On June 18th, 2021, the Georgian Bay Innovation Group announced their proposal to build the largest land-based Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) to produce Atlantic Salmon at 83 Berford Lake Road, South Bruce Peninsula, Ontario (GBS, 2021; see Figure 1). Referred to as Georgian Bay Salmon (GBS), they planned to use AquaMoaf, a new RAS technology from Israel to produce up to 15,000 tonnes of Atlantic Salmon annually that would have no impact on other salmon species or other species, no untreated waste returning to Colpoy's Bay, no organic buildup or negative impact on surrounding environment, and no impact from increased greenhouse gas emissions (https://www.gbsalmon.ca/about-us/). GBS also said that the RAS facility would provide over 200 new employment opportunities and stimulate economic growth in the local community (GBS, 2021). Despite these re-assurances, community members from Wiarton raised serious concerns on the effect of the proposed fish farm on local land aesthetics, water quality of Colpoy's Bay, and the intrinsic value of the land.
~~~~~~
Conclusion As the global population continues to grow, the world needs to consider novel ways to produce food. The RAS system proposed by GBS has the potential to minimize the environmental impacts of operating aquaculture facilities as the closed system can avoid many of the issues associated with more traditional, aquatic-based facilities. Nevertheless, the facility can still have negative impacts on the local community and environment, and these must be factored into the equation. There is a lack of transparency about how the technology specific to this facility will operate, maintain the pristine conditions found in Colpoy’s Bay, and fit in with the ideals and values of the local community. These concerns are also magnified by the novel approach of using saline water within the facility while drawing and returning water to Colpoy’s Bay, a body of freshwater. This report has identified relevant concerns and questions to fill information gaps that would be useful in assessing the costs and benefits of the proposed RAS facility.