comparemela.com

Latest Breaking News On - Unified fisheries conservation alliance - Page 11 : comparemela.com

Sipekne katik to request UN help in anticipation of N S lobster fishing conflicts

Share Mi kmaq lobster fisher Avery Basque, from Potlotek First Nation, prepares to tie up to the wharf upon returning from hauling traps on a lobster boat captained by his father, Michael Basque. Concern about the possibility of further violent protests by commercial lobster harvesters has prompted Sipekne’katik First Nation to explore precautionary safety measures as it gets ready to open its own fishery. Photo: Darren Calabrese / The Narwhal After a violent clash over lobster fishing on Canada’s east coast last year, a First Nations Chief says he will request United Nations peacekeepers to keep his people safe on the water this summer – predicting tensions will reach a boiling point.

Indigenous chief to request UN peacekeepers to prevent lobster fight boiling over

The conflict was a microcosm of a larger trend of Indigenous communities attempting to uphold their historic rights to manage, harvest and sell fish in Canada. Sipekne’katik chief Mike Sack said his First Nation is moving forward with plans to again open a self-regulated lobster fishery in Nova Scotia this June in defiance of the commercial season enforced by Canada’s fisheries department. “We’re going to send a letter off to the United Nations and hope that they can come and keep the peace … and just ensure that our people are not mistreated,” Sack said during a press conference last week.

Sipekne katik First Nation Plans Summer Lobster Fishery

Chief Mike Sack of the Sipekne’katik First Nation. The Sipekne’katik First Nation is moving ahead with another ‘moderate livelihood’ lobster fishery in St. Mary’s Bay this summer. In a release last week, Chief Mike Sack says the season would run from June 1st to December 15th, with a break from mid-July to early September. The break would be for the Dalhousie Marine Affairs Program to conduct a conservation study. Chief Sack says the band will return their nine LFA 34 licenses to the federal government, which he says limits employment in the fishery to 20-25 people. “If we were to re-arrange those and stay within the same amount of traps and just fish at a different time of year that our smaller boats can utilize, we could have up to 200 people working a year. It’s much better for our community.”

© 2025 Vimarsana

vimarsana © 2020. All Rights Reserved.