FREDERICTON — Proposed new aquaculture regulations will face scrutiny before a senate committee meeting today after a coalition of fishers, fishing associations, business leaders and scientists have said the changes would harm marine environments and wild fisheries such as salmon and lobster.
The Conservation Council of New Brunswick’s Fundy Baykeeper, Matt Abbott, will be watching the meeting and is available for comment to media before and after the proceedings.
Abbott was a leading force behind the open letter sent last month to Prime Minister Stephen Harper calling upon the federal government to scrap the proposed aquaculture activities regulations. The letter was signed by a broad coalition of 120 people and organizations, who will be represented at the Senate Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans by Bill Ernst (Toxicologist, Environment Canada, retired), Rob Johnson (Ecology Action Centre), and Michael Van den Heuvel (Canada Research Chair in Watershed Ecological Integrity, University of Prince Edward Island).
The hearing takes place at 5 p.m. EST and can be watched online through a webcast. Follow the Twitter handles @AquaRegs and @cc_nb for more updates.
For more information or to arrange an interview, contact: Matt Abbott, Fundy Baykeeper: 506-321-0429, matt.abbott@conservationcouncil.ca
The Conservation Council of New Brunswick
Established in 1969, the Conservation Council serves as the province’s leading voice for conservation and environmental protection. A leading public policy advocate, CCNB works to find practical solutions to help families and educators, citizens, governments and businesses protect the air we breathe, the water we drink, the precious marine ecosystem and the land, including the forests, that support us.
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