Nova Scotia MP questions Chinese 'control' over lobster industry

A Nova Scotia member of Parliament is raising concerns about growing Chinese "influence and control" on the province's lobster industry supply chain, especially at Halifax Stanfield International Airport.

The Halifax International Airport Authority denied the claim. And a major Chinese seafood exporter — whose influence is being questioned — called it "kind of racist."

"My concern overall is the growing influence of China and the control of our lobster industry itself and that's throughout the supply chain," said Rick Perkins, the Conservative MP for South Shore-St. Margarets, where lobster fishing is a cornerstone of the economy.

"They're doing it through the back door what they couldn't do through the front door, which was basically [to] own the actual fishing licences. They can't do that, so they're trying to control the buying and the export at the airport," said Perkins.

Perkins raised the issue recently at a parliamentary committee looking into foreign ownership and corporate concentration of commercial fishing in Canada.

"What about China? I know, for example, on the South Shore, I'm seeing China buy our buyers. What's the impact of that? I also understand they control the freight forwarder at the Halifax airport," Perkins asked Colin Sproul, an inshore fishermen's representative appearing before the committee.

"I'm really happy to hear you raise that issue. I think that's one of the most important things that the government can do is ensure national Canadian control of our logistics chain within the country," Sproul responded.

Perkins said "non-China owned lobster buyers" in southwest Nova Scotia are forced to truck lobster to airports in Moncton and New York "because of foreign control of the live seafood terminal at Halifax."

Perkins is referring to First Catch, the Chinese export company that spent $9 million on its own lobster handling facilities at Halifax airport's new Air Cargo Logistics Park, where it is an anchor tenant with a 25-year lease.

Under federal law, only Canadian independent owner-operator fishermen are allowed to harvest lobster. But there are no foreign ownership restrictions on the sale of existing onshore plants, although there is a moratorium issuing new shellfish buyer and processing licences.

Lister Li, president of First Catch, told CBC News she understands "people will be nervous," but says fears of Chinese control are unfair, saying no-one questions U.S. ownership of lobster businesses.

"I think because, recently, there's a lot of Chinese people buying plants and then trying to get into this industry," she said. "But by Chinese, I think those people are just Asian. Then maybe Canadian. Maybe they have a Canadian passport. Maybe they grew up here. It's kind of racist."

First Catch also charters flights to China and has an interest in a cargo-handling company, Summit Ground Services.

"It's not a fact. We don't control all the lobster handling in Halifax. We only do what we are shipping out," said Li.