Various Media Releases
Submitted by SARFAC Friday, 6th August 2003

Court rules that Tassal, salmon growers worked to restrict supply
Reference : http://www.intrafish.com/articlea.php?articleID=36961&s=1

Court rules that Tassal, salmon growers worked to restrict supply Seattle (WA), USA: Australia's largest farmed salmon producer and a growers' group were involved in an anti-competitive fish cull to restrict supply, the country's federal court ruled Friday.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission took legal action against Tassal Ltd and the Tasmanian Salmonid Growers Association (TSGA) for allegedly breaching the Trade Practices Act, according to an article in The Mercury newspaper.

The court found that the growers association facilitated an illegal agreement in February 2002 between Tassal and other Atlantic salmon farmers to cull 10 percent of their salmon stocks. The cull was intended to limit the amount of Atlantic salmon available for sale later in 2002-03 and prevent price reductions caused by oversupply.

"Growers association chairman Owen Carington Smith said the culling strategy was aimed at grading out 10 percent of the industry's poorer-performing salmon and would have resulted in better husbandry of the remaining stock and larger fish," said the newspaper article.

Lifting of US fishfeed quarantine challenged
Reference : http://www.fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?monthyear=&day=4&id=7929&l=e&country=&special=&ndb=1

An attempt to lift quarantine measures on imported frozen Californian pilchards and mackerel by Biosecurity Australia has been heavily criticised by industry groups who say that the imported Californian feedfish have been known to pass on a virus to fish in North America.

Australian authorities have declared the imported Californian feedfish safe, saying that the fish are a "very low risk" of spreading the Viral Haemorrhagic Septicaemia (VHS) virus, reports The Advertiser.

President of the South Australian Pilchard Association, Norm Craig, is among those who disagree.

"Californian stocks go north in to Canada and the virus hits them and they die in mass proportions," Mr Craig said.

"Our fear is these Californian stocks may start travelling back south and they are taken up by the fisherman there, frozen and sent back to Australia."

Currently about half of Port Lincoln's feedfish quota used to fatten bluefin tuna consists of Californian imports.

A consultant to the Pilchard Fisherman's Association, Peter Blacker, said that he was concerned about the inadequate inspection of Californian feedfish, even during the recent interim quarantine period.

"We don't want it to get to Australia," Mr Blacker said.

He added that 23 species of finfish in North America have been known to be infected by the VHS virus and that there have been more outbreaks in Canada.

"We are not satisfied the quarantine measures are adequate. More often that not these fish arrive in Australian waters with no inspection at all."

"The potential for devastation is enormous."

However, the June report of Biosecurity Australia said that future additional measures to screen the US feedfish imports were unnecessary, provided "the fish are wild-caught and free of visible lesions".

Hundreds of thousands of pilchards died in South Australian waters in the mid-1990s, and the cause was never confirmed.

Quarantine measures were placed on the fish in 2002 by Biosecurity.

This is also featured in the Sunday Mail: "Fish Virus Ruling Challenged" (3rd August)
Reference : http://www.theadvertiser.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5936,6854303%255E2682,00.html

South Australia gets AUD 577 million from aquaculture each year
Reference : http://www.fis.com/fis/worldnews/worldnews.asp?monthyear=7-2003&day=30&id=7866&l=e&country=&special=aquaculture&ndb=1

Aquaculture now contributes AUD 577 million a year to South Australia, according to the State Government, with tuna as the main species.

A study shows that the tuna industry earned a record AUD 491 million in the last financial year, while the actual export value has remained steady over the last two financial years at around AUD 260 million, reports the Port Lincoln Times.

Although the tuna industry says that their worth has been exaggerated by the inclusion of the value of direct and flow-on financial contributions, the revenue from tuna is considerable and should not go unrecognised, says tuna industry spokesperson, Brian Jeffriess.

While the Australian tuna farming industry was only 10 years old, Mr Jeffriess said tuna farmers now had a great understanding of the fish stocks in the fishing grounds in the Great Australian Bight and through the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna strongly believed the catch was sustainable. (See World News 28 July 2003)

The total economic benefit to the tuna sector was AUD 491 million, with 1,806 people employed directly and indirectly in the sector.

The second largest aquaculture sector, the oyster industry, produces a total revenue of AUD 58 million and employs 514 people.

Employment in the industry as a whole increased, with 2,232 people working in the sector in 2000/2001, which went up to 2,620 people a year later. The total financial contribution increased by AUD 79 million over the same period.

"The total impact is even more remarkable given that farm-gate values remained static and the majority of growth coming from within local food processing, retail and food service trade and transport services," Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Minister Paul Holloway said.

"This suggests efficiencies are now being made in farm practices and businesses are now experiencing the benefits of aquaculture in their regions."

The sector in turn supports and encourages other businesses, such as tourism and transport, as well as offering employment to young people. The majority of employees in the industry are under the age of 30, says to the minister.

Other Articles

Australian fish farms accused of spreading disease
Reference : http://www.salmonfarmmonitor.org/intlnewsaugust2003.shtml#item4

Australia makes waves
Reference : http://www.salmonfarmmonitor.org/intlnewsjuly2003.shtml#item5

Protests make waves down under
Reference : http://www.salmonfarmmonitor.org/intlnewsmarch2003.shtml#item3