An open letter to the people of the Falkland Islands from Neighbours of Fish Farming

Dear Falkland Islanders,

As an alliance representing communities from the north to the south of Tasmania determined to protect our coastline and rivers from the voracious Atlantic salmon corporations, we wish to express our solidarity with those of you resisting the industry establishing itself around your shores.

We represent thousands of everyday Tasmanians who have witnessed the ravages the industry has inflicted on our island and the manipulation of the political system and bureaucracies that now collaborate with the multinational salmon companies.

The Atlantic salmon industry afflicts coastal communities, bird life, marine animals and the water quality of rivers and bays that were once the pride of our island.

What are these afflictions? 

The lights and noise generated by giant salmon pens as much as 240 metres across; explosives and projectiles designed to scare seals but which can cause irreparable harm and death; diseased pens treated with antibiotics that find their way into wild fish as much as 7 kilometres away; poisonous algal blooms in rivers and on beaches; nutrient overloads that smother reefs; plastic debris littering foreshores, from microplastics to some so big they present a navigational hazard; threats to the very survival of endemic Tasmanian marine life like Maugean skate, Red Handfish and Burrunan dolphins.

Please make no mistake in believing the salmon companies will respond reasonably to reasonable concerns. Our experience and that of communities around the globe is that there is no stopping the greed of a multinational industry that will bully, demean and litigate against those who object. The industry is never sated in its demand for profits and expansion. It undermines political and bureaucratic integrity wherever it goes.

If we may be permitted to offer advice, then we urge you to just say “No” and continue to say “No”. There is no negotiation to be had with an industry in which your views, your concerns and your demands will be received with anything other than rejection.

Our broad alliance comprises people of all political persuasions, educational and social backgrounds; concerned individuals many of whom have never been involved in campaigns before, many of whom would not even consider themselves environmentalists. We are brought together because where once we welcomed the industry as an economic and reputational boon to our island, we now rue the day it arrived. And once the industry gets a foothold around your wonderful, pristine coast there will be no turning back.

From one island community to another, we send you our best wishes and hopes that your foreshores, unlike ours, never see a salmon pen blighting the coastline.

Peter George, president, Neighbours of Fish Farming for and on behalf of the following Tasmanian statewide organisations:

NWTas for Clean Oceans

Killora Community Association (Bruny Island)

Keep Our Coasts Clean, Wynyard

Marine Protection Tasmania

Environment Tasmania

Tasman Peninsula Marine Protection

Neighbours of Fish Farming