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BURGEO, NL – 30 boats and more than 100 people took part in the “Draw the Line” boat rally on Sunday, August 10th, to oppose salmon farm expansion in Newfoundland and Labrador. People came from Ramea and Burgeo, meeting in Bay de Loup, one of the south Newfoundland fjords targeted for salmon farm expansion.
The event featured drumming by members of Burgeo First Nation and words from Chief Elaine Ingram. Participants included community members, businesspeople, and fishers. ASF helped organize the event, which included barbeques in Burgeo and Ramea.
“The message from participants is that salmon farms don’t need to be in every fjord along the south coast of Newfoundland,” said Neville Crabbe, vice-president of communications with ASF. “There are 106 fish farming licenses in the province, and 53 of them haven’t been used in at least five years. There is space for the aquaculture industry within its current footprint, while respecting people and places that want a different future,” said Crabbe.
The boat rally comes at a critical time. Newfoundland and Labrador Environment Minister Scott Reid is due to decide on August 13th whether Mowi’s environmental impact statement for its proposed Newfoundland expansion satisfies provincial guidelines.
It also came days after salmon farming companies in the province reported at least 285,000 fish died in sea cages at 4 sites, three leased to Cooke Aquaculture and one leased to Mowi.
In recent years, as sea cage salmon farming has been banned in places like British Columbia, the province of Newfoundland and Labrador has awarded companies new licenses and exploration rights to large areas of the south coast which is dominated by deep, relatively pristine fjords. This is a quiet shift from its 2014 industry strategy that calls for aquaculture-free areas to protect wild fish and the environment.
The push to expand also coincides with several negative trends, like a declining farmed salmon production, increasing frequency of serious animal disease, and an ongoing plastic dumping scandal.
“People are frustrated that provincial and federal leaders seem to have blinders on about salmon farming. They are treating the east and west coasts of Canada differently and won’t answer basic questions like why the industry needs to expand geographically when half of the approved sites in Newfoundland aren’t even used,” said Crabbe.
For a gallery of images click here.
For more info contact Kristen Noel.
Knoel@asf.ca | 902-499-1801