Tag Archives: fishing out of season

‘We tried it your way, it didn’t work’: First Nation calls on Ottawa to end fisheries dispute

Catching and selling lobster during the fall season is how some Mi’kmaw fishermen of Potlotek First Nation make a living. Craig Doucette and a few others from Potlotek have been fishing in the St. Peter’s Bay area of Nova Scotia since the beginning of October. Doucette says he is fishing under his inherent Treaty Right to fish, hunt and gather in pursuit of a moderate livelihood, with those rights upheld by a Supreme Court ruling. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) sees what Doucette is doing as illegal because he is fishing out of season and will affect lobster conservation. >click to read< 09:51

As lobster population booms off Canada, tensions rise between Indigenous and commercial fishermen

Under the close watch of federal officers on surrounding patrol vessels, Robert Sack navigated his old boat toward his clandestine traps in the cold waters that his people have fished for centuries, expecting to be arrested at any moment.,, Each trap had a special tag belonging to their band of the Indigenous Mi’kmaw people, who insist that a 269-year-old treaty grants them the right to fish when and how they want. But the government has rejected their assertion, and officers have seized their traps, confiscated their boats, and even arrested some of their fishermen. >click to read< 07>14

Shrimp Task Force discusses penalties for fishing out of season

State officials and district attorneys continue to hammer out stricter penalties for shrimpers. At its meeting today in Houma, the Louisiana Shrimp Task Force continued discussions on its plans to get legislation passed to strengthen the penalties for violators. Currently, shrimpers face fines, revocation of gear licenses, community service and potential jail time if accused of multiple violations. Officials said the issue with the current penalties is that an owner of a vessel with multiple violations can use another licensed captain who does not have violations out on the same boat. Read the rest here 10:58