'Disgusting' photos of popular Aussie food spark furious debate

First 'foul-smelling chunks' started washing up on Aussie beaches, then drone footage revealed dozens of salmon bodies rotting in nearby ocean pens. As concerns have grown this week about the scale of the deaths and how they could impact the nation’s supermarkets, sushi shops, and cafes, the salmon industry has worked to reassure customers the majority of its farms remain unaffected.

“The footage being paraded by activist organisations represents a very small fraction of the farming operations,” Luke Martin, CEO of the aquaculture peak body Salmon Tasmania told Yahoo News.

Mass die-offs have been documented at multiple locations south of Hobart, including the Huon Channel, D’entrecasteaux Channel, and Tasman Peninsula. The EPA is understood to be investigating some fish-related incidents, and the industry is waiting for the results to be published before it comments on what's been causing mass mortalities.

Aerial footage of the deaths was supplied by Bob Brown Foundation which is a critic of the industry. It suspects disease is playing a role and has branded the situation "disgusting" and "out-of-control".

The group's founder Bob Brown spoke to Yahoo News on Friday, arguing the salmon industry was harming Tasmania's reputation.

"Its pollution is cutting right across 'brand Tasmania' which represents clean, green produce and wild and scenic beauty. This industry is bombing our other wonderful food produce and tourism," he said.

"Every mouthful of salmon is more death to the waters of Tasmania."

A day earlier, Bob Brown Foundation marine campaigner Alistair Allan told Yahoo the vision contradicts the public message that the industry tries to uphold.

“Salmon farming is full of chemicals, antibiotics, disease and death, and that’s something the industry never in a million years wanted to be shown to the public. They do everything they can to hide this because it directly contradicts their marketing of being clean, green and sustainable,” he said.

🍤 Fish farming could see popular menu items disappear

Salmon farming in Tasmania has long been controversial, however it has received strong backing from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton and Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff. Chief among the concerns of conservationists is that operations have depleted oxygen levels in the water and this has led directly to the demise of what’s now one of Australia’s rarest fish, the maugean skate.

When buying salmon from supermarkets including Coles and Woolworths, all farmed products are marked “sustainable” and it’s unclear whether it comes from the Tasman Peninsula in the east or Macquarie Harbour in the west.

“One of the huge problems with the industry is there is no transparency at all and why it’s lost so much of its social license,” Allan said.

“You actually can’t find out how many fish are in the pen, the information is just not available. So when this is where you start, and things then start going wrong, how are you meant to find out what’s happening. It’s layer after layer of blockage.”

🏡 Sad photos of empty Aussie town after foreign investors buy 13,000 hectares

❌ Calls for Bunnings, Mitre 10, Coles and Woolworths to ditch 'toxic' product

🔎 Deep sea search for rare Aussie sharks and fish

In a public social media post, Salmon Tasmania accused Bob Brown Foundation of using “propaganda” ahead of the federal election. “These images do not show anything the industry has not already been very upfront and open about,” it said.

Speaking later with Yahoo, it’s CEO said, “All protein farmers experience challenging periods where they must carefully manage animal health and experience periods of elevated mortality. We’re no different, but our consumers can be confident the Tasmanian salmon hitting their dinner plates is among the most sustainably sourced, healthy, and delicious seafood they’ll found anywhere in the world.”

Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week’s best stories.