Australia urgently closes nearby fishing areas due to the use of antibiotics in salmon farms

Just hours after the commercial rock lobster fishing season began on November 14, the Tasmanian Department of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE) announced the closure of two fishing areas south of the D'Entrecasteaux Channel in the southeast of the state, "until further notice."

The Tasmanian Rock Lobster Commission stated that the closed areas are within a 3-kilometer radius of salmon farms using flumethrin. The closure is not due to any risk of flumethrin for human consumption, but rather out of an abundance of caution regarding access to export markets.

China is the largest export market for Tasmanian rock lobster, which requires that no antibiotic residues be detected in imported products.

The Tasmanian salmon farming industry was granted federal approval this month for the emergency use of flumethrin in response to a mass mortality event last summer.

The state government advises consumers who wish to avoid exposure to antibiotic residues to avoid consuming seafood caught within a 3-kilometer radius of salmon farms using flumethrin.

The state government has published a real-time map showing the areas where flumethrin is being used.