- The quantity of illegal lobster fishing in St. Marys Bay is driving both fishermen and officials in Nova Scotia crazy.
- On July 21, the band members sued that the agency’s actions barred them from partaking in a fishery where they might make a living.
- The northeastern US license plates have been spotted at nearby wharves, but they did not specify who was fishing
The quantity of illegal lobster fishing in St. Marys Bay, close to Digby, N.S., is driving both fishermen and officials in Nova Scotia crazy. The Unified Fisheries Conservation Alliance‘s Colin Sproul referred to the scenario as “outrageous” and scoffed at rumors of enforcement by federal fishery officials as “patently untrue.”
He questioned whether the Canadian government intended to uphold the current fishery policy and regulation, asserting that this is not at all what the fishing and coastal communities in Nova Scotia believe.
Illegal lobster fishing
The Sipekne’katik First Nation began a self-regulatory lobster fishery outside of the commercial season in September 2020, which led to conflict in St. Marys Bay.
On July 21, the band members sued Fisheries and Oceans Canada, claiming that the agency’s actions barred them from partaking in a fishery where they might make a living.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans reported that its officers had seized 321 lobster traps in the region since July 17 for breaking rules. The commercial lobster fishing season in southwest Nova Scotia ended on May 31, and the department indicated that this was the last day of the season.
Chris d’Entremont and Rick Perkins, two local Conservative MPs, wrote to federal Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier last week to demand immediate action to stop illegal poaching.
They made a note that Quebec, New Brunswick, and the northeastern United States license plates have been spotted at nearby wharves, but they did not specify who was fishing.
The Liberal Party in opposition in Nova Scotia demanded that the province implement a zero-tolerance policy for the purchase of lobster for commercial purposes without a license, claiming that this is their province’s duty.
