Fishing industry reps walked out of a meeting with DFO in Halifax.
It happened Tuesday morning after the Maritimes Lobster Advisory Committee requested a discussion on illegal fishing in the Maritimes.
DFO officials didn’t change the agenda, prompting the industry leaders to protest the meeting.
Dan Fleck with the Brazil Rock LFA 33/34 association says there was a smaller meeting between the two sides later in the day.
“We heard many of the same company lines. We’ll see if anything changes. The lobster fishery is the most important industry in Nova Scotia, and it deserves proper management,” said Fleck.
In a release, industry reps say they are ready to return to the table with advice on management of the lobster fishery.
But they say the discussion has to start with a plan to end black market, out of season fishing.
This comes after Federal minister Diane Lebouthillier wrote to provincial minister Kent Smith, saying Nova Scotia needs to regulate or eliminate cash transactions in the fishery.
Smith has been calling for more enforcement on the water from the feds.
Fleck says Lebouthillier’s response was improper.
“Way off the mark. Missed what Minister Smith had requested. Our opinion is that if you deal with this problem on the water, you won’t have a problem on shore.”
Illegal fishing has been a problem in St. Mary’s Bay, Digby County.
Minister Smith, the industry and Conservative MPs have expressed their frustrations with what they feel is a lack of action from DFO on the issue.
They say it’s led to crime in the Clare area.
DFO have maintained they are providing enforcement on the water, and are making arrests and seizures.
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