‘I’ve had a gutful’: Jacqui Lambie says salmon industry should get out of Macquarie Harbour | Tasmania

Independent senator Jacqui Lambie has called on Tasmania’s salmon industry to stop farming in Macquarie Harbour on the state’s remote west coast, marking a dramatic intervention into a polarised debate with implications for the federal election.

“Macquarie Harbour has been a very hot, hot spud when it comes to the salmon industry for many, many years,” Senator Lambie told the Tasmanian Inquirer, “and it’s getting worse.”

Lambie said the solution was to remove the fish farms entirely. “Get them out of the Macquarie Harbour,” she said. “You’ve got waterways everywhere. Go and put them somewhere else … put them out further in the sea. They just don’t want [to do] it, because it costs those salmon companies more money.”

Lambie’s call comes after roughly 10% of salmon in Macquarie Harbour died over a seven month period and as mass-mortality events in disease-struck salmon farms on Tasmania’s south-east coast have resulted in oily globs of dead salmon washing ashore recently and thousands of dead fish being sent to landfill. Tasmania’s Environment Protection Authority said on Monday it did not know how many fish had died in the south-east.

Macquarie Harbour and the neighbouring town of Strahan are in the federal electorate of Braddon, held on a margin of 8% by the retiring Liberal MP, Gavin Pearce. Labor hopes to win back the volatile seat, with Senator Anne Urquhart hoping to move to the lower house.

Macquarie Harbour is the only home of the endangered Maugean skate, an ancient endemic ray-like species threatened by salmon farming, which lowers oxygen levels in the water and pollutes the sea floor.

In 2023 it was estimated there may be only between 40 and 120 adults remaining, but a more recent study suggested the population had recovered to about 2014 levels. The federal environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, is considering whether to upgrade the skate to critically endangered, amid conflicting advice. A decision was initially due last October.

“Go and put them on land. Go and put your fish somewhere else. I’ve had a gutful. You’ve made more than enough money off the arse of Tasmania. Move it on.”

Senator Jacqui Lambie

Last October a group of 30 scientists called for the industry in the harbour to be shut down. The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has pledged to protect the industry with salmon-specific legislation, and has announced $37m federal funding to improve oxygenation levels in the harbour and support a skate captive breeding program.

Lambie said she was “pro-salmon” farming, but described the federal funding as a waste of taxpayers money that should not be spent to clean up a “fucking mess” left by the three foreign-owned companies that dominate salmon production: Tassal, Huon Aquaculture and Petuna Seafoods.

“They make more than enough profits, paid no tax the last three years, and they can retrain their people,” she said, referring to an analysis of tax office data by progressive organisation the Australia Institute that claimed no company tax had been paid by Tasmanian salmon farmers since 2019.

“The bottom line is they should be paying [for the oxygenation] anyway … I don’t know what Albanese thought he was on, but that’s bullshit. It’s such a waste of taxpayers money.”

Lambie said the industry employed few people in Macquarie Harbour, which accounts for roughly 13% of the state’s salmon production and, according to the Australia Institute, 7% of industry jobs.

“There is no jobs down there, mate,” Lambie said, estimating – based on 2021 census data – that the industry employed only 20 people who live in Strahan. “Have you ever been out in the harbour? It’s all robotics. It’s just feed. They carry on. They overestimate.”

Salmon Tasmania says the industry directly employs about 120 people in Macquarie Harbour. It says about half of those live in Strahan.

Lambie suggested federal funding would be better spent supporting the deployment of affected workers. “Go and put them [the salmon pens] on land. Go and put your fish somewhere else. I’ve had a gutful. You’ve made more than enough money off the arse of Tasmania. Move it on.”

Salmon Tasmania was asked for its response to Lambie’s comments.

Former senator Rex Patrick, who is running for the Jacqui Lambie Network in South Australia, said the party “absolutely support sustainable fishing [but] that’s not what’s happening here.

“Port Lincoln provides a model example of sustainable fishing. You know, it can be done. But that’s not what was done in Macquarie Harbour.”

Lambie agreed: “That’s not sustainable.”

“I wouldn’t eat it. I don’t eat it!”