Atlantic Canada Seafood
6349 Highway 3 B0W 2EO Halifax, NS, Canada

MIDDLE WEST PUBNICO, N.S. -- On Oct. 13, Mi’kmaw fisher Jason Marr brought his catch to a lobster pound in Middle West Pubnico and a mob of commercial fishers formed outside. "I got myself barricaded in the lobster pound here," Marr said. Rocks were hurled, a vehicle was set on fire, and the building was raided.... Commercial fishers were upset that the Mi'kmaq fishers were setting lobster traps outside of the commercial lobster fishing season. They called on DFO stop them and some took matters into their own hands. RCMP now say 21 people have been arrested. "Hopefully charges come through for that," said Mike Sack the Chief of Sipekne'katik First Nation which was operating a moderate livelihood fishery at the time. "I’d like to see a lot more. You know there was hundreds of people at the wharf and at the pound and there just needs to be a lot more people held accountable." After months of talks with DFO over its moderate livelihood plan Sipekne'katik is now walking away from the table. In a letter sent to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Chief sack wrote it's clear "DFO does not have the desire nor the ability to recognize and implement our Constitutional right." "The MOU had DFO wanted to issue the license, which we had a problem with," Sack said. "They wanted to issue 10 which was a problem and they wanted each license to have 50 tags which was also a problem with us." Sack says DFO wanted Sipekne'katik to fish during the commercial season, which includes winter, an option he says isn't possible because his fishers' boats are too small. A few days after the Oct. 13 raid in Middle West Pubnico, the lobster pound burned down. A man who police called a person of interest went to hospital with life threatening injuries. On Friday, the RCMP would not confirm whether that person is still in hospital, but have since released a video of two people seen on surveillance nearby shortly after the fire began. "As of this time we haven’t arrested anybody nor charged anybody in that arson event," said Nova Scotia RCMP spokesman Sgt. Andrew Joyce.

Inshore lobster fishing in Canada's Maritime provinces poses a low risk to critically endangered right whales, according to the latest assessment prepared for the Marine Stewardship Council. The fishery conducted by 5,494 licence holders is nearing the end of a regularly scheduled evaluation to recertify that it is environmentally sustainable. The inshore lobster fleets are on track to keep the blue MSC eco-label for another five years with only one condition: they develo...Continue reading

After hearing Minister Jordan's blank answers at Fisheries and Oceans committee today, it is clear that she has abandoned fishers. Fishing season is imminent a...nd fishers are tired of hearing her repetitive talking points that do not mean anything. We have not learned anything new and we are still stuck with no anwers to our concerns. We need REAL LEADERSHIP from the Minister, not empty words. Stay tuned... PLEASE SHARE. Après avoir entendu les réponses vides de la ministre Jordan au Comité des pêches et des océans aujourd'hui, il est clair qu'elle a abandonné nos pêcheurs. La saison de pêche est imminente et les pêcheurs sont tannés d'entendre ses points de discussion répétitifs qui ne veulent absolument rien dire. Nous n'avons rien appris et sommes toujours sans réponse à nos inquiétudes et avons besoin de VRAI LEADERSHIP de la part de la ministre et non des paroles vides. À suivre... MERCI POUR VOS PARTAGES. Richard Bragdon Mel Arnold, MP Blaine Calkins John Williamson Rob Moore

A FEMALE fisherman has dismissed the BBC’s gender neutral term fisherpeople as a load of pollocks.

For immediate Release - Nov. 18, 2020 Sipekne’katik Announces Treaty Fishery Catch Volume to Date Council approves buyers - Initial sales anticipated in the coming weeks

At a November 12 press conference, Sipekne’katik First Nation Chief Mike Sack announced that his Band was launching hundreds of lawsuits related to the way governments, some commercial fishers, and the RCMP reacted to its launch of its moderate livelihood fishery on September 17, the 21st anniversary of the landmark Marshall decision that affirmed Mi’kmaq Treaty rights to a moderate livelihood fishery. The lawsuits, Sack said, would target the RCMP, the federal Department o...Continue reading

After a month of walking, a female lobster is forced to fight for a breeding pit.

