Palawa Oppose Industrial Fish Farming in Aboriginal Sea Country

Palawa people are calling on the Australian Government to reject plans to expand open-net fish farming in Bass Strait. Aboriginal Sea Country is not a place for industry to experiment.

The Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania (ALCT), Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre, Truwana Rangers and Pakana Rangers have come together to oppose this proposal, which would see fish numbers jump from 15,000 to 55,000 in Commonwealth waters off the north-west coast.

“This proposal has failed to demonstrate that it will protect Aboriginal cultural values, culturally important species, food sovereignty and the long-term health of Bass Strait,” said Krystelle Jordan, ALCT councillor.

“Bass Strait is not an empty industrial zone. It is Aboriginal Sea Country. It is a living cultural landscape that has sustained our people, our food systems, our knowledge and our identity for thousands of generations.

“What is at stake is far more than the environment. Cultural practices that have endured for more than 2,000 generations are at risk from ongoing impacts on our Sea Country. We are already seeing the degradation of mariner shells and our intertidal zones, places that hold cultural knowledge, sustain traditional food gathering and connect us to our ancestors,” Ms Jordan said.

This proposal is being called a research project, but it is really about testing if commercial fish farming can be pushed into Bass Strait in the future.

“This is not simply about one fish pen. It is about opening the door to the industrialisation of Aboriginal Sea Country.”

Big questions remain about fish feed, waste, disease, escaped fish, artificial light, and what all this means for the marine food web.

We are especially worried about what this could mean for yula, the short-tailed shearwater or muttonbird. Yula is at the heart of Palawa culture and is part of one of the oldest living food traditions in the world.

“Yula is not just another species on a list. Yula harvesting brings families together, sustains cultural knowledge, supports livelihoods and maintains connections between generations. Any threat to yula is a threat to living Aboriginal culture,” said David Lowery, Chair of ALCT and Mutton Bird Shed Owner on Titima/Trefoil Island.

There has been no proper assessment of how this will affect yula feeding grounds, food sources, migration paths or the wider marine life that yula relies on.

We also question claims that more salmon farming will help with food security.

Even though salmon farming has grown a lot in Tasmania, many families still struggle to put food on the table, and Aboriginal households are hit hardest.

“Producing more salmon does not automatically feed people who are struggling to put food on the table. Before government approves another salmon expansion, it should explain who this project benefits,” said Mr Lowery.

Important information is still missing, including:

• Where fish feed ingredients will come from.
• Whether wild fish will be used to produce feed.
• How much waste will enter Bass Strait.
• How disease and pathogens will be managed.
• How protected marine species could be affected.
• What cumulative impacts would occur if commercial salmon farming expands across the Strait.

Mr Lowery also points out that there has been no real consultation with Tasmanian Aboriginal people, and no independent look at how this will affect our cultural values and Sea Country.

“Our people should not have to fight for a seat at the table after decisions have already been made. Genuine engagement begins before a site is chosen, before a project is designed and before Sea Country is allocated to industrial use.”

“Our submission makes clear that Environment Minister Murray Watt must require a full environmental impact assessment, an independent Aboriginal cultural assessment, and a process consistent with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples before considering any approval.”

Ms Jordan reiterates the concern felt by all Palawa on the ongoing impacts to Sea Country and how that is impacting the health of Palawa. “The health of our people is inseparable from the health of Country. Damage to Sea Country is not only environmental harm. It is cultural harm.”

“Bass Strait has sustained Palawa people for millennia. It should not be risked for an experiment that raises more questions than it answers.”

Read the joint submission: Bass Strait Fish Farm Expansion (external link)