PROTESTS are growing against local salmon farming, with protesters delaying a Tassal ship as it was preparing to restock 16 pens in Long Bay near Port Arthur. Activists from the Bob Brown Foundation halted the Aqua Spa from pumping salmon into pens late last month. Police were called and protesters were asked to leave, which they did. Protesters travelled out to the heads of Long Bay and called on the Aqua Spa to stop, which it did until Tasmania Police escorted the salmon factory vessel into the bay.
“Today we have returned to stop more salmon from being pumped into Long Bay. We are here because the toxic salmon industry refuses to listen,” anti-fish farms campaigner Alistair Allan said. “The community has tried everything in the book to address this environmental disaster, from meeting with Tassal, meeting with government, holding town hall meetings, writing letters, and signing petitions. All of this has fallen on deaf ears.’’
After activist Ellen Maddock climbed aboard a fish farm pen in protest she was given an informal warning by police to leave the pen. “Tasmanians have had enough of the toxic salmon industry destroying our waterways. “It is time for these pens to be taken out of the water.’’
On Saturday August 27 a further protest took place with several people attending a rally at Long Bay. The crowd heard from Dr Bob Brown, Richard Flanagan, author of Toxic, Tasmanian Greens MP Dr Rosalie Woodruff and Trish Bailey from Tasman Peninsula Marine Protection. “A recent IMAS report determined that salmon were causing direct damage to the ecosystem,’’ Mr Allan said.
“After two days of frontline protests in which Tassal’s factory salmon vessel, the Aqua Spa, was delayed from filling the 16 empty pens at Long Bay, the community has come out in big numbers to show Tassal that they need to get out of Long Bay now. “This shows that the local community and Tasmanians in general, are against fish farms.
Protesters against Tassals Long Bay salmon farms. “Tasmanians love their oceans, rivers and bays and the salmon industry is destroying them before our very eyes. “They know that they have completely lost any social licence to bring that monstrous ship into this beautiful bay. It’s time that the industry and government listen to the concerns of Tasmanians and act on it.’’
Dr Brown said the snap rally at Long Bay was a sign of things to come. “People are riled up at the rapid loss of our island’s coastal and marine naturalness. “Dumping tonnes of fish faeces in a still bay like this will never be acceptable.’’
A Tassal spokesperson said a small number of protesters appeared at the Long Bay site which was not operating at the time. “This follows three protest boats interrupting safe passage of our vessel to our salmon farm resulting in a three hour delay to safe operations.
“A person, who claimed to be representing the BBF, placed themselves at risk by climbing onto a sea pen. We wrote to the BBF to say that this is inherently risky behaviour in a dynamic marine environment, which poses a range of safety hazards.
“While we respect individuals’ rights to differing opinions, safety is our priority and we called on the BBF to cease any behaviour (or encouraging others) that obstructs our operations and puts people at risk.’’