The association President keeps the membership up to date through the Medway River Blues publication, also archived here
on this web site. Between times, though, things can happen
quickly. This page is a good place to keep up with the very
latest developments, be they with the Medway River Salmon Association
activities or with other events that affect our interests. Here then is the latest.
Posted Feb 8, 2012 The following message was received re the Nova Scotia Salmon Association AGM:
The NSSA Annual General Meeting will be held on: Saturday March 3rd. 12 noon to 5:00 pm at the Future Inn,30 Fairfax Drive.Halifax Guest Speaker Jonathan Carr-Director,Research and Development ,Atlantic Salmon Federation Topic Climate Change and Atlantic Salmon plus More If you wish any resolutions brought forward would you please e-mail them to Carl Purcell c.purcell@ns.sympatico.ca. Cheers, Larry Shortt
Posted Feb 3, 2012
We
may be in the cold depths of winter, but that doesn't stop us looking
back to the not so distant, warmer past. Here are a couple of
photographs taken ofstudents from Nova Scotia Community
College, Lunenburg Campus, and members of the Medway River
Salmon Association at McGowan Lake Fish Hatchery clipping fish to
be released in the Medway River last fall.
Posted Feb 2, 2012 The
following note was received by President Horace MacPherson and is
reproduced here so that members and others might enjoy an old but
interesting read.
Horace
During
the Holidays one of my fly fishing friends from
Fredericton
came across this book which is
free to read on the internet, or you can copy it
to a file and read it at home. It is a
book written in 1902 about Hunting moose and
fishing in Nova Scotia.
The main fishing
river is the Medway, and Hunting Moose and
Geese in Port Joli, I am sure you will read
it with great interest. It is on
my list to read every time I want to go back
home in my mind. Here is
the link. Just click on the book and it will
open for you, select the chapters or read
the whole thing.
Posted Jan 25, 2012 The
annual general meeting was held on January 24, 2012, at the Charleston
fire hall. A new slate of executive were appointed and sworn in
at the end of the meeting.
PAST
PRESIDENT DARRELL TINGLEY SWEARS IN NEW MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE AFTER
THE AGM ON JANUARY 24, 2012. NEW EXECUTIVE MEMBERS ARE HORACE
MacPHERSON, PRESIDENT; LARRY CONNOLLY, VICE PRESIDENT; JO-ANN HOLDEN,
SECRETARY; AND REG RAFUSE, TREASURER.
ARRIVING FOR THE MEETING
THE MEETING IS UNDER WAY
UPDATING MEMBERSHIPS
DARRELL DEPARTS AS PRESIDENT
Posted Jan 16, 2012 What lies ahead for the wild atlantic salmon? Read this editorial in the winter edition of the Atlantic Salmon Journal to get a glimpse of the future, also available from our In The News page.
Posted Jan 10, 2012 With
the Province of Nova Scotia buying land from Bowater-Mersey, some of it
within the Medway River Watershed, the province has now posted on their web site maps showing the various parcels. There are three maps posted. Map number 1 shows the parcels on the northern reaches of the Medway.
Posted Jan 9, 2012 The following media release was circulated today by Mayday - Shelburne County.
Subject:
letter from the David Suzuki Foundation in support of rejecting the
salmon farm application for Jordan Bay and Middle Head Date: Mon, 9 Jan 2012 09:03:00 -0400
From: Sindy Horncastle Marilyn Moore Mayday-Shelburne County Jordan Bay, N.S.
Attached is the critique of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)
by The David Suzuki Foundation for industrial salmon feedlot proposal
in Jordan Bay and Middle Head, N.S. There is
no information in the EIA about the potential impacts of excess
nutrient input, pesticides, fish feces and food waste, chemical
anti-foulants, sea lice and viruses on non-target species such as
lobster and lobster larvae, upon which our local economy depends. Due
to the many deficiencies in the environmental assessment, The David
Suzuki Foundation is recommending that the salmon farm proposals for
the Jordan Bay and Middle Head areas be rejected.
