Nova Scotia MP agrees to table aquaculture petition

Signators surge to 6,950

“A petition is a great way for constituents to have their views officially tabled in the House of Commons and to receive a government response"

Nova Scotia MP (South Shore-St. Margarets) Bernadette Jordan has agreed to table a petition in Canada's parliament regarding fin fish aquaculture, if the project generates 500 or more signatures. The petition has garnered close to 7000 signatures, with an end date of July 27 for the petition period.

The petition to the Government of Canada opposing open-net cage aquaculture in Canadian waters was filed by Ron Neufeld and his wife Kathaleen from Sable River, NS and has generated support from all provinces and the Yukon.

In part, the petition states that growing Atlantic salmon in open-net cages in Canadian waters has "serious consequences"; that adding antibiotics to fish feed which is then sprayed directly into the ocean is reckless and dangerous; that rapid development of antibiotic resistant bacteria has detrimental effects on human health; that pesticides released into the ocean to kill sea lice on salmon are killing lobsters, that detailed studies on the effects of pesticides on the environment need to be done before allowing their use in our oceans. Without such studies, says the petition, fish farmers "are using a food source, the environment and consumers in an industrial experiment."

The petition notes that millions of caged salmon in the Maritimes are being killed by super-chill, which they describe as "inhumane and abusive", insisting the practice of keeping caged fish in an area where the water can freeze should be considered unacceptable.

The petition asserts that the large numbers of wild fish destroyed to feed farmed fish and the number of farmed fish destroyed due to the growing conditions on these sites "is a testament to the unsustainable nature of this industry" and that the industry's claim that escapes do not occur is unfounded.

The fish farms are affected by storms, adds the petition, with buoys, nets, plastic pipes and ropes littering the shoreline adjacent to leased areas.

MP Jordan's agreement to sponsor the petition is not necessarily an endorsement, says her staff. Via email, Jordan told SCT, "“A petition is a great way for constituents to have their views officially tabled in the House of Commons and to receive a government response and I am happy to assist in that part of the democratic process.

"I have heard from and met with a number of community and industry stakeholders on the issue of open-net salmon aquaculture. I and will continue to work with them and my colleagues in Ottawa to find ways forward that serve the economic interests of South Shore-St. Margaret’s and address environmental concerns."

Once a petition has 500 signatures, it can be tabled in the House of Commons by a member.

Most of the industrial salmon farms in the Atlantic region are operated by New Brunswick-based multinational Cooke Aquaculture, whose massive fish farms in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Chile have had recurrent outbreaks of superchill, sea lice and deadly infectious salmon anemia, resulting in the forced slaughter of millions of market-ready salmon.

Most recently, Cooke announced the abandonment of highly-touted plans to construct a large salmon processing plant in Shelburne, NS as part of a $25 million loan and grant arrangement with the Nova Scotia government. Premier Stephen McNeil is on record as demanding the return of any of the $18 million granted to Cooke to date, which is connected to their failure to honour the 2012 contract terms.

SEE THE PETITION HERE: https://petitions.parl.gc.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-270

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