SAVE OUR BAYS
TWIN BAYS COALITION
We are the citizens of St. Margaret's Bay and Mahone Bay.
We are dedicated to preserving and restoring the health of our marine ecosystems and coastal communities. From bay-to-bay, we are working together in opposition to the government-supported expansion of open net-pen salmon aquaculture in our backyard. Instead, we are driving a different vision for a vibrant, resilient, sustainable and regenerative ocean economy that supports coastal livelihoods without degrading our home waters or putting existing jobs at risk.
WHAT'S NEW
We are doing everything we can to ensure that we prevent the expansion of open net-pen salmon farming in the Twin Bays, and keep our local waters as healthy as they can be. Head to our WHAT'S NEW page for the latest.
BAYSWATER BEACH
Within our bays, we have one open net-pen finfish operation at Aspotogan Harbour near Bayswater Beach Provincial Park, just up the coast from Blandford.
The operator has applied to the Aquaculture Review Board (ARB) for a lease expansion, but there's a catch: the expansion has already happened. The Twin Bays Coalition plans to intervene in the ARB hearing that will decide on this retroactive approval.
Why do we care about this? Check out our BAYSWATER page to learn more about the beach and the apparent impacts the fish farm expansion has had on the local environment.
THE TWIN BAYS COALITION STORY
The Twin Bays Coalition first came together to fend off a massive open net-pen salmon farming proposal by Cermaq Canada that would have forever changed the nature of our bays. In the face of terrific public opposition, Cermaq packed up and left officially in April of 2020, abandoning development plans. The very next day, Cooke Aquaculture reaffirmed their plans to significantly increase the amount of farmed salmon currently produced in Nova Scotia. Now they are continuing with expansion plans throughout the province, including at Saddle Island, on the Aspotogan Peninsula. This site, known as AQ # 1006, Aspotogan Harbour, has become the new focal point of our local efforts.
