Salmon farmer Huon Aquaculture is taking legal action against rival Tassal Group for allegedly breaching fish volume allocations in Tasmania's Macquarie Harbour.
Huon says it has lodged proceedings in the Federal Court seeking a declaration that Tassal has more fish stock at the harbour than it is permitted by the Tasmanian Environmental Protection Agency.
The company says Tassal has an allocation of 2,067 tonnes across its leases, but Tassal's submission to the environmental watchdog in late May shows it proposes to have more than 4,000 tonnes of salmon in June, up to 5,000 in August and peaking at 7,000 in December or January.
"This means based on Tassal's own information, they will be in breach of their biomass allocation from June 2017," Huon said in a statement.
"Whilst a court order won't force Tassal to comply, Huon has commenced proceedings to protect the reputation of the industry and the long term sustainability of Macquarie Harbour including the jobs it supports."
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The action against Tassal is in addition to Huon's Federal Court action lodged against the Tasmanian government in February, for allegedly failing to manage and protect the harbour from intensive fish farming.
Shares in Huon were down two cents at $5.08 at 1330 AEST, and Tassal shares were down 10 cents at $4.35.
