More than 150,000 underwater explosives used to deter seals at Tasmanian salmon farms since 2016

Since the start of 2016, three salmon companies operating in Tasmanian marine areas have deployed 150,488 underwater explosives against seals. Photograph: Kim Shapley/Alamy

More than 150,000 underwater explosives have been used to deter seals at Tasmanian salmon farms since 2016, according to new government data.

Department of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE Tas) data released last week revealed salmon companies directed almost 1,800 underwater explosives at seals at fish farms in the first half of 2026.