Aquaculture is an important and growing part of Nova Scotia's coastal economy, supporting sustainable food production, rural employment and long-term community development.
To ensure this growth benefits all Nova Scotians, the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture administers a licensing and leasing process that guides how aquaculture activities are planned, evaluated and responsibly managed across the province.

The process is designed to ensure that aquaculture develops in a manner that is environmentally responsible, economically viable and socially considerate. Each application undergoes a rigorous, transparent review intended to confirm that:

• proposed sites are suitable for aquaculture operations
• potential environmental effects are understood and mitigated
• the activity aligns with provincial regulations

This process helps maintain public confidence and ensures operators meet high expectations for environmental protection and operational performance.

Nova Scotia's coastal waters are a shared public resource – used for fishing, transportation, recreation, cultural practices, conservation and community livelihoods. The licensing process recognizes this shared value and incorporates opportunities for public input, scientific assessment and consideration of other marine uses before decisions are made.

By evaluating potential interactions between aquaculture and existing activities, the process helps ensure that growth in the sector occurs in harmony with the diverse ways Nova Scotians rely on the ocean.

Rockweed leases

The Fisheries and Coastal Resources Act requires all rockweed lease applicants to post public notice of their application. Notices must be published in a newspaper having a general circulation in the county or counties in which the applied-for area is located and in the Royal Gazette not less than ten days before the date of the application.

The Act also states that any member of the public who objects to the issuance of a lease in the area referred to in the notice shall notify the Minister, in written form, not more than seven days after the date of publication. These letters are then taken into consideration by the Minister when he reviews the application package.

The minister would like to acknowledge and thank the public for their feedback on all rockweed applications.

• Rockweed Lease
• Application Process (PDF)
• Lease Amendment Process - Ownership Transfer (PDF)

Aquaculture licenses and leases

There are two kinds of authorization:

Aquaculture Licence

• This allows a person or company to carry out land- or water-based aquaculture activities, including farms for fish, shellfish or aquatic plants.

Aquaculture Lease

• This allows a person or company to use an area of the Crown seabed for aquaculture activities.

Depending on the type of operation, an operator may need only a licence, or both a licence and a lease. For example, a land-based operation would not require a lease.

Application process

To apply for an aquaculture licence or lease, a person or company must submit an application describing the proposed operation, including the species to be farmed, the site location and how the operation will be managed. In some cases, applicants will need to complete a scoping process and public information meeting before they can submit their application.

The department reviews each application and, if approved, issues a licence and/or lease and continues to monitor the operation to ensure regulatory requirements are met.

Application classes

Applications in Nova Scotia fall into 1 of 3 classes depending on the type and complexity of the operation.

The class determines how the application is reviewed, who is consulted and who makes the final decision: either the Aquaculture Administrator or the Nova Scotia Aquaculture Review Board (NSARB).

Applications can be submitted by both existing operators and individuals or companies seeking to enter the aquaculture industry.

Class IA (approver: NSARB)

Types of applications in this class:

• a new marine-based commercial licence or lease so they can cultivate finfish in a cage in a non-aquaculture development area (ADA)
• an amendment to an existing marine-based commercial licence or lease to add the marine cage cultivation of finfish
• an amendment to an existing marine-based cage commercial licence or lease to increase in the size of the site

Class IB (approver: Aquaculture Administrator)

Operators in this class are applying for one of the following:

• a new marine-based aquaculture licence or lease to cultivate shellfish, marine plants or other species – but not finfish – located outside an ADA
• an amendment to an existing marine-based commercial licence or lease to increase the size of the site, except for those involving the marine cage cultivation of finfish

Class II (approver: Aquaculture Administrator)

Operators in this class are applying for one of the following:

• a new marine-based licence or lease within an ADA
• a new marine-based special experimental or marine institutional licence or lease
• an amendment to an existing marine-based licence or lease to add the suspended, bottom with gear, or bottom without gear cultivation methods
• an amendment to an existing marine-based licence or lease to modify the site boundaries without increasing the size of the site
• a renewal of marine-based commercial or marine-based institutional licence or lease
• a reallocation of an existing marine aquaculture site, resulting in a new licence or lease

Class III (approver: Aquaculture Administrator)

Operators in this class are applying for one of the following:

• a new land-based licence (commercial, special experimental, institutional)
• a renewal of a land-based licence (commercial, institutional)
• an amendment to an existing land-based licence (commercial, special experimental, institutional)
• an amendment to an existing marine-based licence or lease to remove a method of cultivation
• an amendment to an existing marine-based licence or lease to add or remove species (with no change to the method of cultivation)
• an amendment to an existing licence or lease (marine- and land-based) to change the expiry date under subsection 70(5)
• the assignment of an existing licence or lease (marine- and land-based)
• to combine 2 or more marine-based licences or leases and their associated aquaculture sites (with no change to the type of operation, site boundaries or methods of cultivation)
• an amendment to an existing licence or lease to modify the site boundaries if the conditions set out in subsection 40 are met

Detailed information on application classes can be found in the Aquaculture Licence and Lease Regulations.

Current applications

You can find information on current aquaculture applications on the Information for the Public page.

How to participate

The public has several opportunities to learn about Class IA, Class IB and Class II aquaculture applications the department has received and to provide input on those applications.

These opportunities vary depending on the class of the application.

Providing input on Class IA and IB applications

Scoping process:

• before an applicant can submit a Class I application, they must complete a scoping process approved by the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture
• during this process, the applicant gathers information about the proposed aquaculture project and shares it with the public
• applicants must hold at least one public information meeting in a nearby community so people can learn about the project and ask questions
• the applicant must also advertise the meeting publicly in a way approved by the minister

Departmental 30-day public comment period:

• the public may submit written comments for Class I and Class II aquaculture applications, during a public comment period
• the department will publish a public notice inviting comments on the public information page and in the Royal Gazette Part I page. The notice may also be shared using other methods determined by the minister or administrator
• members of the public have 30 days from the date the notice is published to submit written comments. The notice will explain how and where comments can be submitted

NSARB review (Class IA only):

• Class IA applications involve a public hearing before the NSARB. Individuals or groups may apply to participate if they can demonstrate that they may be affected by the proposed aquaculture site

Providing input on Class II applications

Written comment period:

• the public may submit written comments for Class II aquaculture applications, during a public comment period
• the department will publish a public notice inviting comments on the public information page and in the Royal Gazette Part I page. The notice may also be shared using other methods determined by the minister or administrator
• members of the public have 30 days from the date the notice is published to submit written comments. The notice will explain how and where comments can be submitted

Public Comment Submission Form for Administrative Aquaculture Applications

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