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After the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador ordered Cooke Aquaculture to clean up a single site, ASF has documented more abandoned sea-cages and sunken debris in multiple locations along the province’s south coast. See below for images.
On February 2nd, ASF staff flew to The Locker, a cove near Gaultois, where previously published photographs show up to 25 abandoned sea cages, piles of net, rope, buoys, and feed bags dumped there since at least 2011.
Cooke Aquaculture’s government imposed deadline to cleanup the cove was January 31st. All visible aquaculture waste appears to have been removed.
“We’re encouraged by Minister Byrne’s action on The Locker. Now we hope his attention shifts to all the other salmon farm waste sites in the province,” said Louie Porta, President of ASF.
“We provided notice about these additional sites to Minister Byrne and Premier Furey. Once again, we have requested a meeting with them to discuss the major issues affecting wild Atlantic salmon in Newfoundland and Labrador. ASF wants to partner with the provincial government to maximize funding for salmon conservation and modernize the aquaculture industry within its current footprint,” Porta said.
ASF is advocating for a halt to sea cage expansion in the province until major problems with existing sites, like widespread plastic pollution, can be addressed. Read our full position statement here.
ASF learned about The Locker in the spring of 2024. Staff first visited on April 17th and informed then provincial fisheries minister Elvis Loveless about the garbage at an event in Gander on May 9th.
Staff returned to The Locker on August 9th and filed complaints to Newfoundland and Labrador’s Wildlife Enforcement Division, Environment and Climate Change Canada, and Fisheries and Oceans Canada on August 28th.
In December 2024, after months without any apparent action from regulators, ASF issued a press release about The Locker that included photos and satellite images of plastic waste on site dating back to 2011.
Weeks later, provincial fisheries minister Gerry Byrne announced Cooke Aquaculture had until January 31st, 2025 to remove its waste.
Illegal dumping carries fines of up to $1,000,000 for companies in Newfoundland and Labrador, and disposal at sea is a violation of multiple provincial and federal laws. The clean-up order from Minister Byrne is the only consequence for Cooke Aquaculture’s actions that ASF is aware of.
While viewing The Locker on February 2nd, ASF staff flew to nearby sites and observed sunken and abandoned sea cages in multiple locations. A limited survey using Google Earth reveals others.
With 115 active fish farming licenses in Newfoundland and Labrador, the examples below do not represent a complete survey of all salmon farming sites.
License information retrieved from NL GeoHub on Feb. 5, 2025. View the source here
Licenses AQ15-LIC-0077, AQ15-LIC-1062, AQ15-LIC-1063, AQ15-LIC-1064, AQ15-LIC-0317, AQ15-LIC-0751, AQ15-LIC-0999
Lease Holders: Northern Harvest Sea Farms NL (Mowi), Cold Ocean Salmon (Cooke Aquaculture), Nova Fish Farms (Ocean Trout Canada Inc)
Licenses AQ15-LIC-0991, AQ15-LIC-0993
Lease holder: Northern Harvest Sea Farms NL (Mowi)
License #AQ15-LIC-0842
Lease holder: Cold Ocean Salmon Inc. (Cooke Aquaculture)
License #AQ15-LIC-0836
Lease holder: Cold Ocean Salmon Inc. (Cooke Aquaculture)
ASF is currently working with an image analysis firm to complete a satellite survey of all salmon farm sites in Newfoundland and Labrador.
To arrange interviews:
Neville Crabbe – ASF communications
(506) 467-6804 | ncrabbe@asf.ca