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MUSHABOOM, N.S. —

A privately funded sanctuary for captive beluga whales appears to be on its way to Nova Scotia.

The Whale Sanctuary Project has narrowed its North American-wide search for a location to house former marine park animals down to two sites on the Eastern Shore.

One is beside Sherbrooke in Port Hilford and the other is in Mushaboom, adjacent to Sheet Harbour.

“We’ve been spending a lot of time in Sheet Harbour lately — it’s a really excellent site,” said Lori Marino, a neuroscientist and president of the non-profit.

The idea would be to pen off 40 hectares of a stretch of water, known locally as The Run, between Malagash Island and West Gibbs Island. A corridor would be left open in this passage for both commercial and recreational boaters during the spring and summer.

The area of water is protected by islands from heavy seas, has significant flushing and the average depth sought by project organizers. The netted facility would eventually hold between six and eight captive born beluga whales from a marine park for the remainder of their natural lives — which, depending on who you ask, can run between 40 and 80 years.

“This site would be about 300 times larger than the largest marine park in the world,” said Marino.

“So it’s a significant improvement in quality of life.”

Video from the Whale Sanctuary Project

The netted area would be accompanied by a veterinary facility built on site and staffed full time. An education and outreach centre would be opened in nearby Sheet Harbour.

Marino estimates the total project cost at $20 million, with annual operating costs running from $1 to $2 million. The entire cost would be fundraised by The Whale Sanctuary Project, which already has corporate sponsors lined up.

“We don’t anticipate any problems funding this,” said Marino.

“We would provide all the funding ourselves.“

Both the Port Hilford and Mushaboom sites have committees of local citizens advocating on their behalf.

“(Mushaboom) is a better physical site but (the Sherbrooke area) community is 100 per cent rallying behind theirs,” said Stephen Mildenberger, a resident of Malagash Island who is advocating for the Mushaboom site.

“The organizers want this to be publicly embraced and they won’t do it here if there is any antagonism.”

Support for the site in Mushaboom is not 100 per cent.

The cut is also used as a a safe passage for fishermen and recreational boaters who don’t want to expose themselves to the open Atlantic.

This is an area of water known in the Mushaboom area as The Gates. The passage between two islands is a leading contender for a proposed whale sanctuary but is also used by recreational and commercial boaters. - Aaron Beswick

David Hubley is captain of one of the 10 boats fishing out of Mushaboom Harbour and he doesn’t support the project.

“I’ve been watching The Run all my life, 43 years, and I keep telling them that in all but a real mild winter it freezes over,” said Hubley.

“I’m not against saving the whales — I’m all for that — I just don’t think this is the right location.”

He added that some lobster traps are set in the area between the islands.

Asked about his response to the educational and tourism opportunities the facility may bring to his community, he said, “It could very well bring those benefits. Though I don’t understand how it will bring a lot of tourism when you’re not allowed close to it.”

To prevent disturbing the whales, boats will be prevented from coming within 30 metres of the outside perimeter of the penned facility.

And organizers claim there are technical solutions to prevent the area from freezing over like using bubblers that create disturbance on the water surface. Beluga whales are Arctic whales accustomed to swimming under ice but they do need a place to come to the surface to breathe.

A community meeting is scheduled for Dec. 16 at the Royal Canadian Legion in Sheet Harbour, where organizers intend to present their latest designs and hear concerns.

“We are trying very hard to respond to the concerns we’ve heard and be as flexible as we can,” said Marino.

“This is why the process is taking so long. We want to make sure wherever we go that this is a project embraced by the whole community.”

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