Tag Archives: P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association (PEIFA)
![](https://fisherynation.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/gear-modification-pei-right-whale.jpg)
P.E.I. lobster fishermen want exemption from new gear rule aimed at protecting whales
Island lobster fishermen should be be exempt from using gear designed to break free in the event of a whale entanglement, according to the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association (PEIFA). The PEIFA wrote a letter to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to request lobster fishermen be exempt from new rules, which are expected to become mandatory by the end of 2022. The group says sighting data shows the endangered North Atlantic right whale is rarely in P.E.I. lobster fishing grounds. >click to read< 10:46
![](https://fisherynation.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Tignish-fisherman-Kenneth-LeClair.jpg)
Coronavirus: Some P.E.I. fishermen dismayed by delay to season, others relieved with May 15 start date
At a time when Ottawa is spending billions to help people make ends meet, some Island fishermen are taking a different tack. They want permission to fend for themselves and go fishing. “We just want to try to make enough money to get by. That’s all we want to do,” said Tignish fisherman Kenneth LeClair.,, Other fishermen, though, are relieved by the two-week delay. “The majority of people are relatively pleased,” said Gerard Holland, who fishes at North Lake. “Some is not pleased at all and in fairness to them, they need to be heard too, but the biggest concern most of us had was to make sure that everyone had a buyer, so the later we went, the better the chances of the market improving.” >click to read< 08:27