Editorial
Tassal’s latest wellboat arrives in Tassie with a continued focus on fish welfare Tassal’s second wellboat – AquaTas – has recently arrived in Tassie after a long journey from Europe. Did you know the vessel will play a major role in farming salmon in Tasmania’s waters, but will also be home to a crew of 10 people at any one time covering tasks that include navigation, maintenance, fish husbandry, engineering and technology? AquaTas will ensure a continued focus on high standard fish and health welfare while reducing freshwater usage. Tassal General Manager Salmon Tim Stephens said it was exciting to welcome another boat to improve efficiency in Tassal’s salmon operations and align with Tassal’s fish welfare commitments. “The wellboat represents best-practice for fish welfare and stock management and is a positive when it comes to biosecurity,” he said. “By improving health outcomes overall, it offers a significant advancement over conventional bathing and transportation methods for salmon.
water usage by one-third, reducing reliance on local water supplies.”
Mr Stephens said the team was proud to continue its commitment to safety which was the number one priority. “AquaTas enables operations to be undertaken in our high energy sites while also reducing our Workplace Health and Safety (WHS) risks,” he said. “This ensures a safer working environment for our crew and supports our ongoing commitment to safety and risk management.” The AquaTas regular transit routes cover key locations in the Huon Valley, Kingborough, Tasman and Glamorgan Spring Bay regions. These routes have been strategically chosen to ensure efficient transportation and logistics, connecting operational sites while minimising any potential environmental impact. The Tassal community engagement team has recently held informal pop-up sessions across the communities in which they operate to ensure transparency and give community members the opportunity to ask questions about AquaTas. Tassal Corporate Affairs and Communities GM Tom Middleton said Tassal was committed to responsibly managing noise and light emissions, while continuing to protect the local environment and communities. “We are committed to helping the community understand Tassal’s operations and the technical aspects of finfish aquaculture,” he said.
“All operations are designed with sustainability in mind.
“By reducing vessel activity in sensitive areas, and significantly lowering freshwater demands, we minimise our environmental footprint.
“Through innovative bathing methods, we will cut our
53 Tasmanian Hospitality Review Oct/Nov Edition
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