Greens spokesperson for Healthy Oceans, Peter Whish-Wilson provides the following comments on the green-lighting of the Tassal salmon farm at Okehampton Bay.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, "I'm bitterly disappointed, but not surprised, that the federal Liberal Government has chosen to stand by Will Hodgman in an election year, and refused to do a full environmental feasibility study on the the Tassal Okehampton Bay expansion.

Greens spokesperson for Health Oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson expresses his disappointment that both Labor and Liberal voted in the Senate to support the Okehampton fish farm expansion on Tasmania's east coast, and refused to recognise their record of poor regulation and mismanagement of this important industry.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, “Today Labor and Liberal showed their hand and put on record their support for the unpopular fish farm expansion at Okehampton Bay.

Greens spokesperson for Healthy Oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson, has lashed out at moves in the Japanese Parliament to help Japan resume commercial whaling and calls upon Malcolm Turnbull to condemn the moves.

Senator Whish-Wilson said, “For years and years Japan has conducted whaling on Australia’s doorstep in the Southern Ocean under the guise of scientific research but these moves in the Japanese Parliament to reinstate commercial whaling show that ‘scientific whaling’ is just a sham.

The Australian Greens are calling on the SA Government to stand with coastal communities, tourism and fishery industries in protecting the Great Australian Bight marine park from high-risk oil drilling by Statoil.

The Liberal party’s unanimous motion to remove great white sharks from the protected species list so they can be slaughtered is ludicrous and should be ignored by the Environment Minister, Australian Greens Senator Rachel Siewert said today.

“This is an ignorant response. The Liberals have once again entered a fact free zone.

“White sharks are essential to a healthy marine eco system and slaughter of these creatures will not ensure safety of ocean users.

Greens spokesperson for Healthy Oceans, Senator Peter Whish-Wilson responds to the media blitz from Tassal today about the health of Macquarie Harbour.

Senator Peter Whish-Wilson said,  “It is ironic the ‘good news’ released by Tassal today on the supposed ‘rapid recovery’  of Macquarie Harbour, based on its own internal research, comes just days before the release of the second IMAS report into environmental conditions in Macquarie Harbour.

Greens Senator for Tasmania and spokesperson for Healthy Oceans, Peter Whish-Wilson provides the following comments on the legal developments in the Tasmanian salmon industry.

Prime Minister Turnbull needs to take far stronger action to protect Australia’s territorial waters from illegal whaling, Greens Senator for Tasmania Nick McKim says.

"Mr Turnbull should stop sitting on his hands and immediately send Border Force vessels to the Southern Ocean to restore the integrity of the our territorial waters including the Australian Whale Sanctuary," Senator McKim said.

“They should be prepared to run Japan’s illegal whalers out of the Whale Sanctuary, and gather evidence for further international legal actions."