The Albanese government‘s Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Murray Watt, is in Tasmania for two days to meet the Tasmanian salmon farm industry but not community groups alarmed by the industry’s spreading pollution of local waterways.
The Bob Brown Foundation has written to Minister Watt asking for a meeting to discuss the damaging impacts that industrial fish farms are having on marine ecosystems.
“I’m available to meet him anytime over the next few days. There are huge problems with Tasmania’s fish farm industry that I would like to discuss and I look forward to his response,” said Alistair Allan, BBF’s Fish Farm campaigner.
“The federal Environment Minister, Tanya Plibersek, just announced a goal of zero new extinctions. She listed both the Maugean Skate and the Red Hand Fish as priority species. These fish are threatened by industrial fish farms. We want Minister Watt to tell us what the government’s plan is to protect their habitats. This Labor minister should be working with the community, not just the foreign-owned businesses exploiting our beautiful marine environments,” Allan said.