DFO Lobster Marking Tool Leads to Four Arrests in Illegal FSC Trade Crackdown
Fisheries and Oceans Canada used a new tail-fin etching tool to identify illegally traded Food, Social, and Ceremonial lobsters, resulting in four arrests across New Brunswick and Quebec in early September and the seizure of thousands of pounds of lobster.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has deployed a new enforcement tool involving small etchings on the tail fins of Food, Social, and Ceremonial (FSC) lobsters to prevent them from entering the commercial market. The initiative led to four arrests in early September across New Brunswick and Quebec, along with the seizure of thousands of pounds of lobster.
First Nations holding DFO-issued licences are permitted to harvest lobster for FSC purposes outside the commercial season. However, these lobsters cannot be bought or sold. As of late September, no commercial inshore lobster fisheries were open in DFO’s Maritimes Region.
On Sept. 12, fishery officers arrested one individual in Moncton, N.B., following a surveillance operation linked to a fish buyer. During the inspection, officers seized 5,800 pounds of lobster, including 153 lobsters bearing etchings applied in St. Mary’s Bay in southwestern Nova Scotia. More than 4,000 of the lobsters seized during the Sept. 12 operation were returned live to the ocean.
Two days earlier, 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 lobsters seized during the Sept. 9 and Sept. 10 incidents were released live back into the ocean.
The arrests resulted in charges under the Fisheries Act for the illegal purchase and sale of FSC lobsters. DFO stated that the marking operation is intended to disrupt illegal commercial markets for FSC lobsters, protect the integrity of First Nations FSC fisheries, and conserve lobster stocks.
Anyone with information regarding illegal fishing activity can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.