Locals are concerned over decision to put Huon Aquaculture fish previously infected by POM-V into unused leases.
According to ABC news people are attending public meetings, complaining there has been “zero consultation”.
Earlier this month, the Environment Protection Authority issued permit allowing Huon Aquaculture to temporarily stock fish in Norfolk Bay for harvest. The company is moving potentially diseased salmon close to a fragile eco-system in Tasmania, home to the last remaining handful of the fish, of which there are believed to be as few as 80 left in the wild.
A spokesman for Huon told the publication that the fish were being moved into Norfolk Bay on Sunday in line with the permit.
More than 150 people turned out to a meeting in Koonya while more than 100 attended a meeting in Dodges Ferry today.
A fishing charter owner from Dodges Ferry, Mark Duncan, was reported saying:
“It’s the wrong place for salmon farming in Norfolk Bay, There’s been zero public consultation and the whole community is outraged.”
Tasman Peninsula Marine Protection spokesperson, Trish Baily, said they were calling for a temporary ban on fish farming.
“This move by Huon into Norfolk Bay really was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” she said.
“People have had enough. They have to have some answers and they have to know that the industry is not going to expand any more until there have been proper scientific investigations by independent [researchers].”
SalmonBusiness have contacted Huon Aquaculture for a reply.
