A Macquarie Harbour salmon farming lease being destocked by Tassal will not be part of an audit this week by a global standards body.

Tasmania's Environment Protection Agency issued the destocking order last month after finding 14 non-compliance issues.

It was also found that almost no living organisms existed on the harbour floor under and around the lease.

The company's Macquarie Harbour operations are being audited this week as part of its Aquaculture Stewardship Council, or ASC, certification.

The certification is considered the gold standard for responsibly farmed seafood and it may be withdrawn if auditors find Tassal it is not meeting standards.

ASC documents available on its website state that because the Franklin lease will not be in use for an extended period it is not within the scope for the audit.

The ABC understands it is a requirement for ASC assessments that sites need to be stocked so all parameters can be appraised.

Without reassessment the ASC certification for the Franklin site will be effectively be nullified.

System 'gone terribly wrong'

Fish farming certification specialist Duncan Leadbitter said the assessment would decide if ASC standards were being met.

"If they're not met then the certificate can be withdrawn and that means that the company cannot use the ASC logo on products in the marketplace," he told ABC Radio Hobart.



The Tasmanian Greens' Rosalie Woodruff said the conditions in Macquarie Harbour raised questions about the ASC process.

"I think it's scandalous that an ASC certification process wouldn't consider the devastation that's happened in Macquarie Harbour, and the Franklin lease devastation is the example of how this system has gone terribly wrong," she said.

Mr Leadbitter said the estuary was quite unusual and it had been studied over the past 15 years to work out the carrying capacity and levels of finfish, including salmon.

"What seems to the case is that some of the assumptions that were made when the original approval to expand production weren't correct and that's why there's now a move back to a lower level of production," he said.

Mr Leadbitter said auditors would spend this week in Strahan collecting evidence from Tassal and meeting other stakeholders.

Audit to include Compliance with laws and regulations

Compliance with laws and regulations Ecosystem impacts

Ecosystem impacts Adverse effects on wild populations

Adverse effects on wild populations Disease management

Disease management Resource use

Resource use Socially responsible operations

Socially responsible operations Community impacts

Community impacts Standards for suppliers of smolt

"There are some meetings coming along this week which are open to anybody," he said.

"They'll also be seeking submissions and if people just want to speak privately because they don't feel like talking in public then that option is open as well."

The Tassal audit is being carried out by SCS Global Services and will look at several areas including community impacts as well as compliance and environmental impacts.

The audit will be published on the ASC website 30 days after completion.

Industry well regulated: Minister

Tassal said it would be inappropriate to comment while the audit was taking place.

The company has previously said it was harvesting stock off its Franklin lease as quickly as possible to support the environmental remediation of the site.

Environment Minister Matthew Groom said the ASC audit was a matter for Tassal, but maintained the state's salmon industry was well regulated.

"We need to recognise that salmon is a very important industry for Tasmania," he said.

"It employs a lot of people, including in regional parts of the state and that's why we need to ensure its growth trajectory is sustainable and its well regulated and we're committed to doing that."

The state's second biggest producer, Huon Aquaculture, has started legal action against the Government over the state of Macquarie Harbour.