No, it would be literally impossible.
Storm bay is an enormous waterway and is one of the roughest aquaculture farming areas in the world. Storm Bay is the answer to offshore expansion, which is what the public have asked for. Tasmanian salmon companies have been trialling farming in Storm Bay since 2014. A very conservative estimate of the area of Storm Bay is 59,860 hectares, of which the current farming area is 460 hectares; less than one per cent. Exposed waters in the region provide farming conditions that will enable fish welfare to be optimised in a best-practice farming environment.
We are working with scientists from IMAS and CSIRO on a large observation, modelling and monitoring project in Storm Bay to determine what the capacity of that waterway is to safely farm in this area and not have detrimental impacts to the environment.
Some preliminary insights can be found here:
Salmon Interactions Team Website
Fisheries Research and Development Corporation Website
Off-shore farming combines good water flow, wave action (high energy) and coarse sand sediment on the seafloor. Some of the benefits of farming in high energy areas are more oxygen availability, faster flushing of carbon dioxide and ammonia, reduced impact on the sediment and water column, and better food conversion. When salmon farms are properly sited in deep, fast moving waters, the massive ocean space quickly assimilates organic fish waste – as confirmed by the most recent Storm Bay Broadscale Environmental Monitoring Program which assessed the off-shore growth areas and determined zero system-wide impact from farming.
Expansion into Storm Bay will also create significant new employment opportunities and provide economic stimulus in south-east regional communities.
New Tasmanian biosecurity standards also require 4km pen separation between fish year classes.
Benthic Impact Reports for Storm Bay and other useful information about proposed sites and existing site locations can be found here on the EPA website.
