The Federal Government has announced a $28 million funding package to improve water quality in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour, home to the endangered Maugean skate.
The skate is facing extinction due to declining water quality and low oxygen levels, linked in part to salmon farming operations in the harbour.
The funding will be split between several initiatives, with $21 million to go towards boosting oxygen levels in the harbour.
This includes scaling up an existing oxygenation project, which is already showing promising results.
Another $5 million will support the Maugean skate breeding program and a further $2.5 million will be directed towards environmental monitoring and research on the fish’s population.
“The Tasmanian salmon industry is the backbone of many regional communities and it’s essential we support the thousands of jobs it creates right across the state,” Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said.
“To do that it’s essential we have a sustainable industry, which supports workers and the environment.”
The government has also pledged to engage with the local community in Strahan and fund further environmental monitoring in Macquarie Harbour to better understand the ecosystem.
While welcoming the funding, Tasmania’s Business, Industry and Resources Minister Eric Abetz expressed disappointment that the announcement lacked certainty for salmon industry workers and families.
“Hundreds of workers on the West Coast are quite rightly wondering what it will take for the Prime Minister to save their jobs,” he said.
“It appears that Labor is more interested in backing Greens-led sensitivities than real jobs.”
“This is why there is absolutely no reason the Prime Minister couldn’t have announced these jobs would be saved, today.”
“The Tasmanian Government has always believed salmon farming can co-exist with the Maugean skate in Macquarie Harbour.”
The Bob Brown Foundation say the cash splash is “outrageous”.
“The Federal Government promised the Australian public no new extinctions, not government handouts to mega-corporations,” campaigner Alistair Allan said.
“This money should be used to transition this industry out of Macquarie harbour, thereby saving both the Maugean Skate and helping workers.”
Despite the funding, the future of salmon farming in Macquarie Harbour remains uncertain.
The federal environment department is reviewing the expansion of salmon farms in the harbour, a process which could impact the industry’s future.
