FUNDY TURBINE: Concern for impact on fish

[Oscar]

Kent County raises concerns about impact of Bay of Fundy tidal turbine on gaspereau

[ https://canadians.org/blog/kent-county- ... -gaspereau ]

May 19, 2017 - 12:58 pm

(PHOTO: Screen shot from this Darren Porter video, which has had more than 5,000 views.)
VIDEO: [ https://www.facebook.com/darren.porter. ... 390732211/ ]

The Council of Canadians Kent County chapter is raising concerns about the impact of the Cape Sharp Tidal Venture tidal turbine on marine life in the Minas Passage near Parrsboro, Nova Scotia.

Chapter activist Ann Pohl says, "The Spring Run Gaspereau [a species of herring also known as the alewife] in the Minas area of the Bay of Fundy are getting chopped up by something and the turbines are still there somewhere, have not been lifted for whatever reason despite a promise to do so last month, but cables are unhooked so nothing can be seen around them. And to top it all off apparently the Cape Sharp Corporation is planning to move the thing and reinstall it in an area where no study of impact has been done!"

In November 2016, the CBC reported, "The 1,000-tonne, five-storey turbine was lowered onto the floor of the Minas Passage earlier this month. It was quickly connected to land via a subsea cable and started producing electricity almost right away. The deployment is part of a large-scale demonstration project to test the technology in the powerful tides of the Bay of Fundy over the next several years."

That article adds, "Two companies [OpenHydro and Nova Scotia Power's parent company Emera] have formed Cape Sharp Tidal to deploy this and one other turbine. Both companies stressed that monitoring has shown there has been no harm to fish or mammals in the bay since the turbine was installed."

But that article then highlights, "Protestors stationed outside the event were a reminder that not everyone is convinced. Some fishermen in the Bay of Fundy have gone to court to try to reverse the provincial permit that allowed the deployment. They say it poses a threat to the lobster fishery, a claim the province and Cape Sharp Tidal dismiss."

Earlier this week, CBC reported, "A fishermen's group in the Bay of Fundy is worried about Cape Sharp Tidal Venture's plan to temporarily move its tidal turbine from a designated testing area to a site where an environmental assessment has not been carried out. The Bay of Fundy Inshore Fishermen's Association said the move endangers fish and violates the rules governing the development of tidal energy in the area. Cape Sharp Tidal confirms that work is currently underway to remove the turbine. It wants to bring it to another area in the Bay of Fundy to do operational tests that would run about five days."

That article adds, "Where exactly the turbine would be placed in the Bay of Fundy hasn't been determined, but [Stacey Pineau, Cape Sharp Tidal's community relations manager] said the company is considering an area east of Spencers Island near Advocate Harbour in Cumberland County [about 225 kilometres north-west of Halifax]."

Pohl highlights, "Does the McNeil government really want to get re-elected? Looks like NO. Get to the bottom of this and make things right, Stephen McNeil."

To let the provincial party leaders know you are concerned about the turbine and its impact on marine life, you can tweet:
Stephen McNeil (Liberal) - @StephenMcNeil
Jamie Baillie (Progressive Conservative) - @JamieBaillie ‏
Gary Burrill (NDP) - @GaryBurrill

Voters in Nova Scotia will cast their ballots on May 30.

#nselxn17

Tags: chapters
[ https://canadians.org/tags/chapters ]

Brent Patterson's blog
Political Director of the Council of Canadians
[ https://canadians.org/blogs/brent-patterson ]

[Oscar]

Kent County chapter asks DFO to provide updates on fish found near turbine in Bay of Fundy

[ https://canadians.org/blog/kent-county- ... -bay-fundy ]

May 20, 2017 - 8:04 am

The Council of Canadians Kent County chapter has written to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) asking for daily online updates about the injured fish found near a tidal turbine in the Bay of Fundy.

