Aquaculture Activities Regulations (SOR/2015-177)

Interpretation

Marginal note:Definitions

1 The following definitions apply in these Regulations.

Act

Act means the Fisheries Act. (Loi)

aquaculture

aquaculture means the cultivation of fish. (aquaculture)

aquaculture licence

aquaculture licence means any of the following:

• (a) a lease or licence issued or granted by the Minister under section 7 or 58 of the Act, or its regulations, for the purpose of aquaculture;

• (b) a lease granted by the government of a province under subsection 59(1) of the Act for the cultivation of oysters;

• (c) a provincial licence or authorization for the operation of an aquaculture facility. (permis d’aquaculture)

barren substrate

barren substrate means benthic substrate on which there are no visible organisms. (substrat stérile)

biochemical oxygen demanding matter

biochemical oxygen demanding matter means any organic matter that contributes to the consumption of oxygen that is dissolved in water or sediment. (matière exerçant une demande biochimique en oxygène)

Monitoring Standard

Monitoring Standard means the Aquaculture Monitoring Standard, as amended from time to time, that is produced by the Minister and maintained on the Department of Fisheries and Oceans website. (Norme)

soft bottom

soft bottom means a benthic substrate that consists of loose particles such as clay, mud, marl, sand, pebbles, gravel, shells or small stones.  (fond meuble)

Deleterious Substances

Marginal note:Specified substances

2 For the purpose of paragraph 36(4)(c) of the Act, the following classes of substances deposited in the operation of an aquaculture facility are specified to be deleterious substances:

• (a) drugs whose sale is permitted or otherwise authorized, or whose importation is not prohibited, under the Food and Drugs Act;

• (b) pest control products that are registered, or whose use is authorized, under the Pest Control Products Act; and

• (c) biochemical oxygen demanding matter.

Deposit

Marginal note:Conditions applicable to deposits

3 An owner or operator of an aquaculture facility may, subject to the conditions set out in sections 4 to 14, deposit a deleterious substance specified in section 2 in any water or place referred to in subsection 36(3) of the Act.

Conditions

Marginal note:Aquaculture facility

4 The deleterious substance must be deposited in the operation of the aquaculture facility and the facility must be operated under an aquaculture licence.

Marginal note:Drugs

5 In the case of a deposit of a drug,

• (a) if by or under an Act of Parliament the drug may only be sold under a prescription, it must be prescribed by a person who is duly authorized to practise veterinary medicine

  • (i) under the laws of the province in which the aquaculture facility is located, or

  • (ii) under the laws of any province, if the aquaculture facility is not located in a province;

• (b) the owner or operator of the facility must take measures to minimize the risk of an accidental deposit of the drug; and

• (c) if the drug is deposited to control a pest as defined in the Pest Control Products Act, the owner or operator must consider, before depositing the drug, whether there are alternatives to the deposit of that drug and make a record of that consideration.

Marginal note:Pest control products

6 In the case of a deposit of a pest control product,

• (a) if the pest control product is registered, the owner or operator of the aquaculture facility must use it in compliance with any conditions specified under the Pest Control Products Act, including any conditions relating to the place where it may be used and the quantity and concentration that may be used;

• (b) if the pest control product is not registered, it must be authorized to be used by the owner or the operator under subsection 21(5) or 41(1) of the Pest Control Products Act or have been exempted from registration by a regulation made under paragraph 67(1)(z.4) of that Act;

• (c) the owner or the operator must consider, before depositing the pest control product, whether there are alternatives to the deposit of that pest control product and make a record of that consideration; and

• (d) the owner or the operator must notify the Minister, at least 72 hours before the deposit, of the product name of the pest control product and the time, date and geographic coordinates of the deposit.

Marginal note:Measures to reduce detriment

• 7 (1) The owner or the operator of the aquaculture facility must, in depositing a deleterious substance referred to in paragraph 2(a) or (b), take reasonable measures to minimize detriment to fish and fish habitat outside the facility, having regard to

  • (a) the cost and effectiveness of the available measures;

  • (b) the degree and nature of the detriment that may result from the deposit; and

  • (c) the physical characteristics of the facility and the type of aquaculture that is engaged in.

• Marginal note:Feces and unconsumed feed

  (2) In the case of an aquaculture facility that cultivates finfish and that is operated under an aquaculture licence that permits a standing biomass of more than 2.5 t or an annual production of more than 5 t, the owner or operator of the facility must take reasonable measures to minimize the deposit of fish feces and unconsumed feed, having regard to the factors set out in paragraphs (1)(a) to (c).

