![\"Man](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/75dd476391048683daf72f8a670ebfd4.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nFor decades, Tasmania\u2019s salmon industry enjoyed an \u201cenviable\u201d social license as a broadly respected sector of the economy, but a new report suggests that is no longer the case.<\/p>\n
The CSIRO recently published a report into results of a 2025 survey of Tasmanian residents\u2019 connection to, and concern for, the local marine environment.<\/p>\n
The survey aimed to assess values, perceived threats, levels of environmental concern, and stakeholder views on the performance of a number of marine industries.<\/p>\n
It found the salmon industry experienced a “significant and sustained shift from the strong community support experienced from 1986 to 2015 when the industry held an ‘enviable’ social licence to operate”.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The report’s authors, behavioural scientist Dr Corrine Condie and marine scientist Dr Scott Condie, said “salmon aquaculture stands out as the only local industry posing both a significant threat and a major concern” among respondents.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Report authors Dr Scott Condie and Dr Corrine Condie found salmon aquaculture remains the most contested industry sector among respondents. (ABC News: Ebony ten Broeke)<\/p>\n
Aquaculture support drops<\/p>\n
The new report, entitled ‘Troubled waters or shared futures?’ details the results of a questionnaire sent around the state in April 2025 to more than 900 Tasmanians with an interest in the marine environment.<\/p>\n
The groups surveyed included aquaculture workers, marine scientists, government employees, commercial fishers, marine tourism operators, environmental and Aboriginal advocacy groups and recreational water users.<\/p>\n
According to the survey, more than 90 per cent of respondents said Tasmania’s waterways were central to their way of life, and 70 per cent were “worried or angry” about its health.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/3bab2e72ce10ce2b20e07d5144c4f783.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Advocacy groups, water enthusiasts, and tourism operators identified salmon aquaculture as their highest concern in the report. (ABC News: Maren Preuss)<\/p>\n
It also found negative views of the salmon farming industry’s “social licence” are now held by all groups they surveyed, except those employed by it.<\/p>\n
It defines social licence as “the level of acceptance or approval an industry earns from the community, its stakeholders, and the broader public”.<\/p>\n
The researchers conducted a survey of sentiment toward the salmon industry in 2021, when they found greater support for the industry from the groups they questioned.<\/p>\n
Insufficient data on human health risks, but antibiotic use approved anyway<\/a><\/p>\n Tasmania’s health department and environment watchdog questioned the scientific rigour behind an application to use the antibiotic florfenicol in salmon farms.<\/p>\n Since that time, marine scientists and government and local council employees have developed broadly negative views of the industry.<\/p>\n Dr Corrine Condie said the only metric for which perceptions had improved was the industry’s economic input to the state.<\/p>\n “Across all groups, including advocacy groups, economic growth and development [perception] has improved,” she said.<\/p>\n “People around the state realise the benefits that salmon aquaculture provides from an economic and regional growth perspective.” Dr Scott Condie and Dr Corrine Condie said aquaculture stands out for its consistently negative ratings across both environmental sustainability and good governance. (ABC News: Ebony ten Broeke)<\/p>\n Rebuilding social licence a ‘long-term commitment’<\/p>\n The report’s authors said the survey showed debate was about the industry’s demonstrated environmental credibility, perceptions of good governance, and genuine communication and engagement.<\/p>\n Dr Scott Condie said he did not think there was a point where the economic benefits of the industry would be so valuable that respondents would ignore the other attributes.<\/p>\n “This is a story that goes back to 2015 \u2026 where we’ve had multiple events driving up levels of concern,” he said.<\/p>\n “There’s a long-term trend here.”<\/p>\n He said that prior to 2015, the salmon industry was viewed positively within Tasmania and received positive media coverage.<\/p>\n “People were actually enthusiastic about it,” Dr Scott Condie said.<\/p>\n “It was a relatively new, growing industry, providing lots of employment \u2026 and the scale of it was smaller at that stage, so the impacts were significantly less.”<\/p>\n The report’s authors said between 1986 and 2015 the industry held an “enviable” social license to operate, but it had become increasingly contested.<\/p>\n “Rebuilding social license will require a long-term commitment from industry and government to transparency, environmental credibility, and meaningful engagement.”<\/p>\n Sentiment not tied to individual controversies The federal veterinary medicine regulator suspended the Tasmanian salmon industry’s emergency licence to use the antibiotic florfenicol to treat a bacterial disease. (Abbey Laboratories)<\/p>\n The researchers said they had conducted their surveys during periods of relative stability in the industry to try and avoid biased results.<\/p>\n They said they had delayed their 2021 survey until six months after the publication of Richard Flanagan’s book ‘Toxic’, which heavily criticised the industry<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dr Corrine Condie said she would not run a similar survey now, as she believed the debate around the industry’s use of the antibiotic florfenicol in the state’s south-east<\/a> had skewed long-term perceptions of the sector.<\/p>\n Salmon antibiotic leads to partial rock lobster fishery closure<\/a><\/p>\n The Tasmanian government closed two zones within the state’s rock lobster fishery just hours after the commercial season opened. The closure is in response to concerns about an antibiotic being used by salmon companies and the rock lobster industry’s reputation in overseas markets.<\/p>\n Last November, an emergency licence to use the antibiotic in salmon was granted to help deal with the bacterial disease piscirickettsiosis, which caused mass mortalities in salmon<\/a> the previous summer.<\/p>\n![\"Man](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/b3195b4de70f50924c224ea7df56f4d5.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/d6cb9b79ca983b2b3ad440d7e46bfb27.png\")
<\/p>\n
![\"John](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4d3d3113c2a6be8fb927a3141efa10c5.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n