Another high-profile chef is throwing his support behind a growing campaign to take Tasmanian salmon off the menu, citing environmental concerns and calling the industry “dirty”.
Matthew Evans, host of SBS series Gourmet Farmer and What’s the Catch, has become a leading voice in the movement, refusing to serve Tasmanian salmon at his Fat Pig Farm in the Huon Valley.
“We see first-hand the rubbish and devastation that poorly regulated and unsustainable fish farming has caused, but I also follow the science,” Evans said.
“It’s clear that the way we produce salmon in Australia in open pens is done in a way that has caused harm and continues to harm Tasmania’s natural environment.”
“It’s a dirty industry that refuses to clean up its act.”
Evans has joined the ‘Off the Table’ campaign, which started in Scotland and has since spread across the UK, Canada, Iceland and now, Australia.
The campaign, driven locally by Neighbours of Fish Farming, urges chefs, restaurants and consumers to reject open-net farmed salmon and consider more sustainable seafood options.
Stephen Peak, head chef at The Agrarian Kitchen, is also on board and has committed to sourcing alternatives.
“As a chef, I believe I have a responsibility to serve produce that has been farmed ethically and sustainably and to educate and promote the importance of small-scale, local and sustainable farming,” he said.
The campaign is picking up steam just weeks after Mures, one of Tasmania’s most iconic seafood restaurants, pulled farmed salmon from its menu.
It follows a recent mass outbreak of a bacterial disease in southern Tasmanian waters, which resulted in the death of over one million salmon.
