Lennox Island First Nation hoping for more access to lobster fishery

The Lennox Island First Nation wharf is busy these days, in the band's third year of treaty fishing for lobster, but Chief Darlene Bernard would like to see it busier. 

Though there has been a commercial fishery based in the community off P.E.I's North Shore for decades, Bernard said the newly exercised right to harvest lobster under treaties signed long ago means about 10 young families are better able to pay their bills. 

With a waiting list of about the same number of people who would like to take part in the fishery, Bernard wants to see more commercial licences made available for Lennox Island through a Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) purchase program. 

"We need to have an equitable share of the bounty of the resources in this province moving forward," she said. 

"What I want is increased capacity within the commercial fishery," Bernard said, pointing out that the First Nation still has the same number of commercial licences that it had 20 years ago despite repeated acknowledgements that the Mi'kmaq fished these waters for untold generations. 

She is critical of DFO on this front, saying the federal department recently bought out three commercial licences and retired them.

"Why did they not hand those over to the First Nations?" she said, saying she does not feel that would endanger the lobster stock in the area.

"They know we're looking for increased access in the commercial fishery… We need it." 

A recent report on lobster stocks in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence said stocks were in a healthy zone. Based on landing studies, the research referred to indicators that commercial-sized lobster have increased in abundance.

In response to a CBC News request for information, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans sent an emails saying "discussions on a treaty-protected lobster fishery for the 2024 season are ongoing."

Another part of the email had this to say: "The Government of Canada will continue to work in partnership with First Nations to further implement their right to fish in pursuit of a moderate livelihood. This will be guided by three key principles: the conservation and sustainability of fish stocks, further implementation of treaty rights, and transparent and stable management of the fishery."

The P.E.I. Fishermen's Association holds the position that commercial licences bought by DFO should be retired to ease any extra pressure on lobster stocks coming from extra traps set in the treaty fishery. 

"The PEIFA is a strong supporter of the concept that lobster traps not be added to an area and access be obtained by purchasing licences (one licence in and one licence out)," the association said in an email. 

"We are pleased that DFO was successful in purchasing three licences in LFA 24 to meet most of the requirements for the Lennox Island First Nation to continue to fish in pursuit of a moderate livelihood in 2024."