CANSO — Concerned about the effects of massive turbine installations and operations on or near commercial fishing grounds, the Guysborough County Inshore Fisherman’s Association (GCIFA) wants two of the six sites being considered for offshore wind (OSW) farms in Nova Scotia removed from the list of potential future development areas (PFDAs).
In its response to Phase II of the Regional Assessment of Offshore Wind Development in Nova Scotia (RA), filed last month, GCIFA said, “A renewable energy project within the Canso Bank PFDA or Eastern Shore PFDA has the potential to economically upset the snow crab processing sector and its workers who rely on this seasonal employment. We request [that these PFDAs] be deleted from further consideration.”
The Canso-based organization – representing roughly 150 small-boat harvesters on the Eastern Shore – also raises issues over use of the Middle Bank PFDA and the combined size of the areas under consideration, and suggests that all OSW farms be located around Sable Island, where there are “very low [existing] commercial landings,” and they can do the least harm to harvesters.
The GCIFA response, prepared by Executive Director Ginny Boudreau and staff biologist Melinda Cole, is one of several public feedback documents under review by the RA – an independent committee of advisors appointed by the federal and provincial governments on a 20-month term last year to make recommendations on the size and shape of future offshore wind developments in Nova Scotia.
The RA’s interim report, released in April after initial consultations, identified six areas (PFDAs) to be considered for offshore wind farms – Canso Bank, Eastern Shore and Middle Bank in northeastern waters proximate to Guysborough County; Sydney Bight, off northeastern Cape Breton; Sable Island Bank; and Emerald Bank, closer to Halifax; all more than 25 kilometres from the coast and covering a total of approximately 22,000 square kilometres. Final consultations with communities, residents and industry organizations, which have been underway since May, are expected to wrap up shortly.
In an interview with The Journal last week, Boudreau noted that, while she believes the RA has done “a phenomenal job given the [limited] time and resources they’ve had,” OSW development off Nova Scotia’s Eastern Shore is complicated by local conditions that are not always recognized.
“All three of these banks – Canso, Eastern Shore, and Middle – are prime fishing areas,” she said.
GCIFA’s report stated: “We have been monitoring these sites since April 2024, encompassing snow crab, lobster and now halibut fisheries... While these areas have been identified as ‘low conflict areas or low fishing activity’ by DFO [Department of Fisheries and Oceans] data, they are high biodiverse areas which have been sustaining our coastal communities for decades.”
The Canso Bank, with a proposed PFDA of 870 square kilometres, “encompasses the snow crab fishery, inshore lobster and summer ground fish... We have observed [that zone] 227 fishing traffic transects within this PFDA, [including] vessels conducting fishing and also vessels travelling through to get to fishing grounds farther offshore.” If it is not removed from consideration, the report suggests “shrinking” the PFDA so that the centre middle of the bank is available to offshore wind, but the edges are still open for fishing.”
As for Eastern Shore Bank, with a proposed PFDA of 985 square kilometres, “It’s closest to land and likely frequented by fishing vessels under 45 feet. If it’s not going to be removed, we suggest deleting the northern end closest to land and trimming five kilometres off the southern end to create a buffer from the snow crab fishery occurring just southeast of it.”
Regarding Middle Bank, “Commercial landings are associated with snow crab, halibut and shrimp fishery. We would want to protect lucrative fishing grounds to the north and south of this PFDA; therefore, eliminating the northern end [and] trimming the eastern end to create a wide buffer between fishing and a renewable energy lease.”
The GCIFA report said, “Identifying over 22,370 square kilometres of ocean space as potential renewable energy sites is concerning. Understanding the process, [it] was to pre-identify more than needed and then eliminate areas in the next step, where only 2,000 square kilometres receives designation for potential energy projects.”
If so, Boudreau told The journal, “It seems obvious – a no-brainer – which PFDAs would cause the least disruption... Sable Island Bank is an area with very low commercial landings... Emerald Bank is already a fisheries conservation area. So, why not take that [for OSW]? This green energy that they are [planning] to produce... Isn’t that in line with conservation?”
She emphasized that “GCIFA has and remains a fully engaged, supportive partner in the NS Fishing Alliance for Energy Engagement” and is on the record supporting green energy.
At the same time, she said, “The wind farms are huge. They take up a lot of space, and there are already users in that space. They will ultimately change the makeup of that space. [We are here] to support and further define the fishing industry’s response.”
The RA’s final report is due early next year.