Our community has presented this, and other overwhelming evidence, to
the Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture (NSDFA) showing
that Jordan Bay and Middle Head are inappropriate areas for industrial
salmon feedlots. The community of St. Mary's
Bay, N.S. presented similar evidence to the NSDFA which was completely
ignored. Fishermen there are now dealing with the dead salmon and
damaged nets of an industrial feedlot site close to failure. The
"promise" of jobs remains an empty promise. The PEOPLE and coastline of Nova Scotia deserve better.
The David Suzuki Foundation letter may be viewed on our In The News page. Posted Jan 9, 2012 The
Atlantic Salmon Federation recently commissioned the Halifax consulting
firm of Garner Pinfold to doi a study of the economic value of wild
Atlantic salmon. The report was released to the public today.
An executive summary of the report is posted on our In The News section.
Posted Dec 20, 2011 In
an Editorial published today in the Queens County Advance, recognition
is given to the scope of the work proposed by the MRSA to improve the
Medway River environment. See the editorial on our News page, or directly to it by clicking here.
Posted Dec 18, 2011 Alexandra
Morton on the west coast of Canada is well known for her fight to force
government to protect the ocean from the negative effects of open pen
fish farming. Follow her activities and information through her
blog at http://alexandramorton.typepad.com/ also linked from our Links page.
Posted Dec 14, 2011 The Nova Scotia Commissioner of the Environment has issued his report for 2011. It is posted on our Archives page, or click here to see it directly.
Posted Dec 05, 2011 The following letter from the Nova Scotia Salmon Association is published here for information.
Carl R. Purcell President, Nova Scotia Salmon
Association 21 Canterbury Street Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 1S8
Aquaculture Management Directorate,
Program Policy, Stewardship Unit Department of Fisheries and Oceans 200 Kent Street, 14th Floor Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0E6
To whom it May Concern:
The Nova Scotia Salmon Association
(NSSA) is responding to the notice of intent by the Department of
Fisheries and Oceans`(DFO) with respect to regulations for fish
pathogens and pest treatment. NSSA is very concerned that the
proposed regulations are an attempt by the Government of Canada to
exempt salmon farmers from legislation under the Fisheries Act that
is designed to protect the marine environment and Canada’s
fisheries. If allowed to proceed in it’s present form, this
legislation will allow the use of toxic chemicals in open net pen
aquaculture operations to kill sea lice . Sea lice are crustaceans,
as are lobsters, crab, shrimp, prawn and krill. These animals will
also be affected as will various species of zooplankton that form an
important base of the food chain in the marine environment.
The Canadian government has an
obligation to protect and conserve the wild Atlantic salmon and as
part of this mandate it is of paramount importance to provide
regulations to the Aquaculture industry regarding the use of
pesticides that are stringent but also provide an environment that is
friendly and safe to all indigenous marine species.
There does not appear to be much
literature on the half life of these chemicals within the water
column and there possible accumulative effect on the various systems
of other marine organisms “ The prevalence of cold water
temperature in the Bay of Fundy, however, will likely result in
oxytetracycline persisting for several lengths of time. Effects on
indigenous non- target species have not been investigated.(taken from
Canadian Technical Report of Fishes and Aquatic Science 2450 pg.118)
Page 109 of the same report states “there are few publications in
the primary literature regarding the environmental fate and effects
of these drugs and other chemotherapeutants and chemicals in general
used in the aquaculture industry .Another author makes a similar
statement in the same publication on pg.98-99
While there are currently no sector
specific Canadian Environmental Protection Act regulations to
manage toxic substances for marine “fin fish” aquaculture,
Environment Canada and Health Canada are currently implementing the
Chemicals Management Plan which will evaluate chemicals currently in
the commerce according to their level of risk. Control strategies may
be implemented for substances which present the highest level of risk
(Environment Canada 2009). This presents a feeling of “maybe”
something will be done and what about future chemicals being used.
This is like closing the henhouse after the fox has made a visit.
