Opposition to fish farm proposal
A winter storm was only forecast for the following day, but a company exploring the possibility of expanding its salmon farm operations in St. Mary’s Bay, and in other parts of Nova Scotia, got a very chilly reception at a company-organized open house/information session in Digby.
The company is planning other open house sessions in Digby County in the early part of February.
There were packed rooms in Digby for two open houses on Jan. 15 held by salmon fish-farming company Cermaq, that has operated on the west coast of
Canada and hopes to establish operations on the east coast. It is exploring lease options in St. Mary’s Bay, Chedabucto Bay (Guysborough area), around Green Bay/Lunenburg Bay/Mahone Bay and in St. Margaret’s Bay.
The company is determining whether “a path forward” exists in these areas. Such an expansion would double its Canadian operations.
PUBLIC OPPOSITION
The majority of people who attended the recent sessions in Digby expressed opposition, raising numerous concerns.
OPPOSITION
“You have just met people who have a vested long-term interest here. We live here, it’s our community,” said local resident Shirley Langpohl. “We want you to understand we didn’t invite you. We don’t want you here. We love our fishing industry and our community and St. Mary’s Bay is an environmental nightmare with you.
One broken cage and we have a horror. We want you to go.”
During the afternoon session, which the Tri-County Vanguard newsroom attended, were many members of St. Mary’s Bay Protectors, a local group strongly opposed to open pen fish farms in the bay. The group is very active on social media and has presented to Digby municipal council.
Cermaq is hoping the public gives the company a chance for continued dialogue and keeps an open mind.
But many people have big concerns over ocean pollution, along with displacement and harm to the fishing industry. Many pointed to the lobster fishery, specifically. They say the industry is a backbone of the economy and can’t be put at risk.
Cermaq sustainable development director Linda Sams reiterated the last thing the company wants to see is harm caused to the lobster fishery. But many in the room said they fail to see how this can be avoided.
Local resident Roger Outhouse also spoke of the importance of the bottom of the bay. He said this needs to be a “clear, pure” water system and he worries about the impacts of aquaculture operations, especially on life-sustaining plankton.
“It’s been argued many times by people saying, ‘oh, it’s a small chunk of real estate,’ but it’s really much larger real estate that you’re talking about,” he said, adding the area can’t risk having dead zones underneath salmon pens.
In response, Sams said the company doesn’t call them dead zones, but rather “an area of impact.”
“If you’re farming properly and managing your impact . . . you should be able to predict how big it is, and usually the farthest we see it is about 100 metres from cage out and it’s reversable,” over time she said, saying a broadscale monitoring program is important to have in place.
Outhouse and others suggested there wouldn’t be as much opposition if the company were looking at an onshore aquaculture program instead of farming salmon in the bay.
CEMRAQ’S PLANS
In St. Mary’s Bay, and also Chedabucto Bay, the company’s options to lease will expire on March 28, 2020. Since that’s a
Saturday they’re eyeing March 27 to make a decision as to whether to pursue the region further.
In Nova Scotia the company is looking to have a production capacity of 20,000 metric tonnes annually. To achieve this it would need operations in multiple regions.
“We think that would look like approximately 15 to 20 (farm) sites spread across all of the four locations in Nova Scotia,” said the company’s east coast sustainable development director Vicki Savoie. “We have not found any one area in Nova Scotia that could support our entire proposal production of 20,000 metric tonnes or 15 sites.”
A generic farm site would include at least 10 net pens that are each 128 metres in circumference (52 metres across). Each net pen would be approximately 22 metres in depth and would be surrounded by a secondary net for predator protection.
“We’ll be looking at a fish population that can include anywhere between 85,000 and 90,000 fish per pen,” Tom Foulds, Cermaq’s sustainable and environmental manager said.
The company says a Nova Scotia expansion would create 250 to 300 direct jobs spread throughout the different regions. If Cermaq chooses to submit an aquaculture licence application, there would be at least another year-long process (or longer) for further engagement, feedback and feasibility work.
Filing an application does not guarantee that any development will occur or that a lease and licence will be awarded. But if there was an application for St. Mary’s Bay and it was successful, you’d likely be looking at 2025 as the earliest that the company could start to see its own fish grown, it was stated.
In other parts of Nova Scotia where the company has options to lease, those expire on April 7. The company has applied for extensions.
Cermaq said it has been hearing from and speaking to people