Kingfish News
Submitted by SARFAC Friday, 7th February 2003

From: mccnsa@senet.com.au
To: Recipient list suppressed
Sent: Friday, February 07, 2003 4:04 PM
Subject: Re: Kingfish News

FYI
.......... May see some DEH response with regards to Kingfish in Whyalla region and potential impacts to the cuttlefish population - DEH Director looks like calling an emergency meeting with PIRSA to deal with the problem before the cuttlefish aggregations start forming ..........

Kingfish News
Below are some thoughts on the research from some of the Conservation NGO's

The recent announcement of $2 million dollars aquaculture research will not deal with environmental impacts of aquaculture unless it is managed by more independent interests.

The money research funding being allocated to the Aquaculture industry should be handled by a more independent organisations than the Aquaculture Advisory Committee, PIRSA Aquaculture and the SARDI Aquaculture Program.

The State government is failing to adequately heed the concerns of conservationists, recreational fishers, commercial marine scale fishers and marine ecologists over impacts from aquaculture.

There is an urgent need for more resourcing to re-establishing an effective marine ecology research program within either Department of Environment or the SARDI Environment and Ecology program, with broader environment and community objectives than the aquaculture industry.

There is a need for a serious examination and change of culture within PIRSA Aquaculture, a restructuring of the Aquaculture Consultative Committee and improved Environment agency involvement in aquaculture issues.

PIRSA Aquaculture is an active marketer and promoter of aquaculture rather than an adequate regulator of the industry and is failing in its obligation for stewardship of the marine environment - it is a "fox in charge of the "marine" chicken coop.

Research funding and the Aquaculture Consultative Committee are dominated by industry interests and needs broader stakeholder interest.

Currently there is no conservation representative, no recreational fishing representation. The Local Government Representative on the AAC has aquaculture interests. The EPA despite having a place at the "table" is bearing silent witness to aquaculture development rather than the environmental watchdog and regulatory role it should be undertaking.

There is also a need for broader environment and ecological focus on key marine research funding organisations such as the state's Fisheries Research Advisory Board and the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation.

PIRSA has consistently failed to fully implement recommendations from five government commissioned reviews and two parliamentary inquiries of aquaculture in South Australia

The environmental impacts of aquaculture are not being dealt with by the current planning and legislative processes.

These include:

• Water quality impact due to intensive feeding regimes, fish deaths, disease outbreaks, poor harvesting strategies, etc.
• Seafloor impacts through the accumulation of uneaten food and faeces under the farm.
• Use of chemicals and antibiotics to control diseases.
• Entanglements of marine mammals, seabirds and sharks.
• Attraction of nuisance species such as silver gulls and associated health risks and impacts on other species.
• High demand for wild capture fisheries such as pilchards for aquaculture stock food.
• Potential for escapes which may lead to spread of disease to wild fish stocks
• Loss of wilderness coastal and aesthetic values from farm structures and construction of onshore infrastructure.
• Conflict with commercial and recreational fishers and boaters, nature-based tourism operators.
• Impacts from introduced organisms and diseases
• Future Use of genetically modified fish in aquaculture
• Accelerated roll out of aquaculture before the establishment of an effective marine parks system.