The Board of the Environment Protection Authority (EPA) has concluded its assessment of a proposal by Huon Aquaculture Company for the intensification and expansion of the Whale Point Nursery Facility at Port Huon.
The proposal will upgrade wastewater treatment infrastructure and install a second recirculating aquaculture infrastructure system at the site which will achieve substantial improvements for wastewater and effluent management at the site. The proposal will increase the time that smolt at the Whale Point nursery spend within the land-based facility reducing the grow-out time that fish spend in marine pens before harvest. The proposal will increase production at the existing freshwater salmon nursery from 800 tonnes to up to 4,368 tonnes per year, however all fish grown at Whale Point will be transferred to existing marine fish farm leases which must comply with existing scale-setting total permissible dissolved nitrogen output (TPDNO) determinations.
Public consultation was undertaken from 21 November to 19 December 2025, with four submissions received. Key issues raised included potential nutrient impacts (such as eutrophication and algal blooms), increased vessel activity, odour, and the handling of hazardous substances. Wastewater management and noise were identified as the primary concerns.
The EPA has imposed strengthened licence conditions, including tighter water quality limits, enhanced monitoring and reporting, and staged production increases linked to verified treatment performance.
“The conditions are designed to ensure wastewater is effectively managed and to provide increased oversight as the facility expands," the Chair of the EPA Board said.
Noise impacts on nearby residents in Port Huon and Wattle Grove have also been addressed through strict noise limits, construction controls, and requirements for monitoring, surveys and corrective action where needed.
The environmental licence includes 58 conditions to manage risks, covering staged production limits, effluent treatment and discharge, construction impacts, air quality (including odour and dust), water management, waste, hazardous substances, and biodiversity protection. Robust requirements for environmental management, compliance reporting, incident response and community complaints handling will support ongoing oversight.
The Board has considered the relevant issues and determined that the proposal can be managed in an environmentally sustainable manner, with conditions imposed. The assessment was undertaken in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment Principles in section 74 of the Environmental Management and Pollution Control Act 1994.
This decision and all assessment documents can be viewed at Huon Aquaculture Company Pty Ltd, Whale Point Nursery Expansion, Finfish Farming.
ENDS.
Published on:
10/07/2026