Transport Canada has given a green light to Cooke Aquaculture to move forward with a proposal to open two new fish farming sites in Jordan Bay in Shelburne County.
In a decision dated Tuesday, Transport Canada says that — taking into account that appropriate measures are available to safeguard wildlife and marine habitat — “the project is not likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.”
The project includes two separate fin fish sites at the opening to Jordan Bay. They are similar in size, each a proposed 500 by 800 metres, taking up 40 hectares, say Transport Canada documents.
The sites, which will each have 30 cages, are to be situated 2.1 kilometres apart.
According to Transport Canada, 24 of the 30 cages at each site will be stocked during the first growing cycle. The sites are likely to enter full use in the second production cycle.
The plan is to stock each site with 550,000 to 700,000 fish, to be based on site performance.
The project must yet be approved by the Nova Scotia government.
