Over the weekend hundreds of concerned residents from the Mahone Bay area gathered at the Community Centre for an event put on by the Twin Bays Coalition and the Council of Canadians. The event which was called Toxic Waters was intended as a public information session on the dangers of open-pen salmon farms.
The meeting came in response to Cermaq Canada’s exploration of potential fish farm sites around the province including one in Mahone Bay.
Currently, Cermaq is operating on a grant from the provincial government to explore potential sites around Nova Scotia. In addition to the Mahone Bay location, they have also looked at possible developments in Digby County and in St Margaret’s Bay.
The Mahone Bay meeting was an opportunity for various scientific experts to weigh in on the risks.
Mayor David Devenee was there and summarized the presentations “We had speakers talking about the risks to waterways, business experts and stakeholders all coming together. The room was decidedly very anti-fish farm.”
He says that at Thursday’s council meeting town staff will make an official recommendation to town staff on the proposal.
The issue clearly was important as Devenee estimates they had to turn away over 100 people because of the building’s capacity.