HALIFAX -- Nova Scotia RCMP have arrested 21 people so far in relation to criminal activity by a large group at a southwestern, N.S. lobster pound on Oct. 13, and are asking the public for help in continuing to identify persons of interest. RCMP confirmed that about 200 people were present at two incidents Oct. 13 outside a facility in Middle West Pubnico, N.S., which was storing lobster caught by members of the Sipekne'katik First Nation outside of the federally regulated fi...Continue reading

Meteghan RCMP have laid further charges in relation to the incident at a fish plant on October 14, in New Edinburgh. RCMP have charged 22-year-old, Kristen Sac...k, of Hants County with Assault. She is scheduled to appear in Digby Provincial Court February 15, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. The investigation is ongoing. The Nova Scotia RCMP will continue to take steps to ensure that those who unlawfully interfere with or threaten the safety of any person or property may be held accountable in accordance with the laws of Canada. Anyone with information is asked to contact Meteghan RCMP at 902-645-2326. Should you wish to remain anonymous, call Nova Scotia Crime Stoppers toll free at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), submit a secure web tip at www.crimestoppers.ns.ca, or use the P3 Tips App. File # 20201519160

DID MINISTER JORDAN READ THE ENTIRETY OF THE MARSHALL DECISION JUST LAST NIGHT, AFTER BEING QUESTIONED WHETHER OR NOT SHE HAD READ IT? I invite you to look at t...he exchanges between my colleague Hon. Candice Bergen, MP and Minister Jordan at Question Period earlier today. ********************************************* LA MINISTRE JORDAN A-T-ELLE LU L'INTÉGRALITÉ DE L'ARRÊT MARSHALL JUSTE HIER SOIR, APRÈS AVOIR ÉTÉ QUESTIONNÉE SI ELLE L'A LU OU PAS? Je vous invite à regarder les échanges entre ma collègue, l'hon. Candice Bergen et la ministre Jordan à la période des questions plus tôt aujourd'hui. Conservative Party of Canada - Parti conservateur du Canada

All amounts in Canadian dollars unless otherwise stated Clearwater shareholders to receive $8.25 in cash per Clearwater common share The transaction price represents a premium of 60.2% to Clearwater's average volume-weighted average price for the 20 day period preceding the strategic review announcement on March 5, 2020...Continue reading

The Nova Scotia RCMP has arrested 21 people so far in relation to criminal activity by a large group at a lobster pound in Middle West Pubnico on October 13. Po...lice are continuing to identify those involved while asking for assistance in identifying persons of interest in photos to be shared or anyone else known to be involved the incident. The Nova Scotia RCMP will continue to take steps to ensure that those who unlawfully interfere with or threaten the safety of any person or property be held accountable in accordance with the laws of Canada. If you were involved in the incident or able to identify anyone in the photos, please contact the Yarmouth Rural RCMP Detachment at 902-742-9106. The investigation is ongoing, additional arrests are anticipated. File # 20201516554 Note: Photos are attached

The owner of a Shag Harbour, Nova Scotia, seafood wholesaler is defending himself, and his business, after making a series of controversial Facebook posts about the Nova Scotia lobster dispute. For several weeks, the Facebook page belonging to Atlantic Canada Seafood has been filled with posts supporting the commercial lobster fishermen in Southwestern Nova Scotia, and critical of the Mi’kmaq moderate livelihood fishery which launched in September by the Sipekne’katik First N...Continue reading

The fisheries minister has not read the Marshall decisions. At least, Bernadette Jordan hasn’t read all of the two of them (each is about 10 pages). I have not read it in its entirety, no, replied Bernadette Jordan when asked by Conservative MP Rob Moore on Wednesday whether she’d read the two Supreme Court of Canada decisions....Continue reading

HALIFAX - The chief of the First Nation at the centre of a lobster fishing dispute in Nova Scotia says the federal fisheries minister should resign because she appears unwilling to deal with the band’s challenges. Chief Mike Sack of the Sipekne’katik First Nation said Wednesday he hasn’t heard from Bernadette Jordan for a week, despite his best efforts to set up a meeting with her. If they want to break off talks with us, then we’ll take alternative routes, Sack said in an ...Continue reading

Photo credit: John Guptill

More unreported violence from First Nations as they attempt to make up conservation rules as they go. The government is allowing this to happen by not respondin...g to a Supreme Court ruling stating the government will define and regulate the moderate livelihood fishery. This is a broken treaty agreement as this fishery is unregulated or defined, most of all being fished out of season. First Nations are given 39 pages of million dollar licenses while still choosing to fish out of season. Until this is defined it’s illegal. See more

Sipekne’katik First Nation has stopped nation-to-nation discussions with Ottawa on implementing treaty rights in the moderate livelihood fishery launched in September. Chief Mike Sack says the community is disappointed with the approach taken by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), in a letter sent to fisheries minister Bernadette Jordan on Wednesday. We entered into such discussions with optimism and transparency, eager to collaborate with DFO on the safe and respe...Continue reading

