The EPA is continuing its investigation into how congealed fish oil washed up on shorelines in the southern D'Entrecasteaux Channel area following notifications from Verona Sands residents on 16 February.
Acting CEO and Director of the EPA, Cindy Ong, said the Authority is conducting thorough investigations into potential breaches of environmental licences, waste regulations and the Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act 1994.
“The EPA has recently imposed new environmental licence conditions that require monthly reporting of the combined weight of deceased fish arising from marine finfish farms, with the first of these reports expected later this month," said Ms Ong.
“The conditions also require deceased fish to be removed from pens as soon as practicable and the waste must be transported by a Controlled Waste Transporter and taken to a site approved by either the EPA or local Council."
Reporting by facilities regulated by the EPA in the south of the state, that are permitted to receive salmon mortality waste, has occurred this week for the month of February. Data for the month of February shows over 5,500 tonnes of salmon mortality waste was received across a number of these facilities. Site inspections of facilities receiving mortality waste have commenced and will continue over the coming weeks. While these facilities have been largely found to be compliant with permitted quantity limits, some facilities have been found to be non-compliant with other requirements and this will likely result in enforcement action.
Ms Ong said mortalities are a known aspect of salmon farming worldwide and are typically elevated during the summer months, when warmer waters and other factors affecting salmon health, including certain diseases, are more likely to occur.
Tasmania's Chief Veterinary Officer has advised the salmon mortality event in the lower D'Entrecasteaux Channel is largely due to an endemic bacterium, with recent testing detecting the bacterium known as Piscirickettsia salmonis (P. salmonis).
“The 2024-25 summer season saw a significant increase in mortality notifications in the southern region compared to previous years, with hundreds of pen notifications in February in the D'Entrecasteaux Channel region alone."
Ms Ong said the EPA requires salmon companies to conduct detailed antibiotic residue monitoring of sediments and wild fish following application of antibiotics to fish farm pens.
“To date, antibiotic residue levels observed in wild fish samples outside of lease areas, collected under our monitoring requirements, have remained below the maximum concentration of antibiotics in wild fish flesh in accordance with Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) advice."
The investigation remains ongoing and is likely to conclude later this year.
ENDS.
Published on:
6/03/2025