Cooke gets green light for 1,000-tonne farm expansion in Nova Scotia

Cooke Aquaculture subsidiary Kelly Cove Salmon Ltd (KCS) has been given the go-ahead to add six extra pens to its fish farm at Coffin Island, in Liverpool Bay, Nova Scotia, Atlantic Canada. It applied for the expansion in August 2023.

The approval by the Nova Scotia Aquaculture Review Board (ARB) follows a hearing about the application in October last year. KCS will increase the numbers of pens from 14 to 20, raising maximum production by 198,000 salmon. This works out at an extra 1,000 tonnes wet weight if fish are harvested at 5 kilos. ARB said the additional 2.2 hectares added to the footprint of the site represents the optimum use of marine resources.

“The week-long ARB public hearing was rigorous and brought together input from multiple stakeholders and intervenors,” said Joel Richardson, vice president of public relations for Cooke.

“We appreciate that the Board allowed the time necessary for everyone to make presentations, ask questions and gain an understanding of how our aquaculture farming works.”

Key conclusions

The ARB also concluded that:

• The farm makes a genuine contribution to community and Nova Scotia economic development.
• The existing farm does not cause significant negative impacts to other fishery activities in Liverpool Bay.
• The oceanographic and biophysical characteristics of the public waters surrounding the proposed aquacultural operation are suitable for salmon aquaculture.
• The expansion will not have a negative impact on the other users of the public waters surrounding the proposed aquacultural operation.
• There is no significant impact on the public right of navigation.
• The proposed expansion will not have any significant impact on the local wild salmon population and the existing farm has not had a significant impact since coming into operation in 2011.

KCS plans to install new, state-of-the-art cages, containment nets and underwater smart-farming technology which includes an integrated suite of advanced digital tools, sensors, robotics, and AI-driven systems designed to monitor fish farming in real-time.

Opposed by council

The expansion had been opposed by some local organisations including the local council, Region of Queens Muncipality, which argued that the development might impact its efforts to promote tourism. But during cross-examination at the hearing, the council’s representative confirmed that no surveys, interviews, or case study reviews had been conducted to support those conclusions.

Claims that lobster fishers would be displaced were also found to be unsubstantiated.

Coffin Island site manager Chad Schrader said: “Being able to live and work in the community where I was born and raised means a great deal to me and my family.

“I’m proud of the work we do at the Coffin Island site and know we can grow the farm responsibly and sustainably. I’m glad the ARB relied on sound science and the real facts about modern aquaculture when making its decision.”

Future decisions

Jeff Bishop, executive director of the Aquaculture Association of Nova Scotia, said: “Our members are very pleased to see the salmon farm expansion approval. As sea farmers, we are focused on providing sustainable meals grown right here at home. Supporting and encouraging growth in our resource sectors strengthens rural and urban parts of our province.

“We look forward to future ARB decisions that will help guide investment within the aquaculture sector, and our province.”

KCS applied for two new farms at Brooklyn Point and Mersey Point, in Liverpool Bay, at the same time as it asked for the Coffin Island extension, but later asked for them to be held in abeyance while the Coffin Island request was dealt with.