Donald Martel, Quebec’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, & Léopold Landy, President of AquaBoreal.
Image: CNW Group/AquaBoreal
Quebec authorities have issued a ministerial decree allowing the aquaculture company AquaBoreal to move forward with a proposed land-based salmon farming project in Baie-Trinité, marking a key regulatory step for the development.
The decree confirms that the project complies with provincial environmental requirements following a multi-year assessment process. With the authorisation now in place, the company can begin applying for construction permits for the planned facility.
According to AquaBoreal, the proposal has undergone more than four years of environmental studies carried out by independent experts. The company says the research focused on environmental performance, scientific evidence and community acceptance.
The approval means the project has secured three elements needed to advance: preliminary approval for power allocation, the necessary regulatory clearances, and the ministerial decree required before construction permits can be issued. AquaBoreal said it will now concentrate on securing investment and structuring financing with potential partners.
“The filing of the ministerial decree marks an important milestone for AquaBoreal, but also for Quebec as a whole, which is keen to become more self-sufficient in its salmon supply,” said Léopold Landry, President of AquaBoreal. “This breakthrough is a testament to the soundness and credibility of our approach.”
The planned facility will use recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) technology designed to reuse water and limit environmental impacts. The company says the farm will raise salmon without antibiotics and will use water drawn from the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
AquaBoreal plans an initial production capacity of around 10,000 tonnes of salmon per year, with most of the output intended for the Quebec and wider Canadian markets. The company says the project could reduce Canada’s reliance on imported salmon.
Donald Martel, Quebec’s Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, said the project could contribute to the province’s ambitions to strengthen domestic food production.
“AquaBoreal is a promising project that I have been following closely for a long time, particularly through the Quebec innovation zone initiatives,” Martel said. “Today, as a minister, I am following its development with great interest in the hope that one day we will be able to eat salmon farmed right here in Quebec.”
The development is linked to the Quebec government’s Northern Action Plan 2023–2028, which aims to support economic activity in the province’s northern regions. AquaBoreal says the project could create skilled jobs on the Côte-Nord and contribute to regional development.
