16 September 2021

Guy Barnett, Minister for Primary Industries and Water

10-year Plan to support our sustainable salmon industry

The Tasmanian Government is taking action to support our sustainable salmon industry to remain world leading.

We will build on our strong foundations and achieve this through improved regulation and transparency, new research and innovation programs, and a new industry fee structure to re-invest into compliance and monitoring, and to ensure full cost recovery and an appropriate return to the Tasmanian community.

Tasmanians are proud of the salmon industry and we want them to be so into the future as well.

The Plan will be centred on innovation, continuous improvement and world leading practices.

To support this we will develop a new 10-year Salmon Plan beginning on 1 January 2023, underpinned by the following principles:

1. There will be no net increase in leased farming areas in Tasmanian waters.

   This is an important principle, noting an immediate 12 month moratorium will be put in place to enable existing exploration permits to be considered in the context of the 10-Year Salmon Plan.

2. Innovation – future growth lies in land based and off-shore salmon farming

   We will develop new research and innovation programs to support salmon farming further off shore in deep waters, including Commonwealth waters, and to increase salmon farming on shore in land based systems.

3. World-best practice through continuous improvement

   We will ensure world’s best practices through continuous improvement in regulation and transparency, and review fees and charges to ensure full cost recovery and an appropriate return to the Tasmanian community.

4. Strict independent regulation Separation of the EPA from DPIPWE will further enhance its role as the independent environmental regulator.  Immediate additional positions will be created to support compliance, including a new Director of Fin Fish Compliance.

Over the next 12 months, the Plan will be developed and will allow industry and the community to identify new long term actions that support our vision for a sustainable industry, which continues to support Tasmanian jobs and businesses across the supply chain.

We will continue to utilise science from internationally respected institutions, including IMAS, CSIRO and the Blue Economy CRC to inform sustainability through appropriate planning and regulation.

Changes to configurations in existing lease areas will be considered through the statutory planning process to provide for improved biosecurity or community amenity.

More Media Releases from Guy Barnett

More Media Releases from the Minister for Primary Industries and Water