"Imagine A Thriving Eastern Shore"

Tourism and fishing are Eastern Shore mainstays

The Eastern Shore's Marike Finlay is not known for mincing words. Nor is she known for sitting complacently when self-servicing politics or backroom economics infringe on the rights of those who live along the 300 km stretch of Atlantic coastline framed by Highway 7.

In a recent article published by Halifax's Chronicle Herald (11/17/12) Marike takes aim at the closed pen salmon industry that threatens to destroy the struggling industries that sustain residents of HRM's rural communities.  

Lobster and crab fishing, 'sustainable forestry' and tourism are the mainstay for rural Nova Scotia, says Finlay but with government support and imaginative thinking, the Eastern Shore region can stem the destructive policies wrought by urban decision makers who have exploited it for over a century and turn the tide towards a self-sufficient, attractive and thriving area of the province.

Finlay demands an end to open pen, foreign-owned fish farms and that 'closed' pen non-polluting fish farms be put in place instead, to help create enduring employment. She asks (yet again) that policy makers think out of the box and envision a thriving Eastern Shore that capitalizes on the region's natural coastal beauty and recreational opportunities. Finlay asks everyone, especially provincial urban decision makers to 'imagine' the potential wealth of the rich resource that lies at their doorstep.

As the chair of an ad-hoc econ-dev committee established via the Sheet Harbour Chamber of Commerce, Finlay voices what the rest of the Shore residents have been thinking for decades. At least most are thinking. Stop the rape of our natural resources and help us to be resilient, vital and self-sustaining.

The Eastern Shore Current is an eclectic Blog for Nova Scotia's Highway 7 Online. Visit the website!