Latest news with #DarleneBernard
CBC
20-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Lennox Island chief says moderate-livelihood lobster fishers will replace traps seized by DFO
Social Sharing The chief of the P.E.I.-based Lennox Island First Nation says the area's moderate-livelihood lobster fishermen will replace the traps that federal officials seized over the weekend. On Sunday, Fisheries and Oceans Canada confiscated lobster traps in Malpeque Bay that the agency said were not set by authorized crews. The First Nation said DFO removed 100 lobster traps each from three fishermen and took them to the wharf in Alberton — a move Lennox Island Chief Darlene Bernard is calling illegal. She said conditions were too windy for the fishermen to go out on the water Tuesday, but vowed that they would be back out Wednesday to replace all 300 traps. "We are going to secure more traps, and if they take 300 out, we're going to put 300 back in," Bernard told CBC News. "There's going to be 1,500 traps in the water." The Mi'kmaq have a right to fish for a "moderate livelihood" outside of the commercial fishery that's rigorously regulated by the federal government, a right that was reaffirmed by the Supreme Court of Canada's Marshall decision in 1999. There's going to be 1,500 traps in the water. — Lennox Island First Nation Chief Darlene Bernard The First Nation said the traps seized Sunday belong to its self-governed fishery that began in 2022. Bernard said the treaty-protected fishery follows the same rules as the commercial season, including when and where harvesters can set traps. Last year, Lennox Island fishermen set 1,500 lobster traps, up from 1,000 the year before. DFO has said Lennox Island community members are approved for only 1,000 traps, and that officers may take "enforcement action" against those fishing without a licence or approval. The federal agency said it can also step in to remove traps if lobster stocks are low to prevent overfishing. 'We're not going to fight on the water' Bernard said she hasn't seen any evidence from DFO that stocks are low, and added that the First Nation will take legal action to ensure its 1,500 traps can be set. "The treaty-protected fishery is a symbolic little fishery that has a huge impact on families in my community and I am not going to give that up without a fight, and we're not going to fight on the water," she said. "We're going to fish in peace and friendship, as our treaties say. We will fight this in court." Any number of additional traps, regardless of ownership, have significant negative impacts on the resource. — P.E.I. Fishermen's Association In a statement, the P.E.I. Fishermen's Association said it supports DFO's efforts to stop unauthorized fishing in order to protect lobster stocks. "The association has been a long-time supporter of the 'one licence in, one licence out' concept. This simple equation means that no additional traps or effort are allowed in the lobster fishery so that critical sustainability balances are maintained," the statement reads. "Any number of additional traps, regardless of ownership, have significant negative impacts on the resource." In addition to pledging to put all the traps back in the water Wednesday, Bernard is also demanding that DFO officials return all of the ones it confiscated over the weekend. Fisheries and Oceans Canada has not confirmed how many traps it pulled from the water on Sunday.
Toronto Star
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
P.E.I. First Nation says fisheries officers seized 300 Indigenous lobster traps
MALPEQUE BAY - A First Nation in Prince Edward Island says federal fisheries officers seized 300 lobster traps over the weekend belonging to Indigenous fishers. Darlene Bernard, chief of Lennox Island First Nation, says the seizures from Malpeque Bay were shocking because her community has exercised its treaty right to manage the lobster fishery since 2022 without issue.
Winnipeg Free Press
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
P.E.I. First Nation says fisheries officers seized 300 Indigenous lobster traps
MALPEQUE BAY – A First Nation in Prince Edward Island says federal fisheries officers seized 300 lobster traps over the weekend belonging to Indigenous fishers. Darlene Bernard, chief of Lennox Island First Nation, says the seizures from Malpeque Bay were shocking because her community has exercised its treaty right to manage the lobster fishery since 2022 without issue. Bernard says Lennox Island's 15 fishers set out 1,500 traps when the federally regulated lobster fishing season began in late April, the same number as the past few seasons. A spokesperson with Fisheries and Oceans Canada would not confirm the seizures, saying only that Ottawa has authorized 1,000 lobster traps for Lennox Island First Nation fishers for the 2025 season. Spokesperson Dan Bate says the fishers are required to meet licence conditions, and that contravening regulations can be subject to enforcement. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Bernard says the seizures are illegal because they violate a Supreme Court of Canada decision that affirms the right of Indigenous Peoples to earn a moderate livelihood through fishing. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2025.
