Tag Archives: Lobster dispute

Nova Scotia lobster dispute. New year, new dispute

A Supreme Court ruling noted that Indigenous peoples have an inherent right to hunt and fish to earn a “moderate living” although what that phrase meant was never determined. In Nova Scotia, Indigenous groups have said the ruling means they can fish whenever they want. Commercial fishers say the established limited seasons must be respected for conservation reasons and are angered at the out of season fishing by Indigenous groups. Often not mentioned is the addition to the Supreme Court ruling which noted that the Indigenous rights were not absolute and limitations could be made for conservation needs and other limited “compelling and substantial public objectives”. >click to read< 07:38

Lobster dispute is the culmination of government inaction

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: “There remains no more important relationship to me and to Canada than the one with Indigenous peoples.”,,, Imagine the thrilling new drama, Lobster Trap, inspired by real events and probably starring Colm Feore as the determined but nice RCMP inspector, uncovering plots at the Digby Legion and facing down Lefty, the powerful Nova Scotia lobster mobster whose left hand is twice as big as his right. There is the wise and wily Mi’kmaq chief. There is Margaret, the love interest, who manages the day shift at Tim Hortons while rocking her hairnet. The intrigue builds to a dangerous but delicious lobster boil. By Monte Solberg, >click to read< 12:33

The historic ups and downs of the Acadian-Mi’kmaq relationship

Mi’kmaq fishermen, emboldened by a decades-old Supreme Court of Canada ruling affirming their treaty right to hunt, fish and gather in pursuit of a moderate livelihood, spent another day trying to drop their lobster traps in the waters there. Pitted against them were non-indigenous fishers who claim that the natives are threatening the local lobster fishery’s sustainability, and who have been making their point by cutting First Nation traps, and trying to pressure buyers not to purchase their harvest. Once again, the federal government stood mutely by, unwilling to clarify the question of what constitutes a “moderate livelihood” fishery, and then, by omission, further fuelling a situation that looks like it could turn violent at any moment. It sounds, therefore, strangely like the scene I encountered 21 years ago in Burnt Church, N.B. >click to read< 17:38

Nova Scotia Commercial fishermen turn focus to alleged buyer in Mi’kmaw lobster dispute

Commercial fishermen in southwestern Nova Scotia say they are taking a different approach on Monday in the dispute around the new self-regulated lobster fishery launched by Sipekne’katik First Nation. After several days of hauling in traps belonging to the Mi’kmaw fishers, the commercial fishermen now say they are turning their attention toward those who they believe are buying Mi’kmaw-harvested lobster. “It’s with the federal government and it’s with people from within our own community who are facilitating the buying of illegal fishery products.” A large crowd gathered in protest Monday morning in front of an alleged buyer’s home in the community of Comeauville. >click to read< 13:49

Chinese tabloid blasts Canada over lobster dispute

Communist Party media in China rebuked and threatened Nova Scotia lobster shippers this week for expressing concerns over new roadblocks to getting products into China. The party tabloid Global Times says recent border measures are about food safety after a COVID-19 outbreak was linked to a Beijing food market, “rather than an excuse to target any specific country.” “It’s Canada’s choice to export to China, and Canada needs to abide by Chinese regulations, which may be adjusted when necessary in accordance with the COVID-19 situation,” Bai Ming, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Co-operation, >click to read< 09:28

Turf War: Cooler heads need to prevail in Lobster disputes

One thing’s for certain — things need to calm down, and soon, in an escalating dispute between two area families that’s already resulted in charges being laid for assault causing bodily harm, mischief causing danger to life (after a ramming at sea) and uttering threats. There have also been allegations of an attempted ramming and anonymous telephoned death threats. A DFO vessel and the coast guard were off Ecum Secum on Thursday in response to “civil disobedience and local unrest,” a DFO spokesman said. No trouble was reported that day.  >click to read<12:01

Lobster dispute boils over in Guysborough County

“Somebody’s going to be killed,” Austin Chambers hollered at the Mountie, pounding his fist into an open hand. The officer from the Sherbrooke detachment had been waiting on one of Ecum Secum’s wharves Wednesday afternoon to speak to Chambers about an escalating feud over lobster grounds between two sets of fishermen. Chambers arrived at the wharf in a rage, with lobster to unload and a story to tell. “He came right at us, would have split us right in two,” said Chambers. Meanwhile, at a wharf four kilometres away in Marie Joseph, Eric Pace had a different version of what transpired earlier Wednesday on the lobster grounds off Ecum Secum. >click to read<10:20