The Environment Protection Authority (EPA) and the Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE Tas) have prepared the Reflections and Learnings - 2025 Mortality Event Report (the Report).
Reflections and Learnings - Salmon Mortality Event 2025 (PDF 999Kb)
The Report outlines the post-event reflections, learnings and actions that have been gathered through a multi-agency operational de-brief process.
The Report, like most other critical event operational debrief processes, is focussed on future improvements. It does not offer, nor does it intend to offer, a forensic or regulatory evaluation of the event.
Importantly, the Report informs the community on what is understood to have occurred, what is being done to prepare for this summer and how regulatory coordination in being strengthened ahead of any future marine events.
The Report identifies ten actions, focused on continuous improvement. Three of the ten actions are led by the salmon industry.
Action 1: Finalise and release a Marine Heatwave and Related Events Response Plan – has been completed.
Update on potential marine event response planning
In addition to the key actions in the Report additional work has been prioritised as part of the operational de-brief process and/or in response to other potential marine events.
The Marine Heatwave and Related Events Response Plan has been completed.
To support the Plan summer preparedness workshops across the wild, shellfish and finfish fisheries in October and November 2025 have/are occurring.
An additional cohort of NRE Tas staff have completed training to enable deployment in the Australasian Inter-Service Incident Management System (AIIMS) Incident Management Teams.
Establishment of an NRE Tas Marine Stressors Working Group and an interagency working group is underway.
A summary of other work which has been progressed includes:
Increasing current marine biosecurity capability through the employment of another aquatic-specific veterinarian and two additional Senior Biosecurity Inspectors with aquatic biosecurity, audit and investigation capability.
Implementation of the Salmonid Biosecurity Quality Certification program is continuing to be progressed.
Planning and implementation for the 2025/26 biosecurity compliance audit program and Marine Aquaculture compliance strategy is being progressed.
Increasing multi regulator land and water-based compliance activities by NRE Tas (Aquaculture, Biosecurity Tasmania and Wildlife) and EPA officers.
The Centre for Aquatic Animal Vaccine Health is progressing specific diagnostic testing that targets P. salmonis and the Tasmanian Rickettsia Like Organisms.
Liaison with the EPA so that regulatory requirements are better aligned, and to establish data sharing arrangements.
Report on progress
A progress report detailing the status of implementation of the actions from the Reflections and Learnings - 2025 Mortality Event Report will be published on the NRE Tas website in February 2026.
Salmon mortality event FAQs
Frequently asked questions about the salmon mortality event are available:
Salmon Mortality Event - D'Entrecasteaux Channel Question and Answers (PDF 111Kb)