Minister defends new lobster regulations
MONCTON, N.B. • The federal fisheries minister made his case Friday to lobster fishermen that rules aimed at protecting the endangered right whale should remain — with the alternative being a “disastrous” loss of access to the American market.
Representatives of lobster harvesters met with Dominic LeBlanc in New Brunswick to argue some of the newly imposed fishing restrictions make no sense and could have a devastating impact on their lucrative industry.
Carl Allen of the Maritime Fishermen’s Union had said his members are worried the strict measures will result in significantly lower catches if certain areas are closed due to the presence of the imperilled whales.
The union asked for the emergency meeting with LeBlanc just ahead of Monday’s season opening.
After the meeting, Le- Blanc emerged to say the restrictions on fishing near whales are essential as there’s a risk American agencies might restrict Canadian access to vital U.S. markets if they’re changed.
“There is a building pressure in the United States and globally to look at the sustainability in the Canadian fishery in light of the death of North Atlantic right whales last year,” the minister said.
“I cannot as federal fisheries minister … make decisions that would be insensitive to that.”
“I don’t have to wait for somebody to tell me, ‘Guess what on a certain date you’ve lost access to the U.S. market,’ to take every measure that I can to prevent that disastrous moment from coming, and that’s exactly what these measures are.”
Asked by reporters about who in the United States is suggesting trade restrictions, LeBlanc said members of Congress have been writing to U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.
He said they’re arguing that provisions of the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act — which sets rules protecting marine life — should be enacted in Canada sooner than an originally envisioned 2020 deadline.
“There is a movement in the United States at the highest level of the American government to look at how and when the law should apply,” he said.
Allen of the Maritime Fishermen’s Union was not available for comment after the meeting.
However, he said beforehand that his group was concerned about the impact on their livelihoods if they lose up to three weeks of a two-month fishing season due to the whales.
“How do you make that up?” he asked. “Everyone’s on edge, everyone’s anxious.”
The group had been hoping to convince the minister to alter new rules around how the fishery will be conducted in an area known to be a right whale feeding area.
The new measures announced Tuesday by the Fisheries Department include possible closures, restrictions on the amount of rope used and mandatory reporting of lost gear and whale sightings.