Canada’s lobster fishers are feeling the pinch due to illegal harvesting.
Driving the news: A group of lobster fishers is demanding the resignation of Canada’s Minister of Fisheries and Oceans after accusing her department of failing to fight illegal lobster fishing during the off-season, allowing organized crime groups to overrun the waters.
- Crabby crustacean mongers claim that unlicensed fishers are coming in from American waters to poach lobsters, reeling in thousands of pounds per night.
Catch-up: Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston has called on the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to step up enforcement and — like a scene out of a Maritimes Sopranos remake — linked a recent rise in arsons and violence in the province to the illegal fishers.
Why it matters: Illegal fishing hurts the lucrative lobster industry by depleting lobster populations and leading to smaller catches, which some fishers have already reported. It could also cause reputational damage by letting subpar Canadian lobster hit the market.
Big picture: A similar scenario played out in Canada's baby eel harvesting industry. After eel exports in 2022 were four times higher than the legal national catch limit, the DFO responded with a new tracking system and has made several contraband eel busts.—QH