Fish farm protesters took over a Marine Harvest ship in Victoria today, while the Orca Chief ship was in dry dock at Point Hope Shipyard.
Organizers, including Fish Farms Out Now and The Matriarch have called the move a “direct action” and involved one woman taping herself to the navigational antenna on the top of the ship.
At least three protesters remain on board, including Samantha Matthews, who is taped to the ship’s antenna.
Three others were arrested and removed at 8:45 a.m.
Police are in negotiations with the rest, according to Victoria Police Const. Matt Rutherford.
Wild Salmon Defenders are staging a protest against fish farms at Point Hope Shipyard #yyj pic.twitter.com/4z1dQFXfVQ
— Victoria News (@VictoriaNews) September 5, 2018
The groups are calling for an end to open-net fish farming.
Opponents of open-net fish farms say the free-flowing water between pens holding farmed fish and the marine environment allows diseases and parasites to be passed to wild salmon.