Intro by Patagonia: "Tasmania is regarded as one of the wildest, most pristine states in Australia. In recent years however that reputation has been tarnished by the boom of the local [Atlantic salmon] farming industry.
When the industry set their sights on opening up a new territory on neighboring King Island – adjacent to the world-class waves of Martha Lavinia Beach – they were unaware they were also picking a fight with surfers worldwide." - Patagonia
So what do Tasmania & Nova Scotia have in common? Atlantic Salmon farming. Atlantic salmon is farmed in non-native waters around the world including the Pacific coastal waters of B.C. Tasmania has a similar economy and rural coastal demographic as Nova Scotia. Tasmania has been executing an aggressive 20 year expansion plan of salmon farming in their coastal waters for several years, imposed on the communities and inshore fisheries whether they want them or not. Nova Scotia’s DFA Minister Colwell is so impressed with Tasmania's plan that he travelled to Tasmania in February 2019 with a contingent from Nova Scotia's South Shore to promote his Government's vision for a rural Nova Scotia populated with salmon farms. Before returning home he signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Tasmania’s Minister of Fisheries Guy Barnett.
Watch this short film and know Guy Barnett will be sharing his best secrets with Minister Colwell on how to pollute the ocean with industrial feedlots and get away with calling it job creation. For a glimpse of what the future of rural NS will look like if Keith Colwell succeeds and what coastal communities are facing today,,,,, just look to Tasmania and the story of King Island featured in this short documentary. (Stay tuned for a follow-up to this story in the next post)
The island might only be home to 1723 people, but it is also home to a thriving primary industry brand that creates almost full employment. King Island dairy, beef and seafood is internationally renowned, and islanders are concerned the dirty reputation of the salmon farming industry will not only ruin Martha Lavinia Beach, it will trash the island’s reputation.
Patagonia, through it’s surf ambassadors in Australia, has stood shoulder to shoulder with the local campaign to keep Martha Lavinia in its natural state.
MORE INFO: Patagonia has a longer feature film related to this topic called Artifishal, now streaming free on Youtube. For a list of more must watch documentaries on salmon farming visit our ‘Learn More - Must Watch" page.