Why don’t you just farm cows on the water?
Um, we already do farm on land. All Tasmanian salmon companies already grow their salmon on land in freshwater hatcheries located all over the State.
Salmon need to start in fresh water and then grow out in seawater. It is their natural life cycle. To grow them entirely on land, we would need to create an artificial marine system on land.
Saltwater on land does not have beneficial reuse options and would need to be discharged back into the marine environment or go to landfill. Urgh.
If land-based rearing for the entire production cycle was possible it would change where product is grown as land-based systems would be placed close to markets near mainland airports. Tasmania would lose out.
This concept of on land salmon farming is being trialled around the world but is very much in the research phase. Currently only 1% of total global salmon production and still has many unresolved issues like greater stocking densities and power requirements. The area and power use would reduce the sustainability and low carbon component of production that we have
worked to achieve.
