Nova Scotia takes no harm, no foul approach to fish farm lease violations

Nova Scotia takes no harm, no foul approach to fish farm lease violations

Source: cbc

1/19/2021

The Nova Scotia government is defending its decision to allow five Cooke Aquaculture open-net pen fish farms to expand outside their existing lease and licence boundaries.

A coalition of fish farming opponents wants the province to force Cooke subsidiary Kelly Cove Salmon into compliance at fish farms where the company has not yet received boundary expansions.

The Healthy Bays Network cites government inspection reports that gear and equipment are in place outside of the previously approved boundaries in violation of existing leases.

"Configuring their sites in this way may allow Kelly Cove Salmon to have more cages, and more fish, on each of their sites than the size of their lease and licence would otherwise permit," wrote lawyer Sarah McDonald of Ecojustice, an environmental law non-profit, on behalf of Healthy Bays.

She sent the letter to the province on behalf of clients Protect Liverpool Bay, St. Mary's Bay Protectors, the Association for the Preservation of the Eastern Shore, the Atlantic Salmon Federation, and Brad Armstrong and Geoff LeBoutillier. Many are members of the Healthy Bay Network.