For your convenience, below is a suggested template for your submission to Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture. Take the text and paste it into an e-mail to the NS Department of Aquaculture (aquaculture@novascotia.ca). Before you send it - edit it to fit your personal situation and concerns!
aquaculture@novascotia.ca
Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture
c/o Aquaculture Administrator
1575A Lake Road
Sandy Point, NS B0T 1W0
Subject: RE # 138 - Public Notice and Invitation for Public Comment on the Aquaculture Licence/Lease Application by Blue Lantern Shellfish
Dear Aquaculture Administrator:
I am writing to comment on the shellfish aquaculture Development Plan presented by Blue Lantern Shellfish (BLS) as part of its Licence/Lease Application (# 138). The Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture (NSFA) issued the Plan and the Application on February 18, 2026.
[Personal information; e.g.: ] I am a resident of________, Nova Scotia. I have been enjoying the waters and islands of the area for about ____years. As member of the Indian Point Yacht Club (IPYC) I participate regularly with my sailboat in the Club’s numerous sailing races. I am also long-time supporter of the Mahone Bay Island Conservation Association (MICA) and regularly use MICA’s public moorings at various islands for overnight stays.
I am not generally opposed to shellfish aquaculture developments along the Nova Scotia coast. However, I believe that the Option Area #4041, specifically the proposed Sites “G”, “H”, and “I” are incompatible with existing water uses and the community’s economic and conservation objectives. The specific reasons for my objections to the proposed development are as follows:
Contribution to Community and Provincial Economic Development
• The subject waters are nationally and internationally recognized for their beauty, world class boating and sailing races. This provides significant economic benefit to the local community.
• The proposed sites G, H, and I are in direct conflict with decades, some even centuries old, vessel navigation channels, routes, and anchorages and would reduce the area’s attractiveness and are expected to cause long term damage to the local economy to a degree that the net economic benefits of the project will be negative.
• The community has made significant financial contributions to the conservation-related acquisition of properties and islands within and beyond the Option Area and directly adjacent to Sites G and I The proposed farm does not support these conservation efforts.
Oceanographic and Biophysical Characteristics
• The proposed sites are fairly exposed to extreme wind and waves from the southeast. Hurricanes are frequently experienced in the area and could damage farm gear.
• The potential lease areas are located in a rich marine habitat, frequented by whales, porpoises, seals, sharks and other marine life. The equipment required to farm scallops and kelp on this scale is significant and is likely to negatively impact this marine life.
Other Users of Public Waters, Public Right of Navigation
• The Option Area #4041, and each of the Sites G, H and I are situated in one of the most heavily used recreational and commercial boating areas in Nova Scotia and the Southshore.
• Boating activities within the proposed sites G, H, and I, a total area of 50 ha (70 soccer fields!), will be prohibited by the lease holder. This will severely limit navigation in waters at and near the sites and pose an unacceptable legal risk to boaters.
• The proposed addition of kelp to the farm operation will require significantly more lines which will be placed close to the surface. This is expected to increase the risk for boaters who may accidently traverse into the growing sites.
• The location and scale of the development are incompatible with existing marine uses. In conjunction with natural constraints, the sites will pose significant navigational risks.
• Site I is located above an underwater cable supplying Kaulbach Island, Young Island, and Rafuse Island with electric power. Site I places this critical connection at risk.
Consultation on Option Area
• Absence of stakeholder consultation during the delineation of the Option Area has excluded the identification of other more suitable opportunities by experts and local area marine specialists. These other, far more suitable locations include but are not limited to areas such as expired / abandoned leases and developments in willing-host communities.
Ability to Execute the Plan
• The proponents appear to have no aquaculture experience and have not provided the community with any assurances that they actually have the skill, ability and adequate and reliable financial resources to execute a project of this massive scale.
• The required government bonds for projects like the LBS proposal amount to $10,000. The cost for clean up or removal of all gear from a 50-ha aquaculture farm can be expected to be significantly higher. This poses an unacceptable economic risk for the community.
In moving forward, I request that you consider the following recommendations:
• Identify a new Option Area outside of the most intensely used sailing areas along the Southshore.
• Any license to be issued should require an adequate bond payment ensuring sufficient funds are set aside for clean-up / removal of the entire farm operation
• Approval conditions should require the proponent to provide evidence of the necessary qualifications, expertise and financial abilities to successfully implement an aquafarm operation of 50 hectares.
I trust that my concerns and recommendations will be considered in your decision making. I support the Friends of Mahone Bay, an informal stakeholder group that formed in 2025 and endorse their comments on the proposed BLS development. I recommend that a representative of your Department and LBS contact Friends of Mahone Bay, to utilize its expertise and local knowledge to identify better suited sites.
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Signature
________Name
________Street
________Town
________Postal Code
________Phone Number