Protecting Our Bay

Friends of Port Mouton Bay - A concerned community

Friends of Port Mouton Bay have joined together out of concern for the future of our Bay. A proposal to establish a second open cage fish farm prompted the commmunity to take action.

Based on our 15 year experience with an existing fish farm, the community was convinced a second fish farm would further threaten the ecological health of the Bay.

In March, 2009, our community-driven efforts were rewarded when a moratorium on new finfish aquaculture operations in Port Mouton Bay was announced. Read more …

While we celebrate this success, we remain concerned with the existing fish farm operating (site #835) near Spectacle Island.

We do not oppose all development. We do not oppose all aquaculture. We do oppose any development that threatens our established and sustainable industries, the commercial wild catch fishery and tourism.

Our focus remains the ecological protection of this Bay. We believe, and have evidence to support our position, that open cage fish farming in Port Mouton Bay is:

  • NOT ecologically sustainable - Port Mouton Bay, with generally weak currents and poor flushing, is not suitable for open cage finfish farm operations. (See Oceanographic View of Site #835, near Spectacle Island)
  • of questionable economic benefit to our community because we do not support activities that could negatively impact ecotourism or displace the wild catch fishery

Our Objective

Through speaking out, letter writing, and bringing the issue to all levels of government, we have achieved our goal of preventing approval of a second fish farm. We continue to oppose any open cage finfish operations in the Bay, including re-stocking of the existing site near Spectacle Island (Site #835). We remain committed to ongoing research and monitoring of the Bay, and publishing our findings.