Our Fundy Baykeeper, Matt Abbott, has co-signed a letter to New Brunswick’s Minister of Environment and Local Government calling for proposed new salmon aquaculture sites in the Bay of Fundy to undergo a complete Environmental Impact Assessment.
Kelly Cove Salmon’s proposal for new open-net pen salmon aquaculture sites in Maces Bay and Beaver Harbour is currently under review by the Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries.
The proposal is not currently registered for an Environmental Impact Assessment.
Abbott, along with co-signatories including the Atlantic Salmon Federation, Nature NB, Grand Manan Fishermen’s Association, Fundy North Fishermen’s Association, and others, say the known environmental impacts of existing salmon aquaculture cages in the region, the presence of endangered wild Atlantic salmon in the Bay, and the close proximity of the proposed sites to Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) means the proposed new sites should absolutely be registered for and undergo a complete Environmental Impact Assessment.
“We contend that the presence of endangered wild Atlantic salmon in the Bay of Fundy and the importance of the region for migratory and nesting birds including shorebirds, Harlequin Duck, and Common Eider are triggers for mandatory EIA registration of Kelly Cove Salmon’s planned expansions at Maces Bay and Beaver Harbour,” the letter reads.
“Examination of the evidence pertaining to the known impacts of open-net pen salmon aquaculture on wild salmon and other species, both in the Bay of Fundy and elsewhere, can lead to no other reasonable conclusion that these expansions may have a significant negative impact on wild salmon and other species thereby triggering a full environmental impact assessment.”
You can read the full letter, sent to the Minister on July 9, 2020, here.
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