RCMP have charged 74-year-old, Yvon Thibault, of Digby County with two counts of Assault. He is scheduled to appear in Digby Provincial Court February 15, 2021 at 9:30 a.m. Video obtained by commercial fishermen during an out of season fishing protest show Mr. Thibault was in fact assaulted by Kristin Sack after Jolene Marr attempted to run over protesters. CTV News... CBC News Global News Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Nova Scotia Bernadette Jordan

INDIAN BROOK, N.S. A Mi’kmaq First Nation that encountered violence after it opened a self-regulated lobster fishery says it will launch a series of lawsuits against non-Indigenous fishers for alleged damages incurred by its members. The band also intends to file a constitutional challenge against a provincial law that has prevented the band from selling its lobster catch, Ron Pink, the lawyer for Sipekne’katik First Nation, said Thursday. We’re pursuing injuries to indiv...Continue reading

The company will go to ratepayers to recover overspending

Out of season lobster weren’t the only noticeable events in Pubnico today by First Nations, many were under the legal size limit. This is literally an attack on sustainability and the economy itself. Global investments in the lobster industry could be damaged heavily if our districts closed. This lack of respect for precious seeding periods could put a halt on global food supply, businesses such as retail, wholesalers, and the already suffering international restaurant industry could face issues with lacking supply. This isn’t just about fishermen, this industry employees and feeds many throughout the world. We aren’t exactly sure why MSM refuses to publish the truth about this situation but we’ll do our best to provide it. ~ ACS

An industry association representing lobster pounds and processors has declared its opposition to Mi'kmaw fishermen catching lobster outside the federally regulated commercial season as part of a moderate livelihood fishery. The Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance said it supports the treaty right, but it must be subordinate to limits set and policed by the government of Canada. "Very clearly we're of the position that fishing should take place within the regulated seasons that have...Continue reading

Sipekne’katik First Nation chief Mike Sack called on Mi’kmaq supporters Friday to consider shutting down the upcoming LFA 34 commercial lobster season. I believe it’s time to start planning on shutting down the LFA 34 commercial fisheries for this year, wrote Sack in a Facebook post. I could not believe that (DFO) have the nerve to call and expect us to bow down to them. Mi’kmaq need to come together and stand together for the future of our nation....Continue reading

Minister Jordan strengthens protections for inshore commercial fish harvesters on East Coast, keeping economic benefits in coastal communities https://www.canada.ca//minister-jordan-strengthens-protect

Yes, we did take the law into our own hands, yes we did go take over an illegal lobster pound. Know why? This is why. Soooo many dead lobster it’s sickening! Th...is is the reason for seasons! The lobsters are so unfit they don’t even make it out of the crates. Banded lobster DEAD and rotting. This is why we are fighting so hard. The lobster are going to waste! We did what the RCMP and DFO are to scared to do. We are tired of waiting around and watching our industry go to hell right before our eyes. Everyone who thinks this is okay needs to see what a healthy lobster season looks like. Keep spinning those lies and saying your for conservation, we will keep uncovering it! See more

Bear River chief says her band members can no longer fish in St. Marys Bay due to the ongoing fishery dispute A Mi'kmaw band is raising concerns about the Sipekne'katik First Nation's moderate livelihood fishery on St. Marys Bay in southwest Nova Scotia, and says its two-decade effort to repair relations with non-Indigenous communities in the area is "quickly being eroded." The chief of Bear River First Nation a small Mi'kmaw band with reserve land close to St. Marys Bay ...Continue reading

Nova Scotia RCMP remain on scene at a lobster pound in Digby County and are investigating threats and mischief following disturbances last evening. At approxima...tely 4 p.m. on October 13, Meteghan RCMP were called to a disturbance outside a lobster pound in New Edinburgh. Upon arrival, responding officers observed a group of approximately 200 people who were preventing employees from leaving the lobster pound and that some individuals were throwing rocks at the building and vehicles nearby. Officers on scene were able to keep the peace and attempted to mediate. While on scene, police extinguished a vehicle fire that was heavily damaged. In addition to the vehicle, there was damage to other personal and commercial property. The RCMP is investigating mischief and threats related to the disturbance. At approximately 9 p.m. on October 13, Yarmouth RCMP were called to a disturbance outside a lobster pound in Middle West Pubnico. While en-route, police were advised that the group was preventing employees from leaving and had caused damaged to the building. Upon arrival, officers observed approximately 200 people in the area and worked to de-escalate the situation and disperse the group. Unfortunately events escalated with further damages incurred. The RCMP is investigating reports of crimes against person and property including threats and mischief related to this disturbance. The investigations are ongoing. File #’s 20201514869 and 20201516554

Video of First Nation members recording themselves as they were caught with illegal out of season lobster, some including undersized and seeders. Warning harsh language.

