All freshwater fish farms in Tasmania are licenced by the Inland Fisheries Service (IFS) who require all salmonid farms to have a Fish Farm Biosecurity Management Plans (approved by both the IFS and Biosecurity Tasmania) that demonstrate compliance with the Freshwater Operations Standards outlined in Schedule 2 of the Biosecurity Program: Tasmanian Salmonid Industry. This plan must address regulatory compliance for therapeutant use under the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemical (Control of Use) Act 1995.
The Director of Public Health is responsible for providing advice on the human health implications of the use of therapeutants that may enter Tasmania's freshwater environment.
The EPA is responsible for ensuring that the use of therapeutants in freshwater finfish farming does not cause environmental harm.
The EPA regulates freshwater finfish farms producing salmonids (salmon and trout) at various locations throughout Tasmania. Most are hatcheries producing smolt (juvenile salmon) for marine based finfish farms.
The location of EPA regulated freshwater finfish farms and associated environmental licences can be accessed via the EPA Regulated Premises layer on LISTmap.
Unlike finfish farming in open net-pens in the marine environments where wastes generated by the fish are released directly to the environment, freshwater hatcheries have the capacity to treat wastewater before it leaves the hatchery and enters the aquatic environment.
Freshwater hatcheries differ from finfish farming in open net-pens in the marine environment where some medicated feed may be accessible to wild fish beyond the pen, and wastes generated by the fish are released directly to the marine environment. Freshwater hatcheries have the capacity to contain feed, manage waste and treat wastewater before it leaves the hatchery and enters the freshwater aquatic environment.
It is common practice for hatcheries to undertake solids removal (e.g. faecal material and uneaten feed etc) from the waste stream before the water is treated through biological filtration. This can be done through physical filtration via sedimentation/separation or drum filters. Physical filtration significantly reduces the volumes of solids in the wastewater stream.
The remaining wastewater can then be treated by biological means to reduce dissolved nutrients and other potential contaminants (such as antibiotics) before the water is either reused within the hatchery or returned to the river.
Current Treatments
Nil
Completed Treatments
- Huon Aquaculture undertook treatment with oxytetracycline at their Meadowbank hatchery commencing on 21 January 2026 for a period of 10 days.
- Huon Aquaculture undertook treatment with oxytetracycline at their Meadowbank hatchery commencing on 31 January 2026 for a period of 10 days.
Antibiotic Residue Monitoring Requirements
The EPA has issued a schedule of monitoring requirements in relation to the above antibiotic treatment events. The monitoring requirements outlined in the schedules are designed to detect residues of antibiotics in the freshwater environment downstream of the hatchery where the antibiotic was applied.
Therapeutant Residue Monitoring Schedule Meadowbank Hatchery January 2026 (PDF 787Kb)