Review could end Nova Scotian moratorium
Canada's federal government has added Nova Scotia to the list of provinces whose aquaculture regulations are currently being reviewed, bringing hope that the province's moratorium on new sites - which has been in place since 2013 - might come to an end.
The federal government has restarted a process to review how fish farms are regulated, and will now expand the scope of the review to include more provinces.
Last December, the DFO sought contractors to study the legislative and regulatory framework governing aquaculture in Canada.
The document explained that “nine federal organizations are involved in regulatory roles for aquaculture, involving 10 different piece of legislation.” There are additional controls at the provincial level.
The department’s regulatory review was the first step towards building “a coherent and adaptable federal legal framework,” the document said.
However, the review’s scope was limited to federal regulations and those in BC and PEI – no other province was included.
Last Friday, DFO published a revised tender with a scope that covered all “relevant federal and provincial levels.”
The deadline for the new version remains unchanged at March 31.
To meet the firm deadline, the restarted process has a revised timeline. The successful contractor will have 60 days to complete the review, down from 94 days outlined in the previous contract.
Prospective contractors have until Jan 21 to submit applications.
The NS government issued a moratorium on new fish farm sites in May 2013 and launched a review of the industry. From that review, the provincial government drafted new legislation to govern aquaculture sites.
This new legislation has been criticized by environmental lawyers and activists, who claim the new regulations failed to deliver the openness and transparency needed to restore public confidence in the industry.
For example, according to Aaron Ward, the Executive Director of East Coast Environmental Law, there is no mandatory requirement to release key information to the public such as farm site inspection reports.
There are many improvements in the new regulations, including third-party auditing, enhanced reporting requirement and mandatory farm management plans.
There are currently nine salmon farms operating in NS, led by the largest company in eastern Canada, Cooke Aquaculture.
The provincial government intends to lift the moratorium on new farms this year.
This review comes hot on the heels of a request by the Canadian Aquaculture Industry Alliance (CAIA) for a federally enforced Aquaculture Act.
Currently, the Canadian aquaculture industry is governed by 73 pieces of often conflicting rules and regulations, making Canada’s aquaculture industry one of the most heavily-regulated in the world. Canada is also the world’s only major farmed seafood producing country without national legislation specifically designed to govern and enable its aquaculture industry.
