Cooke subsidiary receives provincial approval for Nova Scotia land-based RAS hatchery

Kelly Cove Salmon Ltd., a subsidiary of Cooke Aquaculture Inc., has received approval from the Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture (NSDFA) for a new land-based salmon hatchery, Cooke Aquaculture announced 15 March.

The new hatchery, which will be a “world-class recirculating aquaculture system” and was proposed in January, is planned to be located near Centreville on Digby Neck in Nova Scotia, Canada, the company announced. The project represents a CAD 56.8 million (USD 45.5 million, EUR 38.1 million) investment into aquaculture operations in the region, a region which Cooke Aquaculture plans to invest significantly more in in the coming years.

“We have been sustainably operating Atlantic salmon farms for over 23 years in Nova Scotia for food production, and our aim is to grow responsibly by taking a coordinated, thoughtful, science-based approach and going through all the appropriate licensing and permitting steps,” Cooke Aquaculture Vice President of Public Relations Joel Richardson said in a release. “We were pleased to see so many of the businesses, organizations and local governments who we have worked with over the years express support of our growth in Nova Scotia.”

According to the company, Cooke Aquaculture is “currently halfway through” its investment plans for the region, of which the new facility is a part. All told, Cooke Aquaculture plans to invest CAD 112 million (USD 89 million, EUR 75 million) in the region, in addition to investments it has already made.

The provincial permitting, Richardson said, is the first step in the building’s planning process.

“We anticipate that it may take another year to secure all the required permitting and complete the engineering design,” Richardson said. “We are aiming to start construction in 2022 pending pandemic market conditions and permitting approvals.”

Once construction begins, it is expected to take three years to complete, the company said.

Cooke Aquaculture asserted in 2020 that it planned to expand its operations in Nova Scotia, and received lease renewals for its Kelly Cove Salmon operations in Liverpool Bay in spring.

Photo courtesy of Cooke Aquaculture Inc.