Remote salmon farmers take fight to nation’s capital

[Pelican Press 0]

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Remote salmon farmers take ****** to nation’s capital

Salmon farmers from Tasmania’s rugged west coast are taking a ****** to “save their jobs” to Canberra, insisting industry can co-exist with an endangered fish.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek is reviewing permits granted for salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour, the only home of the Maugean skate.

Latest scientific advice provided to the minister has recommended salmon farming be scaled back or removed to protect the skate, estimated to have 40 to 120 adults left in the wild.

Ms Plibersek began the review in November after environmentalists formally questioned aquaculture permits granted in 2012.

She has not given a time frame for her decision.

Workers, union representatives, local mayors and industry figures will on Wednesday meet with the prime minister and senior federal ministers.

Luke Martin, CEO of Salmon Tasmania which represents the state’s major aquaculture operators, said 395 jobs were directly tied to industry on the harbour.

“These are people … who are deeply invested in the environment of the west coast. Most of them are residents who are day-in day-out on the harbour,” he said.

“They are families, they have communities, they have mortgages (and) kids at the local school.”

The latest scientific advice, provided to the government by its own Threatened Species Scientific Committee, said the industry posed a “catastrophic” risk to the survival of the skate.

Salmon Tasmania has pointed to improving harbour oxygen levels and a re-oxygenation pumping program as reasons the industry and skate can co-exist.

“We’re confident in the science and regulation that underpins our industry,” Mr Martin said.

“There is no guarantee that ending salmon aquaculture in the harbour will save the skate.

“But it’s 100 per cent certain (to) cost jobs and break the community … we’re going to make sure the decision makers understand this.”

West Coast Council Mayor Shane Pitt, who is heading to Canberra, said he did not want his community to become collateral damage in a bid to win Melbourne and Sydney votes.

“When you live somewhere remote like we do … we tend to get a sense of ‘out of sight, out of mind’,” he said.

“I’m not going to sit on my hands and wait for them to come to us, I’m taking our ****** directly to Canberra.”

A spokeswoman for Ms Plibersek has said all relevant information would be assessed and the decision will be based on sound evidence.

The Australia Institute has accused the salmon industry of overstating the significance of Macquarie Harbour jobs.

Only 11 per cent of Tasmania’s salmon industry jobs were in the harbour area, according to the institute’s analysis of data.

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