With Discovery Islands salmon farming licences set to expire at the end of this month, two sites near Quadra Island may soon change into seaweed farms.
A numbered company associated with the Wei Wai Kum First Nation in Campbell River has applied to provincial and federal governments for permission to farm kelp at Cermaq Canada’s Brent Island and Venture Point sites.
The two sites are in the Okisollo Channel, across from each other, and the numbered company has recently been assigned their tenures.
The Brent Island site could produce more than 250 tonnes of kelp and the Venture Point site nearly 380, say documents filed with the province. The seaweed farms would use a combination of existing farm infrastructure along with new floats and lines.
Cermaq Canada declined comment. However, the company last week posted a statement about the pending closure of Discovery Islands salmon farms, saying it was “disappointed” that an appeal of the previous fisheries minister’s decision to let salmon farm tenures lapse at the end of June would not be going ahead.
However, the company says it “will continue to focus on working within the broader transition framework and to support a responsible plan for the future of aquaculture in British Columbia.”
Public comments on the applications are open until the end of the month, follow the links below.
