The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador recently released Grieg NL’s giant Placentia Bay Atlantic salmon aquaculture project from the environmental assessment process.
As part of the release, the project will be subject to more than 15 terms and conditions that will ensure that development proceeds in an environmentally sustainable manner.
The Department of Municipal Affairs and Environment informed Grieg NL Nurseries Ltd. and Grieg NL Seafarms Ltd. that their environmental impact statement was deemed acceptable and that the project may proceed subject to the conditions and all other legislative requirements such as the necessary permits, licences and approvals.
In addition, the proponent was provided with the regulatory and mitigative advice collected from the reviewing federal and provincial government agencies throughout the scientific and technical assessment of the project.
Grieg NL said it is pleased to receive final environmental approval and project release from the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador for its Placentia Bay Atlantic salmon aquaculture project.
Grieg NL’s General Manager Knut Skeidsvoll said, “This project release is a significant milestone in the company’s development and business plans. We are very grateful for the encouragement and support we received from residents, municipalities and the business community of the Burin Peninsula, and from Premier Dwight Ball, Member of the House of Assembly for Burin-Grand Bank Carol Anne Haley, Member of the House of Assembly for Placentia West — Bellevue Mark Browne, Member of Parliament for Bonavista-Burin-Trinity Churence Rogers and his predecessor the Honourable Judy Foote.”
The project release will allow the company to complete the permit and license applications process and regulatory approvals required to start construction of the land-based recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) hatchery for Atlantic salmon in the Marystown Industrial Park, planned for this fall and to initiate processes for procurement and installation of equipment of the marine-based farms in Placentia Bay.
Grieg NL Nurseries and Grieg NL Seafarms, subsidiaries of Norway’s Grieg Seafood, have proposed to raise seven million Atlantic salmon annually and place them in open net-pens in Placentia Bay.
The company is proposing development of a $250-million project for a land-based recirculation aquaculture system (RAS) hatchery for Atlantic salmon in Marystown and 11 marine-based farms in Placentia Bay.
And it appears the N.L. provincial government will be coming onboard as an investor in the project.
Premier Dwight Ball told CBC on Sept. 10 that his government will play a big role in the massive aquaculture project proposed for Placentia Bay.
“We plan to be a significant partner in this project,” Ball said.
The premier would not say how much the province would be chipping in, but noted, “I’m not anticipating it will be $45 million.” The previous Progressive Conservative government had pledged that amount in 2015.
Grieg confirmed Sept. 10 that work on the $250-million project will begin in the coming weeks, starting with civil work on a hatchery facility in Marystown. Construction is expected to take between 18 and 24 months.
Despite being released from the environmental assessment process, Grieg NL is still subject to a number of conditions, including:
- Grieg NL shall adhere to all mitigation, monitoring and commitments stated in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) submitted on May 22, 2018;
- Grieg NL shall prepare Environmental Effects Monitoring Plans (EEMPs), in consultation with the applicable government divisions, and submit them to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment, and receive the minister’s approval for the EEMPs, prior to the start of hatchery operations. The EEMPs will be developed to monitor effects as a result of the project and to ensure that effects are documented and mitigated. The EEMPs will cover the following components:
Performance of sea cages;
Genetic and ecological interactions of escaped farmed salmon on wild salmon;
Genetic and ecological interactions of escaped farmed lumpfish on lumpfish;
Performance of European-strain triploid fish;
Fish, marine mammals and seabirds;
Benthic habitat health;
Groundwater quantity and quality at the hatchery and
Climate and weather
- Grieg NL shall prepare an annual report of the results of the EEMPs obtained at all monitoring sites and make the report available publicly;
- Grieg NL shall prepare an Environmental Protection Plan (EPP) for all applicable hatchery construction and operations activities and submit the EPP to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment, and receive the minister’s approval for the EPP, prior to the start of hatchery construction. This EPP shall describe the environmental protection and mitigation measures that will be applied throughout the life of this component of the Project to avoid or minimize potential negative effects on the environment associated with the Project;
- Grieg NL shall prepare an Environmental Protection Plan (EPP) for all applicable sea cage construction and operations activities and submit the EPP to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Environment, and receive the minister’s approval for the EPP, prior to the start of sea cage construction. This EPP will describe the environmental protection and mitigation measures that will be applied throughout the life of this component of the Project to avoid or minimize potential negative effects on the environment associated with the Project;
- Should the use of pesticides be required, and prior to administration of any pesticide, Grieg NL shall confirm that the pesticide is currently approved for use in Canada, for the specific use intended, by the Pesticide Management Regulatory Agency. Grieg NL shall ensure that pesticides are applied by a licensed Pesticide Applicator with the applicable category of license, and following the label direction;
- Grieg NL shall publically release all reports of disease and escapes within 24 hours, and publicly release all use of chemotherapeutants (antibiotics, vaccinations, anesthetics) and pesticides annually;
- Grieg NL must demonstrate that waste from the hatchery can be managed in a manner that meets the approval of the Department of Municipal Affairs and Environment, prior to the commencement of hatchery operations;
- Grieg NL shall identify a back-up water supply and provide anticipated water use numbers, a well-head protection and water-quality monitoring plan (ambient and real-time), and a contingency plan for the hatchery water supply in the event of catastrophic failure either with the well or the pump, to the Department of Municipal Affairs and Environment for approval prior to the commencement of hatchery operations;
- Grieg NL shall enter into a Memorandum of Agreement with the Department of Municipal Affairs and Environment for the installation of a real time water quality/quantity monitoring network to monitor impacts on flow and water quality in and around the proposed hatchery site. The Memorandum of Agreement should be signed and the network installed prior to the start of site operation activities. All costs will be borne by Grieg NL;
- The Project is subject to the approval of Transport Canada under the Navigation Protection Act. Transport Canada advises that measures to mitigate any direct effects of the project on navigation will be included as terms and conditions associated with the work approved or permitted pursuant to the Navigation Protection Act;
- Grieg NL shall have an emergency recapture licence in place, prior to the commencement of operations of the sea cage sites, in the event an escape incident arises, so that there are no delays in initiating recapture efforts. Standard conditions could be specified ahead of time in the licence with input from Fisheries and Oceans Canada to ensure any adverse effects on wild salmon are minimized. Approval to proceed with recapture efforts requires authorization by Fisheries and Oceans Canada;
- Grieg NL shall be required to mark all imported and grown in province Atlantic Salmon smolt for ease of identification in recapture, using a methodology approved by the Ministers of Municipal Affairs and Environment and Fisheries and Land Resources;
- Grieg NL shall be required to conduct testing for triploidy when smolt are in the hatchery, at a sample size and frequency to be determined in consultation with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Department of Fisheries and Land Resources;
- Prior to operation of the sea cages, an onsite environmental monitor, funded by Grieg NL, shall be established to monitor the entire project, and provide reports to the Department of Municipal Affairs and Environment. The monitor must be hired for the first 10 years of the Project operations to confirm outcomes at peak production; and
- Grieg NL shall conduct inspections of the portion of sea cages that extend below the water’s surface every 30 days during the months of June, July, August and September and every 90 days during the remainder of the year.
