Panama bound Salmon Eggs to Stay in Canada

AquaBounty Canada Inc., a company that originally said its plans were to produce salmon eggs in P.E.I. Canada and then ship them to Panama to mature has decided to rear the fish in Canada.

The GM Salmon, that was to be processed into fillets in Panama and then sent back to Canada for sale, will now be raised at a recently expanded facility in Rollo Bay P.E.I. and not in Panama.

With the approval of this change in plans, Canadians voiced their concerns. The largest concern is that, a new environmental investigation should have been done, considering bring the salmon to maturity in Canada is a pretty substantial change in plans.

The leader of the Green Party says he is concerned about the “regulatory acrobatics” that has led to the approval of a controversial facility that plans to grow genetically modified salmon in Prince Edward Island instead of Panama.

The company originally said its plans were to produce the salmon eggs in P.E.I. and then ship them to Panama where they would mature. The GM Salmon were to be processed into fillets in Panama and then sent back to Canada for sale. However now, the facility in Rollo Bay will be expanded with the building two 40,000-square foot structures where the company will rear AquaAdvantage salmon, a sterile genetically modified salmon, from eyed egg to market size.

The company originally said its plans were to produce the salmon eggs in P.E.I. and then ship them to Panama where they would mature. The GM Salmon were to be processed into fillets in Panama and then sent back to Canada for sale.

Green Leader Peter Bevan-Baker says the fact this change in plans did not require a whole new environmental assessment is a case of “regulatory acrobatics.”

Sharon Labchuk of Earth Action says the process is inadequate given the company’s “radical change in plans” for the Rollo Bay facility.

Bevan-Baker says “The fact that government is willing to give so much taxpayers’ dollars to something which, I have instinctive concerns about, is troubling.” […]
“The money behind this organization is considerable. And it’s my personal opinion that they should be able to fund all R&D without any public funds being put in there.”

Environmental groups in P.E.I say public hearings should be held on the proposed factory, AquaBounty’s plan to produce the eggs, and bring them to maturity on the Island, is different from the proposal than the one approved by the province last year.

The groups say they have written to Premier Wade MacLauchlan to ask for a series of public meetings on the proposal, however, it is unclear whether or not province will agree on these hearings.