The fight continues

By Nick Moase

THE ADVANCE

NovaNewsNow.com

Friends of Port Mouton Bay want the public to know, just because they have been quiet lately doesn’t mean the fight is over.

Currently an environmental assessment is underway on the suitability of Port Mouton Bay for large gill fish farming. However this assessment is causing concern.

Darlene Norman, spokesperson for the Friends of Port Mouton says the focus of the report is too narrow, and isn’t taking into consideration issues like economic and tourism effects.

The economic effects that are of greatest concern is the existing lobster fishery, which has seen a decline in recent years. The Friends of Port Mouton Bay attribute this to the existing farm.

The group will continue to provide scientific data to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, in the hopes they will realize the site is not suitable in that area.

They continue to release drogues to study the direction of solid matter in the currents. So far, surface studies they have done show that 90% of drogues end up on beaches in Port Mouton Bay. Middle depth drogues in the area of the proposed farm indicate that it takes a very large tide for solid matter to move anywhere.

There is also concern that the Carter’s Beach acquisition by the provincial government will create a false sense of security.

While a wonderful purchase says Norman, she is hearing the comment “the province has bought Carter’s, there’s no way they would put a fish farm out there”. This, she says, is not true.

“Right now is the time for people to show their support for no fish farms. There’s a lot of politicians on the road, at White Point and the Quarterdeck.”

She urges people to get their signs out in the yard and be aware that the fight is not over yet.

Repeated attempts to contact a representative of Aqua Fish Farms were unsuccessful.