September 18, 2024 — Canada’s commercial lobstermen continue to express frustrations following a legal suit and further illegal fishing in southern New Brunswick. With the lack of federal fisheries officers patrolling areas, lobster poaching will not slow in the near future. Commercial fishermen fear that without more officers enforcing the Fisheries Act, which manages Canadian fisheries’ resources and regulates them, come the November lobster season, there will be nothing left to catch.
Local lobster harvesters are preparing to take matters into their own hands, patrolling the waters and removing illegal gear, a move that could potentially lead to confrontations with poachers, Amanda Johnson, executive director of the Fundy North Fishermen’s Association, told Telegraph Journal. This organization represents 150 lobster fishermen stretching from St. Stephen to Alma.