Marginal note:Information required before depositing

• 8 (1) In the case of an aquaculture facility located in tidal waters for the cultivation of finfish that commences operations after the day on which these Regulations come into force, the owner or operator of the facility must submit the following information to the Minister at least 300 days before making a first deposit of a deleterious substance in the operation of the facility:

  • (a) the predicted contours of the footprint of the biochemical oxygen demanding matter that will be deposited by the facility, calculated in accordance with the Monitoring Standard;

  • (b) a survey conducted in accordance with the Monitoring Standard that identifies the fish and fish habitat on the seabed that is leased for the operations of the facility and in the water column above the seabed;

  • (c) the bathymetry of the seabed that is leased for the operations of the facility, measured in accordance with the Monitoring Standard; and

  • (d) in the case of a facility located over a soft bottom, the additional information that is specified in the Monitoring Standard concerning the seabed that is leased for the operations of the facility.

• Marginal note:Exception

  (2) Despite subsection (1), if an aquaculture facility commences operations during the 300 days after the day on which these Regulations come into force, the owner or operator of the facility must provide the information referred to in paragraphs (1)(a) to (d) within 30 days after the day on which the operations were commenced.

• Marginal note:Monitoring Standard

  (3) The studies undertaken to obtain the information referred to in paragraphs (1)(a) to (d) must be conducted in accordance with the Monitoring Standard.

• Marginal note:Non-application

  (4) Subsections (1) and (2) do not apply to an acquaculture facility whose aquaculture licence, if issued or granted, permits a maximum standing biomass of 2.5 t or less or a maximum annual production of 5 t or less.

Marginal note:Applications affecting contours of footprint

• 9 (1) If the owner or operator of an aquaculture facility located in tidal waters that cultivates finfish makes an application under federal or provincial law that, if approved, would authorize any activity that is likely to increase the predicted contours of the footprint of the biochemical oxygen demanding matter deposited by the facility, the owner or the operator must conduct the studies necessary to obtain the information referred to in paragraphs 8(1)(a) to (d) and submit the information to the Minister within 30 days after the day on which the application was made.

• Marginal note:Non-application

  (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to an acquaculture facility whose aquaculture licence, if amended, permits a maximum standing biomass of 2.5 t or less or a maximum annual production of 5 t or less.

Marginal note:Substrate sampling and restocking

• 10 (1) In the case of an aquaculture facility that is located over a soft bottom and cultivates finfish in tidal waters in or adjacent to Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, British Columbia, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador, the owner or operator of the facility

  • (a) must take samples of the benthic substrate in the manner and at the times and locations specified in the Monitoring Standard and determine the concentration of free sulfide in the samples in accordance with that Standard;

  • (b) must take additional samples of the benthic substrate, in the manner and at the times and locations specified in the Monitoring Standard, if

    • (i) in the case of a facility located in tidal waters in or adjacent to Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador, the mean concentration of free sulfide as calculated at the locations specified in the Monitoring Standard exceeds 3000 µM, and

    • (ii) in the case of a facility located in tidal waters in or adjacent to British Columbia, the mean concentration of free sulfide as calculated at 30 m and 125 m from the structure that contains the cultivated fish exceeds 1300 µM and 700 µM, respectively; and

  • (c) must not restock the facility if the concentrations of free sulfide exceed the applicable concentration limits set out in paragraph (b).

• Marginal note:Visual monitoring instead of sampling

  (2) The owner or operator of an acquaculture facility must conduct visual monitoring in accordance with section 11 instead of the sampling described in subsection (1) if the owner or the operator cannot obtain, from each of the locations specified in the Monitoring Standard, benthic substrate samples that

  • (a) contain substrate to a depth of at least 5 cm; and

  • (b) have a volume of at least 15 ml and undisturbed sediment-water interface.

Marginal note:Visual monitoring of substrate

• 11 (1) This section applies to aquaculture facilities that cultivate finfish in the waters referred to in subsection 10(1) but

  • (a) are not located over a soft bottom; or

  • (b) are located over a soft bottom in respect of which subsection 10(2) applies.

• Marginal note:Monitoring and restocking

  (2) The owner or operator of a facility referred to in subsection (1)

  • (a) must conduct visual monitoring of the benthic substrate in the manner and at the times and locations specified in the Monitoring Standard;

  • (b) must not, if the facility is located in tidal waters in or adjacent to Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador, restock the facility if the visual monitoring shows the presence of Beggiatoa species or similar bacteria, marine worms or barren substrate in more than 70% of the locations specified in the Monitoring Standard; and

  • (c) must not, if the facility is located in tidal waters in or adjacent to British Columbia, restock the facility if visual monitoring shows that Beggiatoa species or similar bacteria or marine worms cover

    • (i) 10% or more of any four segments of substrate specified in the Monitoring Standard that are within 100 m to 124 m from the fish containment structure, or

    • (ii) 10% or more of

      • (A) the two contiguous segments of substrate specified in the Monitoring Standard that are within 116 m to 124 m from the fish containment structure, and

      • (B) the two or more contiguous segments of substrate specified in the Monitoring Standard that are within 124 m to 140 m from the fish containment structure.