EPA tells Tassal to destock Macquarie Harbour farming lease
Tasmania’s Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has told salmon producer, Tassal, to destock one of its Macquarie Harbour farming leases by the end of February 2017.
The decision comes after the EPA decided to lower stocking limits from 20, 000 tonnes to 14, 000 tonnes in January 2017 to help address concerns regarding the state of Macquarie Harbour.
In a statement to the Australian Securities Exchange, Tassal said it has been concerned about conditions in Macquarie Harbour and as a result reduced stocking rates as early as 2015 by 20 per cent.
“As previously reported, monitoring in November in November 2016 picked up significant non-compliances at the Frankin lease – Lease no. 256. The decision was made to fully destock the site, with a harvest start date and harvest strategy that was determined to ensure that this was done with an appropriate consideration of the environment, our fish and the safety of our people and process. We have been actively destocking the Franklin site since the beginning of January 2017, harvesting to maximum capacity, We are providing regular updates to the EPA.
“We are committed to getting the Franklin lease – Lease no. 266 back into compliance,” Tassal said.
Earlier in February Australian Food News reported that Huon Aquaculture, another Tasmanian salmon producer, lodged proceedings against the Tasmanian government in the Australian Federal Court saying it has not properly regulated Macquarie Harbour.
The proceedings claim that the government is not complying to the conditions of a 2012 decision which approved the expansion of salmon farming in the harbour.
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