The latest media release from Salmon Tasmania says that nearly 400 jobs are supported by Macquarie Harbour fish farms, but an analysis by Toxic author Richard Flanagan found that in 2021, according to the Tasmanian Department of State Growth, the total number of jobs in Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing on the West Coast was 81 people.
Salmon Tasmania then went on to repeat the line that “…it is critically important the real cause of its population decline is identified and dealt with…” despite Federal Government conservation advice explicitly stating that aquaculture has a catastrophic impact on the Maugean Skate.
“Salmon Tasmania is feeling the pressure, now that everyone can see they are responsible for the possible extinction of the Maugean Skate, so they are now trying to mislead the public and the media,” said Alistair Allan, Antarctic and Marine Campaigner at Bob Brown Foundation.
“I challenge Salmon Tasmania to publicly release all data they have, including the secret Deloitte report, to back up these claims. If the Maugean Skate goes extinct, it will be the first extinction of a ray or shark linked to aquaculture anywhere in the world.”
“Tanya Plibersek promised no new extinctions when she came into office, and I know that the Australian public expects that she upholds this promise. Salmon Tasmania says it will not concede a single fish in Macquarie Harbour, but this too is false. They are all too happy to concede the fate of the Maugean Skate and let it vanish off the face of this Earth forever in the name of jobs and profit,” concluded Alistair Allan.
Photo: Jane Ruckert