Cooke Aquaculture says its proposed new sites would help, not harm, the environment.

Cooke spokesperson Nell Halse said two sites planned for Jordan Bay, Shelburne County, will lessen the environmental impact of its operations.

"We need to have farms in different parts of Nova Scotia so that we can rotate our crops, and always have some farms that are lying fallow, or resting," she said. "That helps for environmental impact, and it also helps for disease control or parasites. These are normal farming principles on land that are very important on the ocean."

Cooke has ten ocean-based fish farms in Nova Scotia. The company wants to open two more in Jordan Bay.

Transport Canada, which is responsible for the environmental assessment because the fish farms will be in navigable waters, has approved the plan.

The agency says there are enough checks and balances in place to protect the environment if the new farms go ahead, and that "the project is not likely to cause adverse environmental effects."

Sindy Horncastle of the group Mayday Shelburne County says that is not the case, and even if safeguards do exist, there is no enforcement.

"Neither DFO or the provincial government for that matter, has ever enforced any regulations, so there are no controls in place to prevent pollution, pesticide use. We've seen that in other communities, so we don't feel there is any protection," she said.

Horncastle says Jordan bay is a sensitive lobster fishing area and an expansion of fish farming could destroy that industry.

Cooke expects the provincial government to make a final decision on the plan to farm in Jordan bay within a few weeks or possibly a couple of months.

The province recently announced $25 million in loans and forgivable loans to help Cooke Aquaculture expand in the province.