From the Lake Pedder and Franklin River campaigns in the 1970s and 1980s, to the logging and destruction of old growth forests for woodchips, Tasmania’s history of strong campaigns against environmentally damaging development has always been framed as a “jobs versus environment” issue, when it has really been about profits versus the environment.

Environmental activists point to the toxic practices of industrial-scale fish farms and say they risk Tasmania’s reputation as “clean and green”.

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Tasmania’s salmon aquaculture industry started as a small, low-tech industry in the 1980s. It has grown to become a billion-dollar operation, producing approximately 75,000 tonnes of Atlantic salmon each year.

Atlantic salmon, a non-native species, is farmed in sea cages along Tasmania’s estuaries, inshore channels and harbours. The cages are open to the ocean and waste washes into the surrounding water. Salmon smolt are raised in hatcheries in some of the state’s most pristine rivers. Hatchery waste with minimal treatment is often released back into the rivers. Fish pens have taken over beautiful channels and bays.

Labor and Liberal governments appear to be completely captive to aquaculture companies’ demands. As production accelerates, Tasmania’s once healthy waterways have become devoid of plant and fish species.

The high densities of fish and exposure to pathogens create breeding grounds for disease and parasites. Weakened fish suffer congenital diseases and succumb more easily to viruses, bacteria and harmful parasites. From eggs to adulthood, the salmon are manipulated to enhance rapid growth to the detriment of the fish’s health.

Disease and abnormalities are rampant. Pesticides and insecticides also cause disease, as chemicals affect embryo development and cell structures.

Salmon are affected by oxygen levels in the water, population density and feed quality, with treatment by antibiotics being used throughout the fish’s life.

A memo from Tassal Aussie Seafood to Tasmania’s Environment Protection Agency (EPA) in 2022, released under the freedom of information, revealed the salmon industry had used more than 31.4 tonnes of antibiotics in........

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