is that the permit that was issued when we did our detailed review, independent of the investigation, we determined that there should be additional controls put in place and they were."
At the time the permit was issued, seals were often taken away from fish farm sites, and the permit was to allow for them to be contained prior to relocation.
Wildlife rangers witnessed a number of seals trapped in a fish pen at Tassal's Robert's Point lease in the D'Entrecasteaux Channel on September 7, 2016.
A senior DPIPWE employee later observed in an email to one of the department's investigating officers: "[Tassal] appeared to be doing this without consulting us and potentially in contravention of their current permit conditions."
Greens environment spokeswoman Rosalie Woodruff said it was unclear from the RTI what had happened to the investigation into Tassal.
"On the one hand, a government department is investigating and accumulating evidence of animal cruelty against protected native wildlife, and on the other it is handing the same company a permit to conduct these activities," Dr Woodruff said.
Primary Industries Minister Guy Barnett, however, said the department had done nothing wrong and its "processes were appropriate", while a Tassal spokesman said the investigation hadn't resulted in further action.
"We take the protection of our people, our stock and wildlife very seriously," the spokesman said. "Our $90 million investment in world-leading wildlife-excluding sanctuary pens has significantly decreased our interactions with seals while keeping our people safe."
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