In exciting news, Tassal has been granted a permit to explore the potential for future salmon farming off parts of the East Coast of King Island, including investigation of environmental conditions.
This is good news for King Island as salmon farming has the potential to bring significant infrastructure to the island and create dozens of new jobs.
King Island is currently moving ahead with strong growth particularly in its tourism sector, and this potential new industry offers a major boost to the economy by providing full-time, year-round work.
At the same time, the Hodgman Liberal Government understands the importance of community consultation and strong environmental regulations.
If the exploration results in Tassal determining that salmon farming is possible in the area, Tassal will still need to go through all the normal planning processes, including community consultation.
In addition, we have recently significantly strengthened penalties and regulations and put the independent Environment Protection Authority in charge of all aspects of environmental control of the industry.
If salmon farming does ultimately take place off King Island, residents can be assured that the Island’s precious brand will be protected.
The exploration area is approximately 124 square kilometres off Nine Mile Beach, extending up to 5.5 kilometres offshore.
To view a map of the proposed area visit: http://dpipwe.tas.gov.au/salmonreform
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