NOFF calls for decision NOW on Macquarie Harbour as eminent scientists urge salmon removal

NOFF calls on Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek to urgently announce the withdrawal of Atlantic salmon feedlots from Macquarie Harbour, with the weight of scientific opinion now fully behind the move.

An open letter to the Minister signed by 33 leading Australian scientists (see below) underscores the need for urgent action.

NOFF applauds the scientists for their forthright letter and their clear conclusion that Minister Plibersek has the responsibility for Australia's commitments to protect the skate, and the capacity to immediately halt salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour.

"This letter should be the clear game changer," says Peter George, president of NOFF. "The weight of scientific evidence and opinion stands in stark contrast to the hired consultants the Tasmanian Atlantic salmon industry has paid to muddy the waters."

"Crucially, the scientists back the same position NOFF has been pressing for years - that the feedlots be removed, in conjunction with action by government and industry to protect the welfare of the West Coast community. This is action the government and industry should have started years ago as the scale of the catastrophe became clear. If industry and government have any conscience at all, that support will start today."

As the letter advocates: " . . . the impact on the west coast community will require support from governments, and from the industry that has profited from salmon farming in Tasmanian waters to date."

• More information: Peter George: 0426 150 369 president@noff.au