Lobster pots in Shelburne County, NS. Photo: CKBW Files.
The United Fisheries Conservation Alliance has released the responses they received from the three major political parties in Nova Scotia to questions over the province’s fisheries.
Earlier this month the UFCA asked about their positions on conservation, enforcement, and regulatory issues pertaining to potential agreements for moderate livelihood fisheries.
According to the UFCA they asked the three parties about three major concerns;
- The potential effects on the conservation of stocks in the face of excessive localized fishing pressure introduced by unregulated moderate livelihood fisheries;
- Upholding the science-based rules and regulations established by DFO for all fishers to ensure conservation and proper management of our fisheries for future generations; and
- Enforcement of provincial rules related to the buying, processing, or selling of fish caught in unregulated moderate livelihood fisheries.
UFCA President Colin Sproule says both the PCs and Liberals agreed that the province has an obligation to prohibit the processing and sale of catches made out of season.
“On March 3, the Fisheries Minister (Bernadette Jordan) made it abundantly clear that there cannot be commercial fisheries operating outside of commercial seasons,” Sproule said. “The Marshall clarification made it clear the Minister does have the authority to enforce that and it puts the ownness on her and her department,”.
Explaining what the role of the province is in relation to fisheries Sproule says the province is responsible for handling the regulations on processing and sales.
Sproule says to be able to buy catches in Nova Scotia you need to buy from someone with a valid commercial license but the NDP didn’t respond with a hard-line stance refuting that.
“We saw some commitment from the NDP to violate that clear delineation between federal and provincial authority, which was alarming to us.”
Sproule went on to explain what he says as the province’s role, “What it looks like in my opinion is a fulsome commitment to enforcement in Nova Scotia,”. “The Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture and the Department of Environment are responsible for the enforcement of rules surrounding the processing and sale of fish in Nova Scotia and they are both woefully understaffed,”.
The UFCA would like to see the next provincial government committed to increasing funding to those departments. They also say they need to clarify that the role of the provinces is not regulation of harvesting.
The UFCA summarized the responses they received from the three major parties;
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party of Nova Scotia believes that all decisions must be made on science-based rules as regulated by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and that any unregulated fishery could have a harmful effect on the conservation of stock. They acknowledge there is room for improvement in enforcement of illegal fish processing, buying and selling, and will continue to engage with stakeholders to increase enforcement efforts.
Progressive Conservative Party
The PC Party of Nova Scotia is committed to upholding current regulations that prohibit the processing of unlicensed, unregulated and out-of-season harvests. The PC’s believe fishery policy must have conservation at its core, but that it falls on the federal government to provide clear and immediate guidance on how a moderate livelihood fishery can operate within a conservation framework.
New Democratic Party
The NS NDP will urge the federal government to resolve this question by listening to all interests and dealing nation-to-nation with the Mi’kmaw to reach an effective resolution. If the federal government leaves the right to a moderate livelihood up in the air, an NDP government will be obligated to consider how it can recognize that right within provincial jurisdiction if a Mi’kmaw regulated moderate livelihood fishery were to take place.