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
P.E.I. First Nation says fisheries officers seized 300 Indigenous lobster traps
MALPEQUE BAY — A First Nation in Prince Edward Island says federal fisheries officers seized 300 lobster traps over the weekend belonging to Indigenous fishers. Darlene Bernard, chief of Lennox Island First Nation, says the seizures from Malpeque Bay were shocking because her community has exercised its treaty right to manage the lobster fishery since 2022 without issue. Bernard says Lennox Island's 15 fishers set out 1,500 traps when the federally regulated lobster fishing season began in late April, the same number as the past few seasons. A spokesperson with Fisheries and Oceans Canada would not confirm the seizures, saying only that Ottawa has authorized 1,000 lobster traps for Lennox Island First Nation fishers for the 2025 season. Spokesperson Dan Bate says the fishers are required to meet licence conditions, and that contravening regulations can be subject to enforcement. Bernard says the seizures are illegal because they violate a Supreme Court of Canada decision that affirms the right of Indigenous Peoples to earn a moderate livelihood through fishing. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2025. The Canadian Press Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
CBC
19-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Lennox Island says it will defend treaty rights after DFO seizes lobster traps
Social Sharing Lennox Island First Nation is calling out what it describes as "aggressive enforcement" by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans after lobster traps were seized from its treaty-protected fishery in Malpeque, P.E.I., and Alberton, P.E.I., on Sunday. In a news release, Chief Darlene Bernard said the traps were part of a self-governed moderate livelihood fishery launched in 2022 and operated under a management plan created by the community. The Mi'kmaq have a right to fish for a "moderate livelihood" outside the commercial fishery regulated by the federal government. That's a right that was reaffirmed by the Supreme Court of Canada's Marshall decision in 1999. According to the release, the number of traps used this year as part of the treaty-protected fishery matched those in the previous season, which had proceeded without incident. "This is a constitutional treaty right — not a privilege, not a negotiation, and not something Canada gets to control," Bernard was quoted as saying in the release. "Our treaty-protected fishery follows a community-developed plan that aligns with conservation priorities and voluntarily mirrors DFO regulations. "DFO's actions are a blatant violation of our rights, and we will not tolerate this kind of intimidation. It is a modest fishery that we launched on principle and it has run successfully and safely for three years now." The chief is now demanding the return of the seized traps and is calling on DFO to return to "meaningful, rights-based dialogue." "If Canada is serious about reconciliation, it must stop criminalizing Mi'kmaw rights and start supporting them. We will defend our treaty rights by any and all peaceful means necessary — in the courts, in the media, and on the water," Bernard said. The release does not specify how many traps were seized on Sunday. A spokesperson for the First Nation told CBC News Monday that more traps will be set on Tuesday. The situation under investigation, says DFO In a statement to CBC News, DFO said it authorized Lennox Island community members to use up to 1,000 lobster traps in Lobster Fishing Area 24 during the 2025 spring commercial season under a one-year authorization. The season opened April 25 and runs until June 25. The department said fishing without a licence or in contravention of the Fisheries Act and regulations "may be subject to enforcement action." The department said enforcement officers may take a progressive approach, including education, warnings or charges. "Authorized community members in Lennox Island are required to meet licence conditions including the use of DFO tags. The situation at Malpeque and Alberton in Prince Edward Island is under DFO's Conservation and Protection investigation," the statement reads. It said fishery officers will continue patrols "to ensure compliance and promote a peaceful and orderly fishery." 'This is about more than traps or lobster,' says chief According to the Lennox Island release, the First Nation had met with DFO in good faith, including recent meetings to present its 2025 treaty protected fishery management plan, which voluntarily follows DFO regulations. "Yet, DFO continues to sideline those efforts and impose unilateral decisions rooted in political and policy decisions and the narrow interpretation of the Fisheries Act," it said. The release said Lennox Island's treaty fishery has created opportunities for Mi'kmaw youth and new harvesters, as well as helped relieve pressure on the community's oversubscribed commercial licences. "This is about more than traps or lobster — this is about our right to self-determination, economic justice, and the survival of our way of life," said Bernard. "We are not backing down. Our fishers are out there with the full support of our nation and our ancestors behind them."
