In just three years, the Environmental Monitoring Program Team has implemented the first comprehensive environmental monitoring program for more than 330 marine aquaculture sites throughout Nova Scotia. Baseline data has been established by collecting more than 1,400 sediment samples from more than 500 stations in some 40 different bays. This data now acts as a guide for assessing environmental risk of aquaculture operations and will go a long way to ensure that aquaculture is environmentally sustainable in Nova Scotia.

The Environmental Monitoring Program is recognized as innovative and effective by other jurisdictions and is one of the few monitoring programs that samples diverse aquaculture sites in a variety of marine ecosystems. This is not only the first time such a program has been carried out in Nova Scotia, but is also the first time that empirical evidence exists on an industry-wide scale. The Environmental Monitoring Team’s work has generated interest from across Canada, and as far away as Chile and Norway.