The open pen fish farms being proposed by Cermaq have been a bone of contention on the South Shore, with the majority of residents against it.
Now, the Municipality of Chester have voiced their opinion on the matter and sent a letter opposing the idea to Premier Stephen McNeil and MLA Hugh MacKay advising them that after careful consideration it was not in the long-term interest of the municipality to have open pen fish farming in their waters.
Allen Webber, Warden of the Municipality of Chester, says everyone was given the opportunity to make their case whether they were for or against it and to voice their concerns on how they were being addressed by the company and the province.
The majority of people in the community spoke against it.
“At the end of the day we felt based on the traditional uses of our coastal property that it was inconsistent with the way the community uses it now,” he said.
“The risks to the local lobster fishery and the environment were too great. Our waters are used substantially for recreation purposes and tourism and what they were proposing just wasn’t worth it.”
In making the decision he says they were careful to keep an open mind as when an industry of any kind wants to come into a community, it is important to look at potential benefits and risks.
Webber says the decision doesn’t fall under the jurisdiction of the Municipality of Chester, it’s provincial and ultimately it is the province that will make that decision.
“Based on the due diligence that we took and what we heard from our community , it’s our job to represent their best interests,” he said.
“We believe that’s what we’re doing. We would hope that the province understands that our community simply does not want it.”
