Liberals call on province to up enforcement of illegal fish buying

Liberal MLA Ronnie LeBlanc says the people he represents in Clare along Nova Scotia's French Shore are growing more and more concerned about the violence and illegal lobster fishing they're seeing in their community — and the lack of action by the provincial and federal governments to do anything about it.

LeBlanc was a fisherman before he entered provincial politics. He said people in the Saulnierville area with boats tied up awaiting the start of the commercial season in November are worried about the safety of their vessels and what could happen to stocks if thousands of pounds of unauthorized lobster continue to be removed from the water without oversight.

"They're feeling that it's turning into a lawless place because nobody's on the ground," he told reporters at Province House on Friday.

Things have escalated in recent weeks. Some federal fisheries officers have refused to work due to safety concerns. Politicians and others are also linking the illegal fishing with a rash of violence that includes shootings and arson in the area, although RCMP have not made that connection so far.

More focus on buyers

LeBlanc said people are seeing a level of illegal fishing they've never seen before.

"I'm hearing it's expanding to other areas because, obviously, when there's no enforcement there's more opportunity," he said.

Meanwhile, LeBlanc's party is calling on the provincial government, which is responsible for regulating fish buyers and processors, to do more to stop illegal activity on land.

"You don't have lobster that are illegally caught if there's not a place to illegally sell them," Nova Scotia Liberal Leader Zach Churchill told reporters.

He said the lack of charges against commercial buyers, seizures at holding pounds or cancellation of licences leads him to question the level of effort the province is putting into the matter.

Provincial Fisheries Minister Kent Smith and Justice Minister Barb Adams have both written to the federal government in recent weeks calling for more support for the area to deal with the issue.

Smith told reporters on Friday that he's also sent two letters to all buyers and processors reminding them about their respective licence conditions when it comes to buying or possessing illegally obtained product.

The minister said provincial Natural Resources conservation officers have been instructed to increase enforcement efforts and "get into plants more frequently."

"That has happened," he said. "I can't go into detail on what we've found so far."

Smith said he hears anecdotally that some buyers are not following the rules. He said his department has also asked the Canada Border Services Agency to increase checks at the border of trucks headed to the United States.

Province lacks capacity

As for stopping trucks before they reach that point, Smith said that would depend on whether there are reports of suspicious activity on specific trucks.

"That would involve help from the public calling Crime Stoppers and reporting suspected criminal activity," he said.

Colin Sproul, president of the United Fisheries Conservation Alliance, said he was pleased with the recent efforts by provincial government officials to draw attention to the issue with their federal counterparts.

But Sproul said the province also has a responsibility to conduct investigations, seize illegal lobster, shut down operations and terminate licences of people not following the rules.

"And nothing of that sort has happened under the [Premier Tim] Houston government," he said in an interview.

Sproul said the province lacks the will and capacity to deal with the situation after successive governments have failed to maintain and boost the number of enforcement officers.

'She has my phone number'

For his part, the premier released a letter on Friday that he sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau calling on him to direct federal Fisheries Minister Diane LeBouthillier to take the issue more seriously and increase enforcement on the water.

"Your government has been warned for years about the risks of illegal activities in the fisheries sector and has not acted," Houston says in the letter.

"In my mind, it is simple: prioritize enforcement or put our communities at risk while threatening the sustainability of our province's most valuable resources."

Churchill said he's raised the issue with both Trudeau and staff for LeBouthillier. He was blunt in his assessment of how his federal cousins have handled the issue and said it's cost the party seats in recent elections.

"The federal minister currently does not understand what's happening on the ground and has not done her part to ensure her enforcement officers are empowered to do their job on the water."

Smith, meanwhile, said he's still not received a response to his letter from last month to LeBouthillier.

"She has my phone number. This is incredibly serious. She was here in the province at the end of August after I sent the letter and still refused to meet with us."

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