Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard Bernadette Jordan is pleading for calm in Saint Mary’s Bay.
Minister of Fisheries, Oceans, and the Canadian Coast Guard Bernadette Jordan is pleading for calm in Saint Mary’s Bay.
Tensions have been high since Thursday when the Sipekne’katik First Nation initiated their own Moderate Livelihood fishery.
Commercial fishers have been adamant that DFO needs to step in and halt what they call illegal fishing.
Commercial lobster sales outside of season are off-limits.
Indigenous fishers insist that their Treaty rights allow for a moderate livelihood fishery, which includes sales.
The Minister says safety of everyone in the area is the priority.
“We have to find a calm resolution to this impasse, and to that end what I am asking for is a meeting with representatives from industry, as well as representatives from First Nations communities to sit down with me to see how we can find our best path forward.”
She says she’s looking to set that meeting as soon as possible.
When asked about the lack of D-F-O or Coast Guard intervention, Jordan noted that blockades at DFO offices and sheer amount of commercial vessels in the Bay don’t allow for authorities to do their job properly.
The Minister says for enforcement to happen, the large contingent of vessels in the Bay needs to disperse.
Also with regards to the blockades that have happened at the DFO/RCMP offices, it’s very difficult for DFO to do what they need to do,” she said. “We are asking that the boats leave the area so that DFO can do their jobs and they can continue to try and keep people safe.”
Two people were arrested at the Weymouth wharf on Friday, and there have been allegations of violence from both Indigenous harvesters and commercial vