A new report released in Canada from the Nova Scotia Auditor General indicates a need for more regulation and monitoring of aquaculture operations there.
“Improvements are needed in how the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture identifies, monitors and manages environmental and other aquaculture-related risks, the auditor’s report said.
The report included aquaculture in a range of topics the auditor found need more regulatory attention. The auditor accused the department of not having enough resources to enforce rules concerning environmental monitoring.
The report said within the department “weaknesses in its processes and information systems impact its ability to identify risks and efficiently and effectively manage and monitor the industry.”
Regulators are committed to the task, but the report noted a lack of written guidelines for monitoring, not enough provincial regulation and a lack of enforcement options to ensure operators comply with the rules.
The report also included comment from the department, speaking in agreement with the report’s findings and recommendations. “We agree with the issues identified by the audit around process improvements and while some progress has been made, more will occur this year as we roll out our new aquaculture management and monitoring framework.”
