Burin Peninsula Chamber of Commerce worried process will delay Marbase project for up to two years.
Vocm reports that The Burin Peninsula Chamber of Commerce is worried that ordering the Environmental Assessment for the proposed Marbase lumpfish hatchery at the old Marystown Shipyard, will result in another two years of delays.
The business association says it is the voice of business in Newfoundland and Labrador, “promoting prosperity, growth, and business excellence”.
Marbase – which is owned by St. John’s businessman Paul Antle – announced earlier last year their intention to develop a Lumpfish Hatchery at the site, making it an aquaculture hub to cater for up 100,000 tonnes of salmon production by 2030, five times its current volume.
The hatchery will produce around 3 million lumpfish annually.
President John Baker wrote in a release that the chamber “does not take environmental issues lightly” and they will do “whatever it takes to ensure that it is protected at all times” but they believe a “happy medium” can be found to avoid a situation like Grieg NL project which took two years.
The chamber added that lumpfish are an “environmentally friendly solution to an important issue” that the environmental effects of a hatchery are “well known and can be managed effectively.”
Baker said that the peninsula’s economy is in “dire need of a boost” and needs “every little bit of help it can get.”
