Aquaculture and Jonathan Riley

Published on June 11, 2011
Published on June 11, 2011
Jonathan Riley As Simple as That

The people and communities of Digby Neck and Islands have challenges, including a lack of health care and policing, a declining population, closing schools and a ferry service that sometimes leaves you stranded.

Now along comes a company from New Brunswick, a company that calls itself “the largest fully integrated and independent salmon farming company in North America.”

And they say, “we have the answers, we have jobs.”

And as it turns out, the people of the Islands, don’t have any choice but to accept those farms and any extra challenges that come with them.

More than 80 per cent of the population out there signed a petition against the new salmon leases for Cooke Aquaculture. Eighty per cent is a clear majority, a resounding definite ‘No thanks.’

Despite that, despite articulate and persistent opposition from the people of the Islands, Sterling Belliveau, Nova Scotia’s minister of fisheries approved the leases.

Perhaps the biggest challenge facing the Islands is the paternalistic attitude of the provincial government. Any hope that the NDP would be different has vanished only two years into their government.

Now I don’t pretend to know more about fishing or the ocean or aquaculture or even big business than Belliveau does. He’s got me there.

The big difference between Sterling Belliveau and me is I went down the Islands to talk to the people there about their concerns. Belliveau said it was “more convenient” to meet in Digby.

It wasn’t easy for me to get down there either. I haven’t got a car yet and had to borrow one from a friend, cause I thought the story was that important. I’m pretty sure the minister has a car.

Like Belliveau, when he met them in Digby, I couldn’t give the fishermen and concerned citizens down there any answers. But I went back to Digby and asked those questions to Cooke Aquaculture and to the minister.

They are getting me the answers, they say. Cooke Aquaculture has offered me a trip out to see the site in Grand Passage for myself. I can’t wait.

But let’s get back to the challenges facing Digby Neck and Islands. The people there aren’t sitting around with their hands open, begging for help. They too are working towards solutions, looking for answers, trying to figure out their future.

They see in their community a lot of potential, a lot of positives, a lot of strengths. One of those strengths is a clean productive marine environment that has provided for their community for generations.

The minister says there is 13,000 km of coastline in Nova Scotia and lots of room for everyone. So it shouldn’t be a problem to find another site. He says the ‘proponent’ (Cooke Aquaculture) chose the site. Tell them to choose to another site.

It would have been as easy as that.