Justin Trudeau has failed to protect Canadians. From the pandemic, to the lobster fisheries crisis in Nova Scotia, to families being evacuated from Neskantaga. ...Questioning the Liberals LIVE in #QP: -- Justin Trudeau n’a pas su protéger les Canadiens. De la pandémie, à la crise de la pêche au homard en Nouvelle-Écosse, en passant par les familles évacuées de Neskantaga. J’interroge les libéraux EN DIRECT durant la #PdQ

Thousands of illegal out of season lobster including tinkers and seeders caught by First Nations were located in SW Nova.

Please be respectful to others and dispose your masks properly.

Only one of the many seeders we found tonight in the natives crates at the old inshore . 40 plus fresh crates and 80 crates of frozen dead lobster as well as I dont know how many fish tubes

A fisherman, 22 year old Colby Jessome, made a grim find while fly fishing in Baddeck, Cape Breton. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have been informed and hop...efully this discoveryand their investigation will help bring closure to a family. https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/nighttime/id1054220508 KEEP CANADA WEIRD!

The Fisheries Department has been ordered to reconsider the case of a disabled Nova Scotia fisherman who is challenging a federal rule that prevents him from hiring someone to catch lobster under his licence. Dana Robinson of Parkers Cove has a medical condition affecting his leg that hinders his ability to stand on a boat for long periods of time. His boat was operating in the Bay of Fundy under a DFO provision that allows fishermen to designate a substitute operator once ...they provide adequate medical proof of their condition. The provision, however, only allows the substitution for five years. The time limit doesn't sit well with Robinson. Disabilities, he said, "last a lifetime." "So I don't know how you set five years on that," he said. "There's no more licences being made. And that's where I came from. This is what we did all our life. We're fishermen and that's what we do." Extension request denied DFO's deputy minister turned down Robinson's request for an extension in March 2019. Robinson, 60, filed for a judicial review of the decision in Federal Court on the grounds that the decision was discriminatory and his charter rights were being violated. In a Sept. 30 judgment, Justice Richard Southcott set aside the deputy minister's decision and ordered the application be reconsidered to ensure Robinson's charter rights are affected "as little as possible". Robinson's lawyer, Richard Norman, welcomed the decision. "It's about discrimination. It's about discriminating against fishermen who have a disability and who otherwise are in total control of their business and deciding on every day-to-day issue relating to their fishing enterprise," he said. Norman said rather than celebrating the ability of fishermen with disabilities to overcome challenges, DFO is telling them to "get out of the industry" because they can't physically be on the vessel. DFO 'considering its options' In a statement Monday, DFO said it is "considering its options regarding the Federal Court ruling on the case of Dana Robinson" and would not be making any further comments. Norman said the key question is what the new decision will be and how the deputy minister will accommodate Robinson's rights. "And you can be sure Mr. Robinson is going to be scrutinising whatever decision is made because it has an impact not just on him and his business and his livelihood, but for other individuals in his circumstance," said Norman. Robinson is not alone in his plight. Norman said he filed another challenge a few weeks ago for an individual in a similar situation. Robinson said he believes the five-year limitation should never have been a consideration in the first place. "This is a right that every Canadian should have, and it shouldn't even be part of DFO's decision," he said. "This isn't a DFO matter at all. It's nothing to do with conservation or anything."

Yesterday, I met again with local fishing industry representatives to address various concerns that have been raised. I very much appreciate our conversations ... your voices are important and I will continue to work with you. As confirmed in that meeting, there is no plan to move to a quota system for the commercial lobster fishery and it is not being considered. Discussions with First Nations continue at the same time, on a nation-to-nation basis, regarding how to further implement the affirmed Treaty Right to fish for a Moderate Livelihood. I greatly appreciate our frank and open conversations as well. Work is advancing on multiple fronts to find a lasting solution. Although there may be different perspectives, conservation remains a shared priority for everyone involved and it underpins everything we do. I appreciate the efforts by many to bring down tensions over the last number of weeks, creating the necessary space for reflection and allowing discussions on a path forward to happen. We must continue this work, keeping the lines of communication open, and continuing to approach the situation from a position of calm and understanding. The goal is, and has always been, to develop a strong, stable, and productive fishery for the benefit of everyone involved.

