Tassie seafood industry danger
October 06, 2008 01:00pm
MUCH of Australia's favourite seafood supplies may be put at risk as a result of climate change, with Tasmania hardest hit a Federal Government report has warned
The CSIRO study, commissioned by the Department of Climate Change and released today, says the impact of changes in temperature, ocean currents, rainfall and extreme weather events could costs Australian fisheries tens of millions of dollars.
The $220 million-plus Tasmanian salmon industry, which represents a third of the country's aquaculture production, could be the hardest hit.
Commercially farmed banana prawns, mud crabs and barramundi are also in danger.
"The report finds climate change is likely to affect not only the fishing industry but also the regional and coastal communities the industry supports,'' Climate Change Minister Penny Wong says.
"It finds climate change impacts will vary by region and that many impacts are expected to be negative, with some data suggesting that effects may have already occurred.''.
Article from: AAP
Salmon farmers shrug off alert
PAUL CARTER
October 07, 2008 12:00am
TASMANIA'S lucrative salmon industry says global warming is just another risk that producers will learn to cope with.
Much of Australia's favourite seafood may be threatened by the effects of climate change, and Tasmania's $220 million-plus salmon industry could be the hardest hit, a new CSIRO study warns.
As well as salmon, which represents a third of the country's aquaculture production, commercially farmed banana prawns, mud crabs and barramundi are also in danger, the report says.
Pheroze Jungalwalla, executive officer of the Tasmanian Salmonid Growers Association, said the industry had been monitoring the climate change debate for some time.
"We take the issue seriously, but it is sometimes difficult to translate global and centennial predictions to our local regions and decadal timeframes, and indeed to separate the hype from the science," he said in response to the CSIRO report released yesterday.
The salmon growers association will in a few weeks release its own climate change adaptation study, funded by the National Agriculture and Climate Change Action Plan.
The CSIRO study released yesterday by Climate Change and Water Minister Penny Wong was more generic than the association's report, encompassing capture fisheries as well as aquaculture.
"Both reports acknowledge that southeast Australia may experience the greatest changes in seawater temperature," Mr Jungalwalla said.
"But the report on adaptation by the Tasmania salmonid farming industry clearly shows that this industry has considerable potential for adaptation via selective breeding, modifying farming technology and practices, and diversification into alternative species.
"Climate change is just another risk which the salmonid farming industry will learn to manage. The talk of our demise is greatly exaggerated."
Atlantic salmon farmer Tassal Ltd's chief executive Mark Ryan agreed the industry could adapt.
Federal Environment Minister Peter Garrett said the CSIRO report underlined the importance of Marine Protected Areas.
"With its specific mention of the impacts of climate change on the Tasmanian fisheries, the report underlines the importance of MPAs as a means of protecting our rich marine biodiversity, noting that the Tasmanian Government did not adopt the recommendations of the Resource Planning and Development Commission, particularly with regard to the level of protection required in some new areas," Mr Garrett said.
State Primary Industries and Water Minister David Llewellyn recently approved fishing in 14 MPAs.
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