Australian Senator Shocks Parliament with Dead Fish Protest Against Salmon Farming | Watch

Australian Senator Sarah Hanson-Young made a dramatic protest in parliament on Wednesday (March 26) by standing in parliament with a dead fish, a headless salmon. Her protest was against the new government policies encouraging salmon farming in Tasmania’s Macquarie Harbour, which could further threaten the already endangered Maugéan skate.

In the course of the session, Hanson-Young bitterly denounced the government as saying, “On the eve of an election, have you sold out your environmental credentials for a rotten, stinking extinction salmon?”

Her protest was immediately interrupted by Senate President Sue Lines, who called for order in the chamber. “It is my role to attempt to keep order in this place, Senator Hanson-Young, it’s a prop, and please remove it from the chamber,” Lines instructed.

Leonardo DiCaprio Joins the Fight to Save the Maugean Skate

The contentious expansion of the farming industry has prompted huge criticism from conservation groups and environmentalists. Hollywood actor and green crusader Leonardo DiCaprio has also expressed concern at the effect on the Macquarie Harbour ecosystem.

DiCaprio turned to social media, calling his followers to action. “This week the Australian government will decide Macquarie Harbour’s future and has the chance to close down destructive industrial non-native salmon farms, safeguarding the Maugean Skate,” he tweeted.

He also pointed out the world importance of the region, saying, “This shallow estuary off Tasmania’s coast is one of the most significant locations in the world—now a #KeyBiodiversityArea—which is to say it’s crucial to the health of the entire planet and to maintaining biodiversity.”

A Decade of Decline for the Maugean Skate

The Maugean skate population has been declining since the government granted salmon farms the go-ahead in 2012. With fewer than 1,000 remaining in Macquarie Harbour, conservationists caution that further expansion will speed up their extinction.

While the government argues that conservation of more salmon farming will provide employment and spur the economy, environmentalists forcefully argue that it will be at the cost of irrevocable ecological devastation.

As public outrage escalates, the controversy regarding the regulations of Tasmania’s salmon farming continues to rage, with the majority appealing to policymakers to prioritize conservation over commercial concerns.