WWF Australia admitted Tasmanian salmon farms ‘not sustainable’, campaigner says

Geoff Cousins says head of WWFA made the comments privately, despite the organisation having certified a major operator in the past

The head of World Wide Fund for Nature Australia admitted in private that Tasmanian salmon farming was not sustainable", despite WWFA having endorsed the industry's practice through its certification program until 2019, environmentalist Geoff Cousins has said.

Cousins said the chief executive of WWFA, Dermot O'Gorman, made the comments last month after Cousins challenged the organisation over whether its former certification program had worked to protect the marine environment or wildlife.

WWFA confirmed to Guardian Australia that conversations took place, but did not immediately respond to questions about what was said.