DFO Lobster Marking Operation Leads to Four Arrests in Atlantic Canada
Fisheries and Oceans Canada arrested four individuals for Fisheries Act violations after a lobster marking operation revealed illegal sales of Food, Social, and Ceremonial lobsters in New Brunswick and Quebec.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has implemented a lobster marking operation in southwestern Nova Scotia designed to prevent the illegal sale of Food, Social, and Ceremonial (FSC) lobsters. The initiative involves etching small marks on the tail fins of FSC lobsters to distinguish them from commercial stock.
In early September, DFO made four arrests related to violations of the Fisheries Act. On Sept. 12, fishery officers arrested one individual in Moncton, N.B., following a surveillance operation. During this arrest, officers seized 5,800 pounds of lobster, including 153 lobsters that had been etched in St. Mary’s Bay as part of the FSC marking program. More than 4,000 live lobsters were returned to the ocean following the seizure in Moncton.
Other enforcement actions took place earlier in the month. On Sept. 10, officers arrested one individual near Lake George, N.B., seizing a van and 3,186 pounds of lobster. On Sept. 9, officers seized about 3,000 pounds of lobster at a processing facility in the Gaspé Peninsula, Que., arresting two individuals. All seized live lobsters were returned to the ocean.
All arrests were for violations under the Fisheries Act, and investigations are ongoing. As of late September, no commercial inshore lobster fisheries were open in DFO’s Maritimes Region.