Nova Scotians demand protections for wild salmon and coastal waters over corporate profit.
HALIFAX/K’JIPUKTUK, UNCEDED TERRITORY OF THE MI’KMAQ – From October 7–10, the Nova Scotia Aquaculture Review Board (ARB) will hear evidence regarding Kelly Cove Salmon’s proposal to expand its open net pen operations in Liverpool Bay.
Kelly Cove Salmon Ltd., a subsidiary of Cooke Aquaculture, wants to add six new pens to its existing Coffin Island site, increasing the number of farmed salmon from about 420,000 to 660,000 in this first phase. If approved, the company has indicated it intends to pursue even larger expansions that would bring the total number of farmed fish in Liverpool Bay close to two million.
Ecojustice will represent Protect Liverpool Bay Association (PLBA), a grassroots community group, as an intervenor in the hearing. PLBA members say the expansion risks polluting their waters, endangering wild salmon, and undermining their way of life.
“Liverpool Bay residents have been clear—they do not want industrial salmon farming to define their community,” said Brian Muldoon of PLBA. “This fight is about protecting our bay, our fisheries, and our future.”
Ecojustice lawyer James Gunvaldsen Klaassen added: “This hearing is precedent-setting. If Kelly Cove’s expansion goes ahead, it will pave the way for widespread growth of open net pen farming across Nova Scotia. Communities deserve a say in what happens to their coasts. These projects should not be forced on them against their will.”
First Nations, including Mi’kmaw representatives, have also raised concerns, saying they have not been properly consulted despite this proposed expansion’s impacts on their treaty and title rights, archaeological sites, and on fish habitat and the Mi’kmaw fisheries. Scientists warn that fish farms act as breeding grounds for parasites and disease that can spread to wild salmon populations, which are already in crisis.
The Doelle-Lahey report, commissioned by the province in 2014, underscored the risks of open net pens and called for stronger safeguards. Yet Nova Scotia’s regulatory regime continues to allow expansions like Kelly Cove’s, despite years of evidence of harm.
The Aquaculture Review Board’s decision will set the tone for the future of aquaculture in Nova Scotia. Communities, Indigenous nations, and environmental groups are urging the Board to put people and ecosystems first.
Register here for the livestream of the hearing. Or attend in person at the Days Inn, 50 North St, Bridgewater, NS B4V 4H1.
About:
We are a world-leading science and advocacy organization with headquarters in New Brunswick, Canada. Represented at prominent forums, the Atlantic Salmon Federation (ASF) is a family of more than 25,000 members and volunteers passionate about conserving and restoring wild Atlantic salmon. We conduct research on wild salmon throughout the North Atlantic, perform complex river restoration projects, and advocate for legislation that will help to protect wild Atlantic salmon.
The Protect Liverpool Bay (PLB) Association is a group of citizens advocating to keep our bay free from the destructive impacts of open net-pen fin-fish farms and encouraging other Nova Scotia communities to do the same. We know fin-fish farms cannot be safely operated in a marine environment. We are calling on the Nova Scotia government to reject Cooke Aquaculture’s proposed expansion plans for industrial scale salmon farms in Liverpool Bay
