N.S. company goes to court over federal closure of lucrative eel fishery
Global News
The federal Fisheries Department closed the elver fishery in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick for 45 days last weekend to conserve the stock from poachers.
A Nova Scotia company is seeking to have a court overturn the recent federal decision to close the lucrative eel fishery in the Maritimes.
The federal Fisheries Department closed the elver fishery in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick for 45 days last weekend to conserve the stock from poachers.
In response, Wine Harbour Fisheries asked the Federal Court of Canada on Wednesday to review the decision by federal Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray.
Michel Samson, the company’s lawyer, said in an interview Thursday that his client doesn’t believe the minister’s decision was reasonable.
“We believe there were alternatives, whether it be not issuing the order in the first place or issuing an area-specific order rather than closing down the entire commercial fishery,” Samson said.
He called the closure “arbitrary” and said the move has had a “devastating impact” on his client and its workers. Wine Harbour Fisheries was only able to land 33 kilograms of a quota of 1,032 kilograms before the closure went into effect, he said.
The Fisheries Department has said the closure was necessary following complaints about violence and intimidation linked to poaching.
In the court application, Wine Harbour Fisheries maintains that it and other licence holders tried many times to persuade the department to take enforcement steps to deal with conflict on the rivers.
