Municipality of the District of Yarmouth Council 2020
Aquaculture activities will not be expanded in the Municipality of the District of Yarmouth.
Last month, council voted not to expand the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-Law to allow aquaculture in rural industrial zones.
This comes after the Planning Advisory Committee decided not to make a recommendation about the topic to council.
Warden John Cunningham discussed why council chose to not to allow aquaculture in rural industrial zones and what the future of aquaculture is.
“Number one, the concerns from the residents and number two, councils ongoing concerns for environmental issues,” says Cunningham. “The future of aquaculture, as it stands right now, is status quo. There will still be lobster pounds, we still have marine industrial zones.”
The decision by council means that Boreal Salmon will not be able to develop an open-flow, land-based salmon farm in Chebogue Point.
However, Cunningham says there could still be changes to aquaculture activities, as the PAC is conducting their 10 year review of the Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use By-Laws.
He discussed what council learned from this process.
“Council over the years has made sure that residents were notified, so the notifications of any proposed changes in any area are mailed out. Council found that worked very well. It gave residents a chance to express their concerns and that’s worked very well.”
