Hobart waterfront restaurant drops Tasmanian salmon amid customer pressure
A prominent Hobart waterfront establishment, Mures Tasmania is removing Tasmanian salmon from its restaurant menus, citing increasing customer pressure amid heightened scrutiny of the aquaculture industry.
Mures Tasmania operates three restaurants and a fishmonger at Victoria Dock.
"We have a reputation at stake for our sustainability stance and we would like to stay strong to that," director Will Mure told the ABC. He also emphasised the company's support for aquaculture in the region, saying, "We are pro-aquaculture in Tasmania and we are pro-salmon farming in Tasmania — that's very important to know. [The industry] is very good for the Tasmanian economy and we would like to see it continue, but there are very clearly some issues."
Despite the menu removal, Aquaculture Stewardship Council-certified Tasmanian salmon will continue to be sold at Mures' fishmongers and retail outlets. "We are waiting to see what happens in the industry before [we] make any further decisions," Mure stated.
The decision comes as the Tasmanian salmon industry faces intense scrutiny over issues including mass fish deaths and animal welfare concerns. The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) recently reported "elevated mortalities" due to the bacterial disease piscirickettsiosis in salmon farming regions, excluding Macquarie Harbour. In February, the EPA revealed that over 6,300 tonnes of dead fish had been disposed of at waste facilities. Huon Aquaculture has also confirmed antibiotic treatment in some of its Storm Bay pens following disease detection.
The industry has also faced criticism regarding animal welfare, particularly after Huon Aquaculture, previously the only major salmon company with RSPCA certification, had its certification revoked following the release of a video depicting live salmon being siphoned from a pen and sealed in tubs with dead fish. All three major salmon companies operating in Tasmanian waters—Huon Aquaculture, Petuna, and Tassal—are foreign-owned.
Mure acknowledged the customer pressure, stating, "We have had a lot of questioning … and sometimes they tend to get a bit aggressive at times." This decision echoes similar moves by other Hobart establishments, including MONA, which removed salmon from its menus in 2017.
Mure also highlighted his company's commitment to sustainable wild-caught fishing practices. "We catch blue-eyed trevalla, ling, tuna, so we've got a couple of fishing vessels in the industry," he said.
"There's a lot of recovery in place now and there's a lot of sustainable fishing in place now."
Jonathan Jackson, 3rd April 2025
