Kelly Cove Salmon Ltd. has been granted a lease renewal for its Coffin Island Fish Farm in Liverpool, the company announced Thursday.
Kelly Cove Salmon Ltd. which is the Atlantic Canadian salmon farming division of New Brunswick-based Cooke Aquaculture Inc., employs 205 people in Nova Scotia directly with an additional 240 jobs indirectly.
Initially they had applied for a 10-year license/20-year renewal last year after the Coffin Island site had been in operation for almost ten years. Before the renewal was granted the company had to undergo a performance review based on the technical and biological assessment of the farm and a public comment period, conducted by the Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture (NSDFA). Complaints that the farm posed impacts to the local tourism industry and lobster populations were unproven.
“We are pleased that the Coffin Island site lease in Liverpool Bay has been renewed by government regulators which recognizes our strong environmental performance and best management practices,” said Joel Richardson, Vice President of Public Relations for Cooke Aquaculture.
Cooke Aquaculture Ltd. supplies Atlantic salmon to grocery stores, restaurants and throughout the hospitality sector.
