Suzy Manigan has lived in Petchey's Bay in Tasmania's south for over 30 years and says she loves the small community and its proximity to nature. But over time, she has noticed some changes.
"When we first moved, we'd see dolphins swimming up the river every single day. And seals and penguins. We don't see them anymore," she said.
"It used to be a beautiful walk around the river. Now it's all algae, you just can't walk on it."
Ms Manigan said she had seen the water quality around her home worsen.
"Tassal told us they were trading river leases for channel leases, that this wouldn't be long term," she said.
"They left for a time, but then they returned, again telling us it was temporary. But that was several years ago."
There have been no independent reports on the water quality in Petchey's Bay, and Tassal said salmon farming had a low environmental impact.
Ms Manigan said she had also noticed problems with noise levels, due to the seal cracker deterrents used by Tassal.
Tassal is the only Tasmanian salmon company that uses the "bean bag" device, which deploy lead pellets.
Right to Information figures show Tassal fired 2,259 seal crackers and 201 bean bag bullets in the 14 months between January 2021 and March 2022.
There have been five reported seal deaths in Tassal leases in that time.
Ms Manigan said conditions have been so bad, some residents have moved.
"The cracker shots sound like gunfire. They're too stressed to be here because of the noise and what that represents," she said.
Tassal takeover ends reign of Australian-owned producers
More than 96 per cent of shareholders today voted to accept the company's offer at a meeting in Melbourne.
Subject to a court hearing, Cooke will take over Tassal on November 21.
The Australian Workers Union said the deal could strengthen jobs and economic growth in the salmon farming sector.
"It's only very early days since multi-national companies have purchased the Tasmanian operations, and one is still in the process of happening," Australian Workers Union (AWU) assistant secretary Robert Flanagan said.
"What we know is that both JBS [which took over Huon Aquaculture] and Cooke Aquaculture see the salmon industry in Tasmania as holding opportunities for growth."
2021 data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows the combined industry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing employs 5.3 per cent of Tasmanians, and is the eighth biggest sector of employment in the state.
The Australian Workers Union estimates more than 5,000 Tasmanians currently work in the salmon farming industry.
"Tasmania's salmon industry is very important for regional employment. These companies have a presence throughout the regions which is second-to-none," Mr Flanagan said.
"Cooke's purchase would mean the company had a bigger financial backing, which would support further growth."
Mr Flanagan said he expected Cooke Aquaculture would continue to uphold the same environmental standard as Tassal.
"Tassal has gold-plated environmental approval, and that's not easily achieved. At the end of the day, they're farmers, and for a healthy stock you need a healthy environment," he said.
Worries over bay leases
The two Tassal leases around Petchey's Bay, Brabazon Park and Brabazon Point expire at the end of November.
Some community members are concerned that if Cooke Aquaculture takes over at this time, the pens will resume their operations and water quality will decline.
"We're concerned the leases, even the dormant ones, will be handed over to Cooke and they'll try to get as much as they can out of them," Ms Manigan said.
"The industry is growing exponentially with these international multinational corporations coming in. Who will be invested in the welfare of Tasmanian environment or public? We're terrified."
Locals say they will continue to fight salmon farming until the pens are out of their waterways.
In a statement, Tassal said: "The site in question, Brabazon Park, has been empty for some time".
"It is difficult to understand what exactly they are protesting.
"The fact is that marine aquaculture is a sustainable solution to local food production and Tasmanian salmon farming has a low carbon footprint and low environmental impact."
Tassal would not confirm whether the leases were being included in the proposed sale to Cooke Aquaculture or if the leases would lapse and expire.
Cooke's track record
Jessica Coughlan from Neighbours of Fish Farming said she believed conditions would go from bad to worse if Cooke Aquaculture took over Tassal's operations.
"Cooke Aquaculture may say that they're going to operate within the regulations and laws of our state, but there is proven evidence in their track record of major, major regulation breaches in all of the places they operate in," she said.
Cooke Aquaculture has been charged with several environmental breaches in Canada and the US.
The breaches include using banned neurotoxins on fish, deaths of sea life and a failure to maintain pens.
A 2017 salmon pen collapse resulted in hundreds of thousands of escaped Atlantic salmon, and Cooke was found to be negligent in maintaining its salmon pens. The company was fined $US332,000 and some of its leases were cancelled.
Cooke later paid $US2.75 million in a civil lawsuit over the incident, and Washington State passed laws to ban the farming of Atlantic Salmon in its waters.
Additional breaches were brought into the spotlight this year when Cooke was featured in a book by Canadian investigative journalists Douglas Frantz and Catherine Collins — Salmon Wars: The Dark Underbelly of Our Favourite Fish.
In a statement, Cooke Aquaculture said "while the acquisition has not been completed, we intend to operate the company with the local Tasmanian employees in accordance with all applicable laws and regulations".
"We are looking forward to working with the government, industry and public on the new 10-year and beyond plan to sustainably manage and grow the Tasmanian aquaculture sector and local jobs through modern and leading-edge technologies."
The Tasmanian government said it welcomed continued growth in the salmon farming sector.
"It's a safe industry. It's an industry Tasmanians value. It's an industry that particularly regional communities value and all those many thousands of people employed value," Premier Jeremy Rockliff said.
"There's also flow-on effects for the small businesses who support the industry, which employs many more Tasmanians as well.
"It generates tens of millions of dollars for the local economy, and that allows us to fund essential services."
Mr Rockliff said the salmon industry was environmentally sustainable.
"We have very strict environmental guidelines that are independent, ensuring that the industry complies," he said.
"We have continuous improvements being made which will continue as well."
Neighbours of Fish Farming said it wanted the government to strengthen environmental protection by implementing all recommendations on a recent report from a Legislative Council Committee into fin fish farming.
"It's time for an overhaul, a heeding of the enquiry report recommendations starting with number three: to cease operations in sheltered, sensitive and biodiverse areas," Ms Coughlan said.
"There is no way that in its current operations, this framework is fit to deal with incoming multinationals with their global reputations for aggressively pursuing expansion in their own interests for profit at odds with all other waterway users."