Chapter activist Ann Pohl writes, "For a week now, there have been social media reports from Nova Scotia about finding injured fish in the Minas Basin/Passage area. It is not at all clear what is causing this damage. Citizen scientists, fisherfolk and scholars seem to feel this is not caused by natural predators. Based on looking at the shape of the injuries, many people express the opinion that the damage was done by something metal. According to social media again, the fish who are being wounded are coming in from the Bay of Fundy, so they are necessarily swimming right past the Cape Sharp controversial experimental tidal turbine. The river fish, already upstream of the turbine, are fine."

She adds that via social media the chapter has also learned: DFO is sending an investigatory team to the area, something could now be wrapped around the turbine, the cables to the turbine have either been cut or disconnected, the blades of the turbine are still turning, and that there are plans to move the turbine elsewhere in the Bay of Fundy.

Pohl notes, "We are alarmed that all this information is coming to our chapter via social media. Our chapter is well known to DFO as being concerned about coastal and marine issues in this region. While we are pleased to learn that your department is taking this new crisis seriously and responding promptly, we want to underscore that receiving this information second- or third-hand via Facebook is far from ideal."

And she concludes, "To ensure public confidence in your efforts, the huge number of concerned people must be kept up-to-date on your efforts and your findings (or lack of them) in real time. We trust you will begin immediately to share daily updates online about: what is being looked at by whom; what procedures are being done in these investigations; what you are looking for; and, what you are learning."

Pohl's full letter can be read here:
[ https://kentcountynbenvironmentwatch.wo ... l-turbine/ ]

Tags: chapters
[ https://canadians.org/tags/chapters ]

Brent Patterson's blog
Political Director of the Council of Canadians
[ https://canadians.org/blogs/brent-patterson ]

[Oscar]

Kent County chapter raises concern about thousands of spawning gaspereau fish deaths

[ https://canadians.org/blog/kent-county- ... ish-deaths ]

May 30, 2017 - 7:04 am

The Council of Canadians Kent County chapter issued a media release yesterday highlighting that "countless gaspereau coming up the Gaspereau River to spawn arrived dead this past weekend."

Now it is being reported, "Since last week, Gaspereau fish have been turning up dead in the water, getting sucked downstream when they should be going farther upstream to spawn. Fishermen, members of the three First Nations Communities of Glooscap, Valley and Sipekne’katik, as well as Fisheries and Oceans officers and scientists, descended upon the White Rock hydroelectric station located along the Gaspereau River Monday morning to see for themselves. A crowd watched from the riverbanks as its current carried the dead fish downstream."

That article adds, "Several local fishermen estimated the mortality is beyond tens of thousands of the species, after Nova Scotia Power started generating power last week. ...Nova Scotia Power spokesman David Rodenhiser confirmed in an emailed statement that the fish were being drawn into the company’s power-generating turbine 'when we increased water flow through the White Rock hydroelectric station Sunday afternoon to boost flow [to help a charity rubber duck race that has been part of the Apple Blossom festival for more than 20 years]', he said, adding that they’ve not experienced this before either."

Chapter activist Ann Pohl says, “Annapolis Valley, Sipekne’katik and other Mi’kmaq leaders are alarmed by this neglect of stewardship for the shared waters. The Council of Canadians’ appeals, to both provincial and federal leaders to do their job of conservation and protection, have been ignored. All the federal and provincial governments seem to care about is using the Bay’s waters to generate electricity for export to the U.S.”

In mid-May, the Kent County chapter began drawing attention to the impact of the Cape Sharp Tidal Venture tidal turbine on marine life in the Minas Passage near Parrsboro, Nova Scotia. You can read more about that in this blog, "Kent County chapter raises concerns about impact of Bay of Fundy tidal turbine on gaspereau" - May 29, 2017 [ https://canadians.org/blog/kent-county- ... -gaspereau ]

The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans is on the scene now investigating. Our expectation is that their report will be made public.

Further reading:

"Another Fundy Fish Die-Off: That's Three Too Many" (May 29 media release)
[ https://canadians.org/media/another-fun ... e-too-many ]


Tags: chapters
[ https://canadians.org/tags/chapters ]


Brent Patterson's blog
Political Director of the Council of Canadians
[ https://canadians.org/blogs/brent-patterson ]