Australian Lawmaker Stuns Senate with Dead Salmon Protest

SYDNEY, 26 March 2025 (BSS/AFP) – A member of the Australian Senate sparked controversy on Wednesday by dangling a dead salmon in front of the chamber, accusing the government of being complicit in the environmental damage caused by industrial fish farms.

Environmental groups have long raised concerns over the practices of intensive salmon farming in Tasmania, claiming that these operations are polluting local waterways with waste and fish excrement, causing significant harm to the ecosystem.

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, visibly frustrated with the government’s stance on environmental regulation, used the dead salmon to symbolise her accusation. “On the eve of an election, have you sold out your environmental credentials for a rotten, stinking extinction salmon?” she said, holding the fish aloft briefly before placing it on her desk. A live broadcast of the session captured the moment, with a fellow Greens senator from behind shouting, “It stinks!”

Shortly after, the presiding officer ordered that the salmon, which was sealed in a plastic bag, be removed from the chamber.

Conservationists have raised alarms over the impact of salmon farms on the endangered Maugean skate, a bottom-dwelling fish native to Tasmania. The fish, which resembles a stingray, is threatened by the pollution linked to the farms.

Despite these concerns, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has expressed his ongoing support for the salmon farming industry, which provides hundreds of jobs in Tasmania. He has argued that the economic benefits of the industry are important for the region.

Australia’s political history has seen various dramatic protests in the Senate, with lawmakers occasionally using unusual props to highlight issues. Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison, for example, infamously waved a lump of coal in the chamber to taunt renewable energy advocates during a speech, drawing widespread criticism.

Senator Hanson-Young’s stunt highlights the ongoing tension between environmental protection and industry interests in the country, particularly as the upcoming election looms.