For a second time, Canada's federal fisheries minister has denied Cermaq Canada the right to stock controversial fish farms in British Columbia's Discovery Islands, reports The National Observer.

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) rejected two recent applications by Cermaq Canada to transfer 1.5 million fish to the company’s Venture Point and Brent Island sites following a decision in December last year to phase out salmon farms in the region by July 2022.

Federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan also denied Cermaq’s request to extend its current licenses to operate the sites to February 2023 — beyond the deadline set by DFO last December.