A risk assessment of fur seals interactions with aquaculture in Tasmania

• Main Authors: Hindell, M, Lea, MA, Auman, H
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: Tassal Group Pty Ltd 2013
• Subjects: Environmental Sciences; Environmental Science and Management; Wildlife and Habitat Management; Atlantic salmon
• Online Access: http://ecite.utas.edu.au/92936

Salmon aquaculture in Tasmania is a well established and growing part of the Statesprimary industry. Farming Atlantic salmon involves holding very large numbers of fish inlarge pens suspended in the sea, typically in groups of 10 or more pens known as a farm.The farms are all coastal and located around Tasmania in areas that meet particularrequirements of coastal and bathymetric topography and current flow. This highconcentration of fish overlaps with the normal range of fur seals, and inevitably results inseals being attracted to pens in an attempt to access the fish. The first harvest of salmonfrom aquaculture in Tasmania occurred in 1987 (53 tonnes), so seals have been interactingwith fish farms for more than 25 years. As the industry has grown (now 40,000 tonnesannually, (TSGA 2013)), the number of interactions has also increased.