The tide is turning
In the weeks since we imagined the Bruny BlueBioSphere—where the sea is the yin to the island’s yang—the path toward that vision has been lit by real, hopeful, tangible steps. The BlueBioSphere is already alive – in all the proactive and wonderful commitments and movements that are underway.
On 4 June, the EPA committed to real-time public reporting of antibiotic use in salmon farms, a direct response to the outrage over the 5‑month delay in revealing the 553 kg of florfenicol dumped at Soldiers Point. The Aquenal report on that lease, now public, confirms that treatment spanned the January holiday break, bathing Apollo Bay swimmers in a chemical plume they never knew about—and underlining why transparency must be non‑negotiable.
Meanwhile, the independent Salmon Study portal opened quietly, closing 5 July; it will examine exactly the kinds of environmental, health, regulatory and economic questions that the Bruny BlueBioSphere demands. The momentum on the ground is even stronger: Clare Glade‑Wright—an outspoken champion for marine health—has just won the Huon Legislative Council seat. A CSIRO poll shows a majority of Tasmanians have withdrawn social licence from the industry. And perhaps most hopeful of all, Bruny Island Seafarms has placed its first regenerative pilot farm in the water at Birchs Bay, proving that a new kind of aquaculture—one that cleans rather than pollutes—is not a theory but a reality, right here.
From Nigel Westlake’s Book of Fish giving voice to our endangered handfish and skate, to Sarah Sackville’s coast‑to‑coast ride turning quad‑burn into activism, the BlueBioSphere is leaving the realm of words and sinking roots into mud, policy and music.
Essential actions to be taken now
- Seize the Salmon Study submission window (deadline 5 July). Draft a personal or group submission that ties your local knowledge directly to Topics 2, 3, 4, 6 and 9—demand nutrient budgeting, real‑time discharge transparency, a permanent florfenicol ban, waste capture, and Indigenous co‑management of sea country.
- Push for immediate, full transparency on all remaining antibiotic data. Use the EPA’s real‑time promise as leverage: ask your MP and the EPA why the other eight leases’ florfenicol totals are still hidden. Demand the same real‑time dashboard for net‑cleaning plumes and mortality disposal.
- Support and amplify regenerative alternatives. Follow Bruny Island Seafarms, champion their pilot as a blueprint, and ask government what funding and streamlined approvals are being offered to zero‑pollution aquaculture.
- Back the new political will. Joining Peter Goerge is now Clare Glade‑Wright and commit to working with them to elevate Bruny marine protection; reinforce that her mandate includes the BlueBioSphere – as still-nascent and virtual as it is.
- Build the citizen‑science network now. Before summer, organise a local water‑quality monitoring group (simple kits, phone apps) that can feed into the promised EPA real‑time system. Involve schools, surf clubs, and dive operators.
- Sustain the cultural and people‑powered movement. Sign NOFF’s petition, share the Book of Fish performance, donate to Sarah Sackville’s film, and talk to neighbours about what a BlueBioSphere means for property, health, and the shearwaters that knit the Pacific to The Neck.
Bruny BlueBioSphere
The Bruny BlueBioSphere is not just a vision on line or on paper—it is a movement that has just gained the tools, the political openings, and the living examples to turn the tide. Now is the moment to press ahead. All the individuals, initiatives and groups who are in pursuit of this direction are already denizens of the Bruny BlueBioSphere.
