November 26, 2020

Huon Aquaculture farm catches fire, sparking escape of salmon

A fire at Huon Aquaculture's fish farm im Tasmania, Australia, has led to 50,000 salmon escaping to the island's coast.

The fire broke out early morning on November 23 and melted part of the pen allowing the fish to escape.

"The fire damaged approximately a third of a pen, burning through and melting the pen infrastructure above, and just below the waterline," Huon Aquaculture said in a statement.

"We are not ruling anything out at this early stage," said Peter Bender, Huon Aquaculture's chief executive. "We are estimating that we have lost between 50,000 to 52,000 of four kilogrammes fish."

Bender said the salmon that escaped would not have an impact on the native marine fauna based on a study from previous fish escapes.

"Farmed salmon generally don't appear to feed on native species as they are typically used to feeding on fish pellets," he explained.

The number of lost salmon was calculated by counting the remaining fish at Huon Aquaculture's Zuidpool lease.

Marine and Safety Tasmania, the Environment Protection Authority and Tasmania's Department of Primary Industries, Water and the Environment have been notified.

 - ABC News