Protesters Resist Giant Salmon Farm on Tasmania’s East Coast
On Sunday, 18th June, 2017, I was invited to address a rally in Hobart protesting against a proposed industrial-scale salmon farm at Okehampton Bay, on the island state’s iconic east coast. You can read more about the background to this divisive issue here. Below is a transcript of my speech to the 1,000-plus folks from across the political and social spectrums who attended this powerful demonstration of people power, dubbed “FloatMo” by its organisers:
The energetic and lively protest rally against a giant salmon farm at Okehampton Bay gets into gear.
“Unlike the vast majority of you here today, I’m not a Tasmanian. This is not an issue that’s literally in my backyard. Instead, I’m one of those million-plus visitors who come to this beautiful island each year from the mainland and all over the world.
A flotilla of vessels of all sizes flood in to support the rally.
“I love my regular visits to Tasmania, whether I’m wading a trout stream or lake edge with a fly rod in my hand, flicking a lure for a wily bream here in the Derwent River or — as I was yesterday — trolling for tuna in the shadow of those awesome cliffs south of Eaglehawk Neck… There’s so much to love about Tasmania!
“So, while this might not be my backyard, I do feel very connected to this place, especially after dozens of visits across several decades. And I feel that I’m qualified to tell you a little bit about what it is that brings people like myself to this island state to spend our tourist dollars.
Keen surfers drop in to lend their support.
“For me (and, I suspect, for many others) it’s about the “wildness” of the place: “wildness”, but not necessarily wilderness. This “wildness” has been lost in so many other parts of the world. For many of us who visit Tasmania, it’s all about the feeling of being somewhere that has largely escaped the worst ravages of rampant development.
“It’s the clean, green, unspoilt nature of this amazing and varied island that draws us like a magnet… And those are exactly the things that are threatened by ill-conceived projects like the planned industrial-scale fish farm at Okehampton Bay, on the state’s iconic east coast.
“Let me strongly stress that I’m not opposed to aquaculture or fish farming. I want to make that absolutely clear. I recognise that aquaculture has a vital role to play in feeding a hungry world, as well as taking pressure off the wild fish stocks I care so much about, and which support my passion for recreational fishing. However, as with any form of primary production, there are good models and there are bad ones… I firmly believe that this salmon farm proposal for Okehampton Bay is a bad one!
From surfboards, yaks, SUPs, yachts, tinnies and cruisers to jet skis, every kind of watercraft and recreational pursuit under the sun was represented! This issue bridges all divides.
“Densely-stocked floating fish pens in shallow, coastal bays with limited tidal flushing are a proven source of environmental degradation: something that’s been clearly demonstrated at Macquarie Harbour on the west coast. These industrial scale inshore fish farms are effectively the dirty, brown-coal-fired power stations of the aquaculture world. They represent a model the rest of the world is moving away from.
Wilhelmina Rea, one of the rally’s hard-working organisers, addresses the growing crowd.
“From Norway to Scotland to America and New Zealand, it has been acknowledged that fish farms of this type are a bad model for sustainable aquaculture… yet the Tasmanian government continues to back this project [and the opposition won’t stand up firmly against it, either].
“… and don’t even get me started on the insanity of farming cold water salmon in seas that are simply too warm to keep them healthy for at least a month or two of each year! The potential for stress, disease and mass mortalities is high, not to mention the chance of such diseases spreading to wild fish stocks along your coast and in your rivers. I’m amazed that the investors in this project remain so keen when the risks are so great and so obvious!
The wetsuit-clad warrior queen of the SUP fleet rallies her troops!
“Look, I do understand the importance of creating employment and injecting income into depressed regional areas of Tasmania. But as a regular visitor, I can tell you that this project threatens to cost regional Tasmania more in lost jobs and decreased tourism revenue than it can ever hope to generate.
“So, while this might not be literally my backyard, until we all begin to think of the whole world as our backyard, those who are driven more by dollars than sense (as in common sense) will continue to threaten our shared resources and the environments that support them. I was going to end this address by saying ‘please don’t let this happen’, but looking around me here today at the faces in this crowd and your obvious enthusiasm, I don’t think it will happen… I certainly hope not! Thank you.”
More images appear below from the big day… And you can learn more, sign the petition or donate by going to the group’s page on Facebook here.
Supportive kayakers join the FloatMo throng. If the bloke on the right looks a bit familiar, it’s because he’s multi-award-winning Tasmanian novelist, Richard Flanagan.
Vessels of all shapes, sizes and types joined the FloatMo fleet to show their support.
The harbour fills with the colourful FloatMo fleet.
There was plenty of press coverage for the event.
Public resistance to the proposed industrial-scale salmon farm at Okehampton Bay brought together an extremely diverse group of concerned people from all backgrounds, political persuasions and walks of life.
