a day ago
Some fishing groups say relationship with DFO is heading in positive direction
The heads of two Nova Scotia fishing groups say there are signs that the often-contentious relationship between the industry and the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans is now heading in a promising direction.
In Nova Scotia, a perceived lack of enforcement over unlicensed fishing in the baby eel fishery has been one of the sources of that contention, as well as illegal lobster fishing in the southwestern part of the province.
Colin Sproul, president of the Unified Fisheries Conservation Alliance, said he believes there's a "course correction" happening with the federal department.
"I think that each time a new minister has been appointed, there's been a hope that they would set a new direction on this issue and the department, but I feel like this time we've seen some evidence that that's the way it's going," he said. "And I've heard that from some of my colleagues as well."
One of the things Sproul pointed to was increased enforcement in the baby eel fishery on Nova Scotia's South Shore. He said this has included more arrests and seizing more vehicles and juvenile eels, known as elvers, this year.
The valuable eels have fetched up to $5,000 per kilogram in recent years, before being shipped off to Asia where they are grown to adulthood for food. Their value has made them attractive to illegal fishers.
According to DFO's website, fishery officers have carried out 1,074 riverside inspections, 144 inspections at holding facilities and 295 inspections at airports in the 2025 season.
"It's one more indication to me that a new prime minister and a new minister of fisheries are taking the extreme dangers to Nova Scotia's resources seriously," said Sproul.
Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson was appointed to the position in mid-March, shortly before Prime Minister Mark Carney called a federal election. She retained the position post-election.
Sproul also applauded DFO removing unauthorized traps from Malpeque Bay, P.E.I., in late May and June. Lennox Island First Nation says those traps belong to its moderate livelihood fishery.
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.
And while a subsequent clarification, known as Marshall II, said the government can regulate a resource in certain circumstances, it has been up to Ottawa, in consultation with First Nations, to establish what constitutes a moderate livelihood. That has not happened.
Lennox Island First Nation set 1,500 moderate livelihood lobster traps this year — 100 traps each for 15 fishermen from the community — but DFO has said it approved only up to 1,000.
Sproul said the Unified Fisheries Conservation Alliance respects and supports treaty rights, but believes the fisheries minister has sole regulatory authority.
The minister was recently in Nova Scotia. According to an email from DFO, Thompson visited Cape Breton from June 6 to 8 to attend the Canadian Coast Guard College graduation ceremony, visited a local search and rescue station and met with stakeholders in the fishing industry. It's unclear how many meetings were held and with what groups.
Dan Fleck, executive director of the Brazil Rock 33/34 Lobster Association, did not attend any of these meetings. He said there appears to be more willingness from the federal government to listen and learn.
"It's nice to be listened to, it's nice to be heard," he said.
Fleck said he's been pleased with the enforcement actions against the illegal elver and lobster fishing industries.
"We're seeing some positive signs that those are going to be addressed," he said.
