Nova Scotia Government Halts Fish Farm on South Shore
Unless you are a vegan there is a good possibility that you’ve have eaten farmed fish or shrimp of some kind. Unfortunately this is the way of the new world and, in many cases it is a good way to have a fresh supply of protein. Prince Edward island, for example, has a thriving mussel farming system that supplies tons of the crustaceans.
The problem with fish farms mirrors that of cattle feed lots. You have a large number of animals in confined space whose sole job is to eat, get big and defecate. Unlike ocean fish or deep sea fish they can’t even follow their natural urge to spawn. So with this many animals the amount of waste at the bottom of the bays where these fish are raised is often too much for the scavengers to clean up. In addition, just like with humans, disease can be a problem even though the fish food contains anti-disease agents.
In Port Mouton, Nova Scotia, AquaFish Farms has been at loggerheads wth locals and environmentalists because they wanted to build a 28 hectare fish farm (the largest in the province) behind Port Mouton Island. They didn’t have too many allies and even the lobster fishermen agreed that the bay would be too polluted for good lobsters. And even though the research has not backed up their claims they are afraid of the lobsters catching some disease created by the farms.
There is already a smaller fish farm in the area and the Friends of Port Mouton claim that the existing farm has left a definite layer of excrement on the ocean floor.
In a presentation to the Queens Chamber of Commerce in Liverpool, Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald announced an indefinite moratorium on future fish farms in the area. This is good for tourism because the area is well-known for sea kayaking and surfing and fish farms do not promote these activities.
Leave a comment!