Protesters in Pioneer speak out against AquaBounty Fish Farm

PIONEER, Ohio (WTVG) - Tonight protesters came to speak out against the AquaBounty Fish Farm currently under construction in Pioneer.

“They plan on pulling an average of 5,000,000 gallons of water a day out. What’s really troubling to most of the community is that they will dump almost 5,000,000 gallons of water into the Saint Joe river and it isn’t what we call a water conservation plan,” says Sherri Fleming, a protester.

Sylvia Wolf is the President and CEO of AquaBounty Technologies. She wants residents of the area to know the company jumped through all the necessary hoops to start the project. " The permitting process is rigorous, and all of that is publicly available data in terms of consumptive water use. All of that is available to have their questions answered,” says Wolf.

She says due to Pioneer’s location near the Michindoh Aquifer and the St Joseph river it is the ideal location. " It’s all about the water. What we want everyone to understand is that making sure that there is enough water for the community has to be job one. Then making sure the right quantity and quality of water for the fish is number two,” says Wolf.

The farm is expected to bring over 100 jobs to the area, and provide fish to people around the nation.

Both Aquabounty and the protesters say they will be holding townhalls in the coming weeks.

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