2 days ago
Is this the end of the debate over salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour?
Tasmania has a long list of emotive, nation-shaping environmental debates.
From the Franklin Dam dispute that ultimately set a template for where responsibility sits for matters of national environmental significance, to the Gunns pulp mill battle that mobilised mass protest.
Salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour is another on the list — this time, resulting in federal environmental reform that decreased the ability of the public to challenge past decisions.
And, like the dam and the pulp mill, it's been coloured by protest and emotive argument.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had to speak over the sound of protest while visiting a Tassal facility in Tasmania's south.
On Thursday, federal Environment Minister Murray Watt — while guaranteeing the future of salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour — was met by a group of protesters in Devonport.
Macquarie Harbour has a blend of remoteness, uniqueness and natural beauty.
It's six times the size of Sydney Harbour, at the mouth of the Gordon River in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area.
Macquarie Harbour is also the only place in the world where the endangered Maugean skate is found, a ray-like species that relies on dissolved oxygen reaching the bottom of the harbour.
The skate needs a delicate and unique set of circumstances to survive.
Salmon farming started in the harbour in the 1980s. In 2012, it received federal environmental approval to expand.
By 2015, it had reached 20,000 tonnes of fish. When water quality issues became increasingly apparent, it was decided to wind back the stocking rates and set nitrogen limits.
But reduced dissolved oxygen levels had been having an impact on the Maugean skate — exacerbated by extreme weather events in 2019 that caused two mass die-off events.
In 2021, it was estimated that skate numbers had reduced by 47 per cent, and that the species could be one bad weather event away from potential extinction.
This brought intense scrutiny and attention onto salmon farming practices in the harbour, driven by environmental groups like the Bob Brown Foundation (BBF).
The federal Labor government promised no new extinctions — and environmental groups were driven to hold the government to this promise.
Three groups — the BBF, Environmental Defenders Office and the Australia Institute — lodged requests with the government to reconsider the 2012 expansion approval.
It resulted in the release of more information about the plight of the skate, including federal conservation advice that recommended further destocking of the salmon farms — which did not occur.
The reconsideration had been ongoing since November 2023, but created uncertainty for the aquaculture industry on Tasmania's west coast — and, thereby, political pressure on Labor.
In one of its last acts in parliament before the most recent federal election, Labor passed an amendment to environmental laws to effectively stop these kinds of reconsideration requests.
The law states that if industries have been operating for five years since receiving federal environmental approval, and are regulated by the state, then they cannot be reconsidered.
It applies to any industry — not just salmon farming.
The laws appear to have solved Labor's political problem, in a big way.
The party received a 15 per cent swing in Braddon — the largest of any seat at the federal election — under its staunchly pro-salmon candidate, Anne Urquhart.
It was easily enough to win the seat back from the Liberals.
In his letter to stakeholders, Mr Watt confirmed that the March law change was the basis for being able to reaffirm the 2012 salmon farming decision.
He said he had, therefore, followed the law.
"Every decision we make when it comes to environmental approvals is in compliance with the law," Mr Watt said.
"It's no secret that the government amended the legislation prior to the last election to outline a path to deal with reconsiderations, and we've now applied the law.
Industry body Salmon Tasmania said the decision provided "economic stability" for the west coast region, and pointed to research that suggested Maugean skate numbers had stabilised after a decade of decline.
An oxygenation trial — partly funded by the federal government — is continuing. It involves pumping dissolved oxygen into the harbour's depths, which the industry and government both believe can be a sustainable option.
The federal government is also helping to fund an insurance population of Maugean skate.
The decision came one week before a BBF legal challenge to the law change was due to be heard in the Federal Court.
The BBF is now considering its legal options, but believes the timing of the decision is intended to prevent departmental information from entering the public domain.
BBF campaigner Alistair Allan said the process had resulted in weakened environmental laws for all endangered species.
"We will be challenging this law, because we have to make sure that corporations are not the ones that get to decide what happens to Australia's environment," he said.
"Australia's laws are already atrociously weak.
"We have an animal here that was on the list, it was a priority species to be protected, and straight away it was condemned by the Albanese government."
There are 11 salmon licences in Macquarie Harbour that have been able to continue throughout the reconsideration process.
Fish biomass in the harbour is currently well below the peak from 2015, while the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has introduced new regulatory functions, such as nitrogen limits.
The law change effectively leaves regulation to the state-based EPA for the foreseeable future.
But it's unlikely to be the last Australians hear of the endangered Maugean skate, with studies continuing to point to a need for even further studies and data.
These would fully examine whether salmon farming can truly coexist with the skate, if oxygenation is a genuine long-term solution and if there is a stocking level or management options for fish farms that can ensure the skate avoids extinction — should severe weather events hit again.
