Animals Australia is calling on Biosecurity Tasmania to investigate Tasmania’s major salmon farm operators – Huon Aquaculture, Tassal Group and Petuna Aquaculture – over serious animal welfare concerns in their treatment of farmed Atlantic salmon, seabirds, seals, and dolphins.
As stated by Senator Faruqi, Deputy Leader of the Australian Greens and spokesperson for Animal Welfare
“The premature deaths of millions of salmon suggests severe breaches of animal welfare obligations and must be investigated with the urgency and seriousness it demands. We back Animals Australia in this fight against animal cruelty.
“This death, disease, and cruelty is the consequence of repeated governments and the salmon farming industry denying the sentience of salmon. If any other animal died prematurely in the millions under an industry’s watch, there would be outrage and horror, but the salmon industry has escaped this scrutiny.
“Time and time again, salmon farming in Tasmania has shown its blatant disregard for animal welfare. Not only for the salmon, but for the seals, dolphins and seabirds that are discarded casualties in a greedy and destructive industry.
“The Tasmanian salmon industry is nothing but a mass polluter and an existential threat to Tasmania’s unique marine habitat and wildlife.
“Biosecurity Tasmania must launch an immediate investigation and show these multinational companies that animal cruelty, in all forms, for all animals, is unacceptable.”
As stated by Vanessa Bleyer, Australian Greens Senator for Lutruwita/Tasmania and spokesperson for Healthy Oceans:
“It’s not just the salmon that are suffering.
“As a lawyer I led the legal action against the Environment Minister to bring fish farming in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour, the only place the Maugean skate is found, back under control.
“The Maugean skate is on the brink of extinction due to low oxygen levels and warming waters – the same conditions that formed the basis of one complaint against these fish farming companies.
“The skate is one extreme weather event away from extinction, and that extreme weather event is here with the arrival of the strongest El Niño on record.
“The government needs to act immediately and reduce the number of salmon cages in Macquarie Harbour to pre-2012 levels, and ensure the companies maintain humane stocking levels within those cages.”
