As a seafood lover Down Under, I was shocked when I recently heard rumors that farmed salmon is banned in Australia. Salmon is one of my favorite fish, so I did some digging to find out if farmed salmon is really prohibited here, or if it was misleading information.
Let’s explore this salmon controversy together and determine if farmed salmon is actually banned, legal, or somewhere in between. I’ll also discuss the health and sustainability issues surrounding farmed salmon sold in Australia.
Is All Farmed Salmon Truly Banned?
After researching extensively, I discovered that farmed salmon is not completely banned in Australia. However there are strict regulations around how and where it can be produced.
Here are the key facts:
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Farmed salmon production is currently only permitted in the state of Tasmania. Farming isn’t allowed in mainland Australia.
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Tasmania has nine active salmon farm sites located in Macquarie Harbour and other coastal zones.
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Major producers like Tassal Huon Aquaculture, and Petuna are approved to farm Atlantic salmon in authorized zones around Tasmania.
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So while farmed salmon isn’t outright banned in Oz, where it can be farmed is tightly controlled and production is based entirely in Tasmania.
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No commercial salmon farming exists in the other Australian states and territories at this time due to environmental concerns.
The Backstory on Bans in Australia
To understand the restrictions around farmed salmon, we have to look at the history:
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Salmon farming first started in Tasmania in the 1980s and rapidly expanded through the 90s.
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In 2005, a moratorium banned new salmon farming licenses and expansion in Tasmanian inland waters.
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By 2012, all jurisdictions except Tasmania and South Australia had placed bans on salmon farming in coastal waters within 3 nautical miles of shore.
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Recently, the Victorian and WA governments affirmed commitments to prohibiting salmon farming in state waters.
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So while not fully banned, there are tight limits on where salmon aquaculture can occur and strict regulations for the approved Tasmania farms.
Health and Sustainability Concerns
Opponents of open-water salmon farming point to health and ecological impacts as reasons for the bans in mainland Australia:
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Fish Health: Open pens can expose farmed salmon to sea lice, viruses, and diseases not found in wild salmon. Critics argue this creates health risks if diseased fish escape.
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Pollution: Waste, chemicals, and excess food from farms can pollute ocean habitats and cause algal blooms.
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Invasive Species: Escaped farmed salmon could colonize rivers and compete with native fish like trout.
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Sustainability: Farming carnivorous salmon requires feeding them wild-caught fish, which may deplete populations like sardines, anchovies, mackerel etc.
On the other hand, the Tasmanian salmon farming industry cites strict regulations and monitoring procedures to mitigate these impacts, along with employing over 2500 people.
What About Imported Farmed Salmon?
While commercial farming in most of Australia is banned, imported farmed Atlantic salmon is still available from places like New Zealand, Chile, Norway and Canada.
By sourcing responsibly from overseas producers with eco-friendly practices, Australian retailers can still offer sustainable farmed salmon options without expanding contentious local aquaculture operations.
When buying imported salmon, look for credible sustainability certifications like ASC or BAP. This indicates responsible farming minimizing the associated environmental risks.
Time For Some Wild-Caught!
Instead of worrying about farmed salmon, there are some fabulous wild-caught Australian salmon species I recommend trying:
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Australian Salmon – Caught in coastal waters from NSW to WA from autumn to winter. Deep pink flesh with a bold, fatty flavor.
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Tasmanian Trout – Actually a landlocked salmon found only in Tasmania. Rich orange flesh and a buttery flavor.
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Hiramasa Kingfish – Farmed in SA and WA without pollution concerns. Sashimi-grade with a clean, sweet taste.
By choosing wild-caught options or reputable imports, we can still enjoy salmon’s health benefits while supporting responsible practices.
The Takeaway on Farmed Salmon in Australia
While not completely prohibited nationwide, commercial salmon farming in Australia faces tight restrictions and is currently limited only to Tasmania. Concerns around sustainability and fish health underlie the cautious approach to expanding aquaculture operations. But with stringent regulations and continuing advances in technology, sustainable farmed salmon can be produced both locally and overseas.
For seafood lovers like me, we can feel confident eating salmon in moderation while also mixing in some fabulous wild-caught Aussie seafood. With an open mind and engagement from all stakeholders, perhaps broader acceptance of regulated salmon farming may one day be possible. But for now, we have access to high-quality farmed and wild salmon options in Australia, so there’s no need to miss out!
Fishing farms reduce oxygen
The industrial aquaculture of Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout began in Macquarie Harbour in the late 1980s. But by 2017, the Tasmanian Environment Protection Authority had to cut down on the number of farmed fish because the water quality had clearly gotten worse and a lot of salmon had died in captivity.
Between 2009 and 2014, the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water across Macquarie Harbour steadily dropped. Over the past ten years, these levels have changed with the seasons, but they have not yet returned to normal.
Atlantic salmon pens in Macquarie Harbour.Credit: Getty
Between 2014 and 2019, the number of Maguean skates dropped by almost half. The scientists also noticed that the animals they caught were all bigger and older, which suggests that no young skates were joining the population to grow it.
People have asked that fish farming in the harbor be cut back or stopped, even though it’s a big business. But scientists say this probably won’t happen fast enough to save the skate.
It’s a race against time.
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The Maugean skate has changed over 100 million years to live in the dark, tannin-rich water of Macquarie Harbour, a fjord-like estuary on Tasmania’s lonely west coast.
But this Gondwanan relic, dubbed the “thylacine of the sea”, is now on the brink of extinction. The federal government released a conservation plan this week that says industrial fish farming and leaving the hydroelectric dam flows in Macquarie Harbour, which is the only place the species lives, alone will have a “catastrophic” effect on the skate’s already small population.
The Maugean skate is on the brink of extinction.Credit: Neville Barrett
Conservation groups want Australia’s big supermarkets, like Coles, Woolworths, and Aldi, to stop selling farmed salmon from Macquarie Harbour so that the endangered skate doesn’t go extinct. Salmon aquaculture is the primary cause of reduced levels of dissolved oxygen in the harbour.
Alistair Allan, a marine campaigner at the Bob Brown Foundation, said, “Woolworths, Coles, and Aldi are killing one of Australia’s rare and unique animals by selling a product.”
“These businesses need to stop buying and selling salmon and trout from Macquarie Harbour right away. It’s like these grocery stores selling rhino horn.” ”.
About 40,000 people have signed an online petition by the global consumer group Eko asking Australia’s big supermarkets to stop selling Macquarie Harbour salmon.
After Labor won the election last year, Tanya Plibersek, the Federal Environment Minister, promised there would be “zero new extinctions.” This week, she announced that $2 1 million for a captive breeding program for the Maugean skate.
The Tasmanian government is in charge of aquaculture rules and licenses. Environment Minister Roger Jaensch said he was happy with the way things are now. Advertisement.
Though it lived millions of years ago, the Maugean skate is thought to not have changed much from its Gondwanan ancestors. It still has a pointy nose and a tail with thorns on it.
Skates were first found in Bathurst Harbour in 1988 and then in Macquarie Harbour a few years later. However, recent research has found only small amounts of skate DNA in Bathurst Harbour, which means there is no longer a population there.
Professor Jayson Semmens and research fellow David Moreno from the University of Tasmania have been studying the skate for more than 13 years. They are glad that a conservation plan has been made and money has been set aside to pay for it.
But it won’t be a straightforward task. A lot of the advice makes it clear that Macquarie Harbour is a very complicated ecosystem and this species is also very complicated. “A lot of knowledge has been put together to figure out what’s going on and what the best thing to do might be.” ”.
Skates haven’t been bred in captivity very often; the only program that exists is for the clearnose skate in the United States. Scientists said it was important to have an “insurance” population of Maugean skates because they live in a unique environment and will be hard to breed them in captivity.
Farm Raised Salmon EXPOSED…what you’re actually eating.
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