CALL OUT: I try to stay out of this dispute as discussions have left logic and fact and have now transitioned into a media spin hate war....I just can’t tolerat...e the outright lies being promoted by chief Mike and SFN C&C, I do not care who attacks me for this, our Rights are in trouble if us members and other C&C’s do not step and set the record strait....Fact, the Mi ‘Kmaw in Canada are one Nation, not splintered by 13 different nations in NS through Indian Act proveledge.... so, SFN and Chief Sack, stop promoting on media, that you have entered into Nation to Nation talks with Canada....all you have done is promoted your own greed while failing to recognize the millions of dollars given to you in the fishery by DFO and through agreements like AICFI arrangements and being part of DFO fishery discussions benefitting C&C financially for many years..., Bear River, Acadia and Annapolis First Nations have just released a letter clearly stating this fact, they do not support your exclusionary, and self serving agenda.... so, if Chief Sack wants to promote a sell out of our Rights and drag all Mi ‘kmaw communities into a war that we did not asked for, then at least have the intelligence and guts to tell media what your real end game is, to enrich yourself and continue your corrupt media spinning ways.....while us FN members are left with a Canadian community fall out that can never be repaired and remain poor through once again, settlement hijacked Rights, led by yourself....many people know this TRUTH but are too scared to say it, I have nothing to lose and cannot be bought out like most involved with this dispute on both sides... If I make C&C for the AFN this 2020.... I will promote that we C&C, work with all FN’s through a collective approach and with industry in Atlantic Canada, to boycott this fake greedy enrichment individual agenda process now ongoing, and immediately begin works under a real First Nations collaborative process....I see no good coming from Chief Sack’s personal war and everyone who seriously thinks about this post, know that I am Right.... let’s stop a war and work together! See more

Seeking a bigger piece of the lobster fishery some Mi’kmaw leaders floated the idea of imposing quotas to protect stocks. Today the Trudeau government rejected the idea while the Prime Minster offered his support for their right to a moderate livelihood.

"I would say this is the largest cleanup in B.C. I have never seen anything like it. It was a win-win for everyone: the operators, our community, the wildlife, the ocean."

The news coverage of the the conflict between Mi’kmaw and commercial lobster fishermen is at risk of demonizing non-Indigenous small-boat marine resource harvesters as a result of the unconscionable and illegal actions of a few. My 40-plus years of research working with marine resource harvesters, non-Indigenous and Mi’kmaq, unearths several qualities that need to be included for any hope of achieving a useful understanding of and resolution to this conflict. To begin with, ...Continue reading

A Mi’kmaw lobster fisherman from Eskasoni First Nation in Nova Scotia says he plans to fight several fishery charges against him. Ashton Bernard, 30, says he was exercising his treaty right to fish for a moderate livelihood when officers with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans seized approximately 3,200 pounds of his lobster at the wharf in Pickney’s Point near Yarmouth, N.S. in Sept. 2019. They took all of our lobsters. I don’t even know what they did with it, Bernard ...Continue reading

Anyone who invested into the industry has a right to it just like health care, insurance, your cellphone bill, etc, etc. Some bands are going against the KMKNO for selfish greed without any care for the sustainability of the industry. We personally, along with hundreds of our fishermen have dealt racism, death threats, harassment, etc from native fishers when voicing opinions about the law being upheld for out of season fishing. If anything, the treaty is being dishonoured ...and the Supreme Court ruling to define and regulate moderate livelihood out of season fishing is being ignored. The treaty was based on 1752 not 2020. ~ACS The Mi’kmaq are the only people with an inherent right to fish in Nova Scotia. It’s privilege for everyone else. The season premiere of Nation to Nation looks into the racism that Mi'kmaw fishers are facing on and off the water. ~Reported by APTN

Government of Canada appoints Federal Special Representative to facilitate discussions between commercial lobster industry and First Nations in Atlantic Canada From: Fisheries and Oceans Canada News release...Continue reading

Lobster fishery at a crossroads. Part 2: Tensions over a moderate livelihood fishery are hiding a much bigger threat to the inshore.

If you have a moment we’d appreciate your support. Thank you! ACS

OCEARCH caught a giant 17ft 2inch shark weighing over 3,500lbs, which expedition leader Chris Fischer called the "Queen of the Ocean" and a "matriarch"

Conservative Chris d'Entremont represents West Nova, the riding where the lobster dispute is taking place.