Twin Bays Coalition on open pen fish farms
The issue:
Cooke Aquaculture, a multi-billion-dollar multinational corporation based in New Brunswick, has proposed an expansion of open net-pen salmon aquaculture throughout Nova Scotia that would more than triple current rates of production. The company has said in the past it’s aiming for 30,000 metric tonnes throughout the province, up from about 7,500 in 2020. Such an expansion would fundamentally change the coastal seascape of Nova Scotia.
An application submitted by Kellys Cove Salmon in 2016 (Cooke Aquaculture subsidiary) asked for an expansion of their lease area at Saddle Island on the Aspotogan Peninsula. In 2018, the cages were moved and 2 of these now lie outside the approved lease area (see photo). The application for expansion at Saddle Island has not yet (as of August 2023) been heard by the Aquaculture Review Board (ARB).
Cooke Aquaculture has, in the past, expanded its operation without approval, as reported by the National Enquirer here.
Members of The Twin Bays Coalition are citizens of St. Margaret’s Bay and Mahone Bay and work together with many organisations attempting to protect Nova Scotian waters.
The coalition is dedicated to preserving and restoring the health of our marine ecosystems and coastal communities. From bay-to-bay, members are working together in opposition to the government-supported expansion of open net-pen salmon aquaculture Nova Scotian waters. Instead, the coalition is driving a different vision for a vibrant, resilient, sustainable and regenerative ocean economy that supports coastal livelihoods without degrading our home waters or putting existing jobs at risk.
For more information, contact or follow Twin Bays Coalition
For more information, contact or follow Twin Bays Coalition