To the Minister of Env. & the Director of EIA Commission. No to fish farming in Mauritius. No to Growfish's project

We, the People of Mauritius, Users of the Mauritian Sea, Citizens of the World, object to the development of fish farming in the Mauritian sea, and the application made by a foreign company, Growfish International (Mauritius) Ltd, for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) licence recently submitted to the EIA Commission for the construction and development of a fish farm in the Mauritian sea at Bambous, for later expansion in the sea in Le Morne.

We are opposed to the Growfish fish farm project because of the catastrophic environmental, economic and social effect which would result from this project.

• Environmental Impact – There is scientific evidence proving that fish farms pollute seabeds, kill predators who attempt to feed through the farm nets, contaminate wild species, and damage the surrounding biodiversity of the aquatic ecosystem.

• Social Impact ‐ Fish farms are known to attract sharks, including among the most dangerous species, namely bull sharks and tiger sharks who are attracted by the noise and vibrations caused by the highly populated fish farms. These sharks once attracted to the farms are unable to feed on the farm fish due to the presence of protective nets; sharks therefore naturally feed on what they can find along their route, including humans. In neighbouring Reunion Island (only 226 kms away from Mauritius), the owner of the fish farm of St Paul which was set up in 2007 and which farm was and continues to be accused of being one of the main causes of the shark attack crisis which started in 2011, had stated in the press that if there was any chance of his farm being one of the main causes of the shark attacks, he would close it. The owner of the St Paul fish farm did close it in 2012&excl The first shark attacks took place at the beaches of Boucan and Ti Boucan, located less than 1 km away from the St Paul fish farm. Shark attacks in Reunion Island have continued to increase and have affected all types of users of the sea including surfers, swimmers, and even dogs, some of these attacks occurring within a few metres of the shore only and at all times of the day. There is now a quasi total ban on entering the sea in Reunion Island and Reunion islanders can no longer set foot in their own sea and many have lost loved ones to the sharks. We do not want this to happen in Mauritius or anywhere in the world.

• Economic Impact ‐ Tourism is the main pillar of Mauritius’ economy and is what feeds a big part of the population from all levels of society and industries. In Reunion Island, each shark attack resulted in an immediate 60&percnt tourist reservation cancellation. In the first few years of the shark attack crisis, Reunion Island’s tourist arrivals dropped by 25&percnt. Given the majority of our tourists come to Mauritius for our pristine waters, shark attacks would have a catastrophic economic impact on Mauritius’ economy as a whole.

Although under our environmental protection law, Growfish is obliged to consult with those who may be impacted by the project prior to submitting its EIA application, there has been no consultation with the public in general nor with other important stakeholders such as fishermen, plaisancier operators, surfers, kitesurfers, paddle users, swimmers, hotels, and this despite this project affecting us all.

Growfish only consulted with a small group of individuals in Bambous who were not informed about the potential adverse impact of the project which we highlight in this petition.

The total lack of communication and consultation around this project has resulted in stakeholders being made aware of Growfish’s EIA application only now, whereas the deadline for providing public comments on the EIA application is 30 June 2017. It is impossible to address an EIA application on such a technical and important matter in such a short period of time. Imposing such a tight deadline directly deprives the public of the right it has under the Environmental Protection Act to be given a reasonable opportunity to address the content of the application. We therefore request the Director of the EIA Commission to allow the public up to 30 September 2017 to provide its comments on the EIA application of Growfish International (Mauritius) Ltd.

We also request the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development not to grant to Growfish International (Mauritius) Ltd the EIA licence sought for its fish farm project, whether in Bambous, Le Morne or anywhere else in Mauritius