There should be more pressure placed on
the Aquaculture industry to be diligent in providing a safe haven for
its farmed salmon through better husbandry instead of relying on
pesticides and other chemicals to ensure that their product reaches
the market. I wonder if DFO is part of the problem? How can it be
both a regulator and supporter of the industry?
Currently there is one population of
wild Atlantic salmon that is listed under the Species of Risk Act
(the Inner Bay of Fundy). Other wild Atlantic salmon populations have
been assessed as endangered by the Committee on the Status of
Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), those being the Outer Bay of
Fundy, the Southern Uplands and Eastern Cape Breton. COSEWIC has
identified aquaculture as one of the contributing factors to the
decline of the wild Atlantic salmon in these areas and the potential
for a pesticide to kill species of krill, shrimp and zooplankton,
which are all food items for wild Atlantic salmon. This causes NSSA
great concern.
NSSA would expect that DFO, the
Government Agency responsible for the wild Atlantic salmon, would
take a more precautionary approach to issues that may have a negative
impact on the already depressed populations of those wild Atlantic
salmon.
Yours in wild Atlantic salmon
conservation,
Carl Purcell President Nova Scotia Salmon Association
Posted Nov 22, 2011 The
following letter was sent today to The Honourable Sterling Belliveau,
Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Minister of Environment.
Dear Minister Belliveau,
Mayday-Shelburne County is writing to you, in response to comments made
by Mr. Greg Roache, Associate Deputy Minister of Fisheries and
Aquaculture, in an interview published in the Herald on Nov. 14, 2011.
Mr. Roache states that the NSDFA is interested in sustainable practices
but that closed-containment systems are not commercially viable. Would
you please provide Mayday-Shelburne County with the articles and
documents that have been reviewed in relation to closed-containment
recirculating systems, including the commercial viability of this
technology.
Mr. Roache states that "the salmon industry has sea cages all over the
world." Would you please provide Mayday-Shelburne County with the
documentation you have reviewed about the environmental and social
effects of open-pen aquaculture around the world. Would you also please
comment on how open-pen aquaculture has affected the fishermen of
southwestern N.B. (Coastal CURA report, 2011) and the fishermen and
workers in Chile.
Mr. Roache states that he is not aware of any investigations in N.S.
into the use of illegal pesticides. Would you please clarify his
statements by stating the position of the NSDFA in regards to the
charges facing Cooke Aquaculture concerning the alleged use of illegal
pesticides. Would you please provide Mayday-Shelburne County with the
documentation that has been reviewed by the NSDFA in relation to the
use of pesticides by the aquaculture industry. Please also provide your
assessment of the potential impacts of aquaculture pesticides on
lobster and lobster larvae.
Mr. Roache states that the NSDFA follows a thorough assessment process
before approving aquaculture applications. Would you please provide
Mayday-Shelburne County with the NSDFA's analysis of the Environmental
Impact Assessment done by Sweeney International for sites #1357, #1358,
#1359 in Jordan Bay and at Middle Head. Is the information in the EIA
satisfactory to the NSDFA, including : : wind and wave data from 1991 (sections 4.1.1 and 4.2.1) :
commercial fisheries data (section 5.2.1.1) that does not include any
information on commercial lobster landings or gear conflicts, and
contradicts information from local fishermen who fish in the areas of
the proposed sites : the statement "this is not the preferred habitat of lobster" section 5.2.4.1 : the statement "...due to the relatively shallow water"...section 5.4.1 : the information provided in section 8.5.4 on fish feed and feces
Please also provide the documents you have reviewed on the effects of
copper (present in net anti-foulant and fish feed used by the
aquaculture industry) on lobster and lobster larvae.
In addition, please provide information on recent treatments for sea
lice in N.S. In August 2010, at the public meeting concerning the St.
Mary's Bay salmon farm proposal, Dr. Roland Cusack stated that a ten
day sea lice treatment had been used on a farm site in N.S. in 2010.
Please elaborate on Dr. Cusack's statement by identifying the location
of this site. Please also provide information on any sea lice
treatments that have taken place to date on N.S. open-pen sites.
