Richard Flanagan’s Bruny Island writing shack is for sale, but this piece is not a real estate plug.

There must be a part of him that believes words will dry up as a result.

A colleague pointed out that the Domain website informs us of the plentiful fresh seafood just across the road: “This track crosses the road and ends at a sitting platform of impressive rock formations. From here you can literally dive into the water, fish, fetch fresh oysters, or just relish in the serenity and beauty.”

The For Sale sign has come as a shock because that is where he has written his highly acclaimed novels. And although Mr Flanagan does not write real estate advertisements, it is a very different picture to the one he paints in his latest book.

When Flanagan won the international Man Booker in 2014 for the masterwork Narrow Road to the Deep North it was a special moment for Tasmanians. His description through fictional characters of the 1967 Black Tuesday Bushfires across Hobart where 64 people died was both emotive and captivating.

The award was redemption of sorts, highlighting that good things happen on the island state. It was also an opportunity to feel proud about our arts and culture.

In his book, Toxic - The Rotting Underbelly of the Tasmanian Salmon Industry, Flanagan unloaded on the industry, taking his commentary on the road and following up with a series of online lectures, interviews, and conversations to prosecute his case.

Flanagan’s claims that shack life on Bruny Island has been irreparably damaged by salmon leases in the D’Entrecasteaux Channel rocked many Tasmanians who have made farmed fish a staple of their weekly diets.

During the Easter holidays in April, I visited Bruny Island and sat at a table with friends, not far from where the author writes pieces that I feel utterly compelled to read. And even though I was not really looking or listening for it, I heard nothing.

I saw the leases in the distance, but they did not impact our experience. The kids played at the beach opposite the salmon farms, and I could not tell you that the area was degraded. In fairness, it was a holiday and I am not a local nor a regular visitor so perhaps I simply missed it. 

After devouring Flanagan’s new work in about four hours, it left me with a feeling that there must be more to this story.

About ten years ago, I visited a salmon farm south of Hobart. A sizable seal whose crime was stealing fish and biting and harassing divers had been loaded into a sizable trailer to be relocated to Low Head.  “We race them back,” I was told.

These days, managing seals is about exclusion. They are excluded from pens, divers, and staff walkways.  The “Sanctuary” and “Fortress” pens keep marine life out and seal management plans must be strictly adhered to.

When controversial accusations or claims are made it is fundamental to our democracy and our sense of a fair go that those aggrieved should be offered the right of reply.

On Sunday May 9th, 2021, I wrote in an Sunday Examiner column there was a level of surprise that the salmonid industry had not responded to Flanagan’s claims. “Unfortunately, the salmon industry remains bunkered down - no doubt strategizing and preparing a response to the book which has already been thrice reprinted,” I penned.

As expected, the right of reply arrived via full page advertisements in this newspaper ten days later - Wednesday May 19th.

Eight tiles with information unpicking Toxic’s arguments were presented under the heading: Tassie Salmon Facts, paid for by the Tasmanian Salmon Growers Association (TSGA).

From “Salmon are NOT fed growth hormones or pumped full of antibiotics” and “Salmon is NOT dyed or coloured” to Salmon is NOT part chicken and “Salmon feed does NOT contain a cancer-causing pesticide”, the TSGA made a concerted effort to refute calls for a boycott of the industry.

Since the release of Toxic the three major marine farming operations in Tasmania have focused on supporting their workforces.

Fortunately, representatives from the TSGA were willing to brief me and I sat down with them, in a manner of which we have become accustomed via Microsoft Teams, to interrogate the assertions and ‘facts’.

Dr Julian Amos, a former state Labor minister, is their spokesperson.

Some employees have worked in the industry for 35 years and seen firsthand the evolution of technology, innovation, and improved practices, he tells me.

'Man’s’ footprint on the environment is undeniable.  Agriculture, forestry, manufacturing, and mining, the rapid expansion of residential housing, and commercial developments have significantly impacted our way of life.

There is no doubt our waterways, estuaries, rivers, seas, and oceans have also been affected, but the size of the salmon farming footprint is contested. 

“Our footprint these days is small, and it is sustainable. Automatic feed control, reduced stocking density, and fallowing of farm areas are far more sophisticated than they were years ago,” he offers.

“Fish eat and fish poo. Some poo settles below the pens whilst the rest is taken away by currents.

“There is nothing in farmed fish poo that would not be found in wild fish species. Once on the floor of the river or ocean, the eco-system takes over,” Dr. Amos continues.

Dr. Amos claims that many of Flanagan’s criticisms are now simply out-of-date.

“For the past 12 years a world class environmental program has been in place to support the salmon industry. 

“Flanagan has conveniently ignored what the industry has been fighting for for over 35 years – to continually improve their practices and, ultimately, to protect the environment that underpins their success,” he says.

The industry maintains that it is now a net reducer of debris. Staff are taken offline to scour the shores for marine trash. They assert that most litter and general plastics found on the beaches are discarded from products consumed by the public or other fisheries, not because of marine farms.

Far from being given a free rein, the industry is now highly regulated by the Environment Protection Authority, and constantly monitored to ensure compliance.

Working with the EPA and the Department of Primary Industries, “We are the most highly regulated industry in Tasmania,”  

“And without question, at the end of the day we produce a safe and healthy product,” says Dr. Amos.

Nonetheless, the industry faces a complicated future.

They acknowledge the challenges ahead. 

As a result of the book, they now have reputational damage to manage, and a well-oiled environment machine, thirsty to mobilise, that may impact their operations.

From the dam wars to the forestry wars and now, potentially, the salmon wars, this Tasmanian conflict is a well-trodden path and if not handled properly will lead to one certainty – bitter divisions that last for generations.