November 6, 2023

 

Cooke Aquaculture's subsidiary expansion proposal receives hearing date

 

The Nova Scotia Aquaculture Review Board (NSARB) of Nova Scotia province, Canada, has issued decisions regarding intervenor status for an upcoming hearing to review proposal by Kelly Cove Salmon, a subsidiary of Cooke Aquaculture, to expand its Atlantic salmon aquaculture operations in Liverpool Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada, SeafoodSource reported.

 

The public hearing is scheduled for February 5 to 9, 2024.

 

The proposal under review includes an application for a boundary amendment and two new marine finfish aquaculture licenses and leases in Liverpool Bay, which is situated in Queens County, Nova Scotia. This expansion is part of Cooke's wider efforts in Nova Scotia, including the construction of a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) hatchery near Centreville on Digby Neck, Nova Scotia, and a boundary amendment for its Nova Scotia salmon farm off Rattling Beach.

 

Kelly Cove's application seeks two new leases, each establishing aquaculture sites covering 40.7 hectares, with a total of 1.98 million Atlantic salmon to be raised across three locations.

 

Out of 12 applications for intervenor status, only five were approved, with all approvals granted to groups representing regional interests. The approved groups include the Kwilmu'kw Maw-Klusuaqn Negotiation Office (KMKNO), Queens Recreational Boating Association (Brooklyn Marina), a coalition of 23 Fishermen of Liverpool Bay, the Region of Queens Municipality (RQM), and the Protect Liverpool Bay Association (PLBA).

 

The KMKNO raised concerns about the expanded aquaculture location's impact on the Mi'kmaq's right to fish for food, social, and ceremonial purposes and the potential disturbance of nearby Mi'kmaw archaeological sites. They are indigenous peoples in Canada.

 

The Queens Recreational Boating Association argued that the salmon farms would have a detrimental effect on the recreational boating community, affecting sailboats' manoeuvrability and reducing the area's appeal to visitors.

 

Intervenor status was denied to the Ecology Action Centre, as well as to Douglas Franz and Catherine Collins, the authors of "Salmon Wars, the Dark Underbelly of our Favourite Fish," who, while not residing in the area, believed their investigative expertise would provide valuable insights into Cooke Aquaculture's practices.

 

Kelly Cove stated that it has successfully farmed salmon for 25 years along Nova Scotia's southern and western shores, highlighting its compliance with current lease and new license and lease application processes.

 

The applications for expansion and new leases were initially submitted on March 6, 2019, making the hearings almost five years from the date of the original submission.

 

-      SeafoodSource