Trouble Seems To Be Brewing Before The Start Of Nova Scotia Fall Lobster Season
On Thursday the indigenous leader at the centre of a simmering dispute over Nova Scotia said that the recent seizure of lobster traps in St. Marys Bay by the federal officials could thereby lead to major troubles on the water.
According to Chief Mike Sack of the Sipekne’katik First Nation, the indigenous fishers whose traps were reportedly taken last weekend and on Wednesday will now replace them by taking the traps of commercial fishers when the fall season opens Monday in southwestern Nova Scotia, which is a huge event called Dumping Day.
In an interview, Sack said that the Dumping Day is going to be about 400000 traps that the people get to pick from to replenish the traps, and referred to the start of Canada’s largest and also the most lucrative lobster fishery.
The seizures by the Fisheries Department officers have undermined negotiations with the federal officials and are aimed at establishing a moderate livelihood fishery that will thereby operate outside the federally regulated season, Sack stated.
Sack further said that he has zero respect for them and added that he had spoken by phone with the federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan earlier that day. He said that after conveying his message he hung up the call. He also said that they surely need to leave the gear alone, they are fringing on their rights and that isn’t going to end here, he added. He had called them out for their blatant lies as the minister doesn’t even know what her officers are doing.
A federal official said that about 500 traps have been seized on the weekend and another 100 on Wednesday.
Sack said that the band members had about 300 moderate livelihood traps in the bay on the weekend that was in addition to traps that were used for the indigenous food, social, and other ceremonial fishery, which can take place any time. He also said that two other indigenous bands, Bear River and Acadia have also placed traps in the bay.
On September 17, the Sipekne’katik First Nation attracted national attention when it started a self-regulated lobster fishery on the St. Marys Bay, three months before the federally regulated season was scheduled to open. Sack stated that First Nations in the Maritimes and Quebec has never given up the right to fish, gather, and hunt when and where they wish to, as spelled out in treaties signed with the Crown in the 1700s.
Moreover, the Supreme Court of Canada had affirmed that those treaty rights in a landmark decision in 1999 but the court has also said that Ottawa retained the right to regulate the fisheries for conservation purposes. Over the past three months, several Indigenous bands in Nova Scotia have reportedly stated their self-regulated lobster fishing enterprises.
Additionally, the non-Indigenous lobster industry has argued that the federal Fisheries Department should now shut down those businesses because they are operating outside the federally regulated season and are also threatening the conservation of lobster stocks.
On Thursday, a spokesman for the federal fisheries officers has confirmed that some of the traps that were recently seized were identified as moderate livelihood traps that completely complied with the conservation policies.
Director of conservation and protection, Todd Somerville stated that the status of the moderate livelihood fishery is still subjected to talks with Ottawa but also said that the officers consider the fishery to be an unlicensed, unregulated, and also illegal enterprise under the Fisheries Act. He said in an interview that it is not their job to authorize or recognize the fishery and at the same time they don’t want to be deliberately disruptive to the negotiation process. He said that they are trying to exercise a bit of due discretion.
However, Somerville could not say how many moderate livelihood traps were removed from the bay and said that the focus was mainly on removing the untagged traps and gear that did not meet the conservation rules. He also confirmed that the number of recent removals has been much larger than the other seizures that have been made since the self-regulated fishery opened in September.
The fisheries officers shall be reaching out to the indigenous communities to confirm the ownership of the moderate livelihood traps, he added.
He also stated that they are being very mindful and respectful of their rights and are hoping that a solution that would be consistent with the legislation can be decided upon. They are currently trying to exercise their best judgment in some challenging situations.
I am Darryl Broadhurst and i give investors an insight into the most recent news hitting the “Technology” sector in Wall Street. I have been an independent financial adviser for over 11 years in the city and in recent years turned my experience in finance and passion for journalism into a full time role. I perform analysis of Companies and publicizes valuable information for shareholder community.
