It is amazing growth for a product that only started in Tasmania 20 years ago, when the first Atlantic salmon eggs were shipped in and hatched in local waters.
Farmed Tasmanian salmon is on its way to becoming the most popular table fish in the country and is now worth $350 million a year.
Salmon farmers have relied on marketing Tasmania's clean, green image to spearhead their assault on mainland and overseas markets.
Advertisers use phrases like "grown in the pristine oceans off Tasmania" and the industry has acknowledged that this association has been crucial to salmon's success.
But a growing number of critics say the marketing is a sham and that the waters of a salmon farm are more likely to be swirling with chemicals and waste.
A battle is being waged over whether salmon are a clean, green omega-rich super food or the battery hens of the sea.
Canadian environmentalist Dr David Suzuki is one of the industry's detractors.
Three years ago he fired the first shot in the salmon wars, berating the National Press Club for eating Tasmanian salmon during his speech.
"You all sat and chowed down on farmed salmon and obviously you don't give a shit about what you're putting into your body," he said.
"You know what a farmed salmon is, it's filled with toxic chemicals."
Dr Suzuki is continuing his campaign against farmed salmon, here and in Canada.
Salmon: Clean, Green Super-Food or Battery Hens of the Sea?
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Salmon: Clean, green super-food or battery hens of the sea?
By Conor Duffy
ABC News, December 8, 2009
Straight to the Source
