Australia: Salmon farming may be halted to save the rare skate

Federal authorities in Australia say salmon farming operations in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour could be temporarily halted amid a reconsideration of licences to protect a rare breed of skate. But the move has been met with fierce opposition from the local salmon industry. Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has warned, amid a push to protect the endangered Maugean skate (pictured) which is thought to be only found in that part of the world. Numbers have been declining due to low levels of oxygen in the harbour — primarily due to “unsustainable salmon farming”, it is being claimed, as well as hydro operations and climate change. The Minister has written to the Tasmanian premier Jeremy Rockliff suggesting that an investigation by a skate recovery team had said reducing salmon farming in the area could be an important step in protecting the fish. The Maugean skate, sometimes called the Port Davey skate, is a species of fish which was only discovered in 1988. Its natural ...