Concerns grow in N.S. over violence surrounding unauthorized lobster fishing

Area politicians and the head of a commercial fishing association say they are concerned the conflict around unauthorized lobster fishing in southwest Nova Scotia could be heating up again.

West Nova MP Chris d'Entremont and Unified Fisheries Conservation Alliance president Colin Sproul are calling on the federal government and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to step up enforcement and collaborate with law enforcement to clamp down on lobster poaching in the lucrative fishing area in St. Marys Bay, near Digby, N.S.

"That lack of reasonable enforcement is what's leading to the chaos in St. Marys Bay and it's time to take action," said Sproul.

On Wednesday, Maritime DFO officers stopped and arrested two Saulnierville, N.S., men at a traffic stop near Moncton, N.B., and seized 110 crates from a trailer containing more than 8,000 lobsters.

DFO Maritimes region spokesperson Debbie Buott-Matheson confirmed the lobsters were released back into the ocean near Meteghan, N.S.

In a statement to CTV News, Buott-Matheson says DFO has allocated significant enforcement resources in St. Marys Bay.

Sproul says the recent seizure will do little to deter illegal poaching and selling of lobster.

"This morning, we viewed 100 crates of lobster floating again in Saulnierville harbour, demonstrating, again, zero deterrence," said Sproul.

Earlier this month, d'Entremont and fellow Conservative MP Rick Perkins issued a letter to Diane Lebouthillier, the minister of fisheries, oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, with their concerns over the increased level of what they call illegal lobster fishing taking place in St. Marys Bay.

The West Nova MP is concerned that, without immediate enforcement, a repeat of the violence in 2020 between commercial fishermen and Indigenous fishers could boil over once again.

"We really don't know who is out there fishing, and we assume there is some FSC going on, and so some of our local First Nations will be there,” said d'Entremont. “But who is the rest, and are the fisheries truly enforcing the rules that they would have to follow?"

Lobster fishing in Area 34, that includes St. Marys Bay, is out of season, but d'Entremont says it is Indigenous people's constitutional right to fish for food, social and ceremonial (FSC) purposes under an agreement with DFO and the Canadian government.

"The FSC would be the only fishing that should be allowed, and even that I would question as well," said d'Entremont. “Because of the state of the stock and the biomass that's there."

Sproul believes in Indigenous people's rights to fish under FSC guidelines, but says the members of the Sipekne'katik First Nation, the band that was at the centre of the lobster dispute in 2020, are ignoring the FSC guidelines and overfishing.

"The FSC fishery license is issued by the DFO to provide food to the nation and if it's being grossly violated, then it's incumbent on the minister by law to revoke the license," said Sproul.

CTV News reached out to the Chief of the Sipekne'katik First Nation for comment but did not hear back.

DFO said they are committed to working with First Nations harvesters who are exercising their "Supreme Court-affirmed Treaty right to fish through various DFO-authorized fisheries."

This includes FSC and communal commercial fisheries, along with interim understandings reached to fish in pursuit of a moderate livelihood.

"Many First Nations harvesters are exercising their right to fish FSC lobster in St. Marys Bay in southwestern Nova Scotia and our fishery officers are working with those communities to protect the rights of First Nations harvesters engaged in this fishery," said DFO, in a statement.

As for enforcement, DFO says they have increased its presence in and around St. Marys Bay and, since July 17, fishery officers have seized 464 traps in Lobster Fishing Area 33 and 34 for non-compliance with the Fisheries Act and associated regulations.

RCMP are still searching for four suspects who they allege stole a crate of lobster from a Sipekne'katik First Nation fisher and dumped them back into the ocean.

It happened on Aug. 2 on a wharf in Weymouth, N.S., where police allege the owner of the crate confronted the four suspects in their boat and they threw the crate back at the individual and struck them in the arm.

RCMP have released an image of the suspects and asks anyone with information to contact RCMP or Crime Stoppers.

For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.