To date, the NSDFA has never consulted with local fishermen. To our
knowledge, the frequent regulators meetings, which have included the
proponent and several government agencies, have never included
fishermen's' groups. What plans does the NSDFA have to consult with
fishermen to hear their feedback on the EIA and to use their local
knowledge as input into the lease assessment process? We would appreciate your timely response.
Sincerely, Sindy Horncastle Mayday-Shelburne County Jordan Bay,N.S. 1-902-875-4771
Posted Nov 19, 2011 On
November 14, CBC radio broadcast a half hour programme surrounding
charges currently in court against Cooke Aquaculture for their alleged
release of a banned chemical used to control sea lice. Listen to
the broadcast through the CBC site by clicking here.
Posted Nov 17, 2011 Interesting data about infectious salmon disease in the Bay of Fundy has been posted here in our Archives section.
Posted Nov 15, 2011 On
October 27th DFO released 90 mature adult salmon from the Mersey
Biodiversity Facility into the upper reaches of the Medway River.
Members of the MSRA Environment Committee and QCF&GA assited the
release. Releases were made at Albany New, Twin Bridges and below Alma
Lake on the East Branch.
Posted Nov 15, 2011 The following open letter was mailed to the Halifax Chronicle Herald:
To: The Chronicle Herald
From:Mayday-Shelburne County Jordan Bay, N.S. 1-902-875-2541 1-902-875-4771 (after 6 pm weekdays) St.Mary's Bay Coastal Alliance (SMBCA) Eastern Shore Fisherman's Protective Association (ESFPA) An open letter to the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture of Nova Scotia Dear Minister Belliveau,
What is the vision of the Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and
Aquaculture (NSDFA) for our coastal communities ? The recent
charges against Cooke Aquaculture in New Brunswick, stemming from an
investigation into the alleged use of illegal pesticides and resulting
lobster deaths, should be serious cause for alarm. As we watch events
unfolding in N.B., we can easily see what the future has in store for
our province if the Minister continues the promotion of industrial
open-pen aquaculture.The industry's own practices ( over-stocking,
over-sized farms and farm density) have led to parasite and disease
outbreaks, and the need for pesticides and antibiotics to protect "the
investment." These practices are completely contrary to sustainability.
The aquaculture industry describes the chemicals used for sea lice
control as "tools." Illegal pesticides are not "tools" - they are
lethal weapons against lobster stocks and they threaten market security
and our established economy built around the lobster fishing industry.
The Minister has also been made aware of the pollution in Shelburne
Harbour and the heavy metal contamination in Port Mouton Bay as a
result of salmon farming operations - yet, the NSDFA has never taken
ANY remedial action.
The real social and environmental costs of the open-pen salmon farming
industry are being borne by Nova Scotia's coastal communities. The
industry describes itself as "custodians of the marine environment"
while leaving our fishing communities to deal with the pollution these
floating feedlots generate, and the resulting chemical contamination.
When we see salmon cages floating on the ocean surface, we are only
seeing the "tip of the iceberg".
The Atlantic Canada Fish Farmer's Association, recently drafted a
letter for the mayors and municipal governments of Charlotte County,
New Brunswick, to send to the Federal Minister of Fisheries. The letter
states...."without treatment options for sea lice management, farmers
will have no option but to reduce stocking in 2012.....This will also
mean that 750 direct jobs and up to 391.... indirect jobs will be lost."
We support the development of fish farming technologies (such as
closed-containment recirculating systems) that create sustainable
long-term jobs that do not displace fishermen. The Minister must STOP issuing open-pen salmon farm leases and protect the Nova Scotia lobster fishery. Mayday-Shelburne County St. Mary's Bay Coastal Alliance (SMBCA) Eastern Shore Fisherman's Protective Association (ESFPA)
Posted Nov 13, 2011 A New Brunswick fish farm has been charged by Environment Canada in connection with alleged pesticide use. Click here for details.See also this story from 2010. (The links may become inactive after a short period of time.)
