The Green Britain Foundation releases the first video footage showing sick salmon in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour, raising alarm over the survival of the critically endangered Maugean skate.
The Green Britain Foundation (GBF) has released the first video footage documenting sick and diseased factory-farmed salmon in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour, raising urgent concerns for the critically endangered Maugean skate - a species found nowhere else on Earth.
The groundbreaking footage, captured during an underwater investigation by GBF’s research team, reveals alarming health conditions among salmon confined in intensive aquaculture pens within the harbour. The farm is owned by Tassal, an Australian seafood company whose parent, Cooke, also owns salmon farms in Scotland.
The Maugean skate is now one of Australia’s most endangered marine species. Its only known habitat — Macquarie Harbour — has suffered from degraded water quality due to salmon farming and hydroelectric damming, which have drastically reduced dissolved oxygen levels in the water.
These changes have pushed the species to the edge of extinction, with scientists warning that without urgent action, the Maugean skate could disappear within years.
Dale Vince, founder of the Green Britain Foundation, said:
“These factory farmed salmon operations are run by multinational corporations with no genuine concern for local wildlife or ecosystems. Their only priority is profit, regardless of the environmental cost.
The Maugean skate is found nowhere else on Earth, yet these companies continue business as usual while a species faces extinction in their wake. This is the same pattern we've seen globally — corporations exploiting local environments while claiming to be responsible stewards.”
Following its numerous exposés on factory salmon farming in Scotland, GBF expanded its investigation to Australia to reveal the global scale of the industry’s impact.
“What we're seeing in Tasmania isn't unique,” said Vince. “These multinational salmon farming companies use the same playbook everywhere they operate; they enter pristine environments, extract maximum profit, and leave devastation in their wake. They've perfected the art of greenwashing while their practices tell a completely different story.
The Green Britain Foundation is committed to exposing this reality, whether it's in our home waters or on the other side of the world.”
Vince added that GBF’s direct investigative approach was essential to uncovering the hidden impacts of the industry:
“Our experience in Scotland taught us an important lesson: the only way to reveal the true devastation caused by factory farming salmon is to investigate it ourselves. The industry has successfully concealed these impacts from the Australian public, just as they attempt to do in Scottish waters. We knew we had to apply the same direct investigation approach in Tasmania to uncover what's really happening beneath the surface.”
The Green Britain Foundation is calling for immediate protective measures to safeguard the Maugean skate and restore ecological health in Macquarie Harbour, including:
Independent monitoring of salmon farm impacts on water quality
Establishment of sanctuary zones for the Maugean skate that exclude industrial activity
Comprehensive health assessments of wild marine populations near salmon farms
Transparent public reporting of disease outbreaks and chemical treatments used in aquaculture
Vince concluded:
“While factory farmed salmon presents itself as a sustainable industry, our evidence from Tasmania adds to a growing body of documentation showing similar environmental concerns wherever these operations exist.
The Green Britain Foundation will continue to investigate and document these impacts to drive meaningful change in industry practices globally.”
Download the investigation video here please ensure credit to Green Britain Foundation when using footage.
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