By 2002 Flanagan began to notice acute differences in the environment he had always found so serene.

The changes got more significant, and the environment began to suffer yet nothing was done to protect the area that had once been so pristine.

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Now, some 20 years later, Flanagan has stepped up to the plate to expose where he thinks everything went so wrong.

His new book Toxic: The Rotting Underbelly of the Tasmania Salmon Industry, has made explosive claims about the salmon farming industry in Tasmania.

It claims over decades the industry has eroded separation between the organisation, the government, and the regulatory bodies charged with policing the industry.

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The story highlights where salmon farming in Tasmania seems to skirt the system, getting around noise complaints, pollution and funding as deftly as a mighty Tasmanian salmon flicks its tail in pursuit of prey.

Speaking to The Examiner Flanagan discussed the importance of his book, and the fallout that has ensued since copies began to filter through to the public, and the desks of those it takes aim at.

"I didn't want to write this book. I didn't want to do any of this. But in a sense all those years I was watching that slow destruction near my shack, by not speaking up, by trying to work with a company and finding a compromise, I was really guilty of that destruction," he said.

"I just let it go and tried to pretend it wasn't happening. In the end I just felt ashamed of myself but I knew the one thing I could do was write about it."

Flanagan writes of threats and bullying that were forthcoming from the salmon industry to people he spoke to who had stood in defiance of the industry. He said their bravery to share their stories inspired him to push on with the book.

"It's quite a burden because I worry about these people and what might happen to them because they've come out," he said.

Part of the book includes a paragraph redacted for legal reasons that Flanagan said he chose to leave in because it helps illustrate the secrecy that he said shrouds the industry in the state.

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"I wanted readers to know there are things you are not allowed to read," he said.

"It raises the question, 'why am I not allowed to read it? Isn't this in the public interest for the public to know this?'."

Flanagan also called into question the leadership from successive state governments, and the secrecy that abounds the salmon industry while calling on the government to be more transparent and make a point of being strong when approached by salmon company chief executives.

Despite questioning the decisions that have led to the salmon industry reaching the point it has today, Flanagan calls on Tasmanians to stick their heads up and feel empowered to seek change.

"Our society here in Tasmania is one where people cannot simply state their truth and it can be heard with respect," he said.

"If we could get to that place, where each of us can speak our own truth and it can be heard, then we would be in an infinitely better place and we'd make much better decisions and we'd have a much better chance going into the future in a more equal, happier, better place."

The Tasmanian Salmonid Growers Association has come out in the wake of the book release saying the organisation is still working through the contents of the book.

They stopped short of denying his claims but said, "the impact of this book will be deeply felt by the more than 2000 people we directly employ and their families, as well as thousands of contractors that are part of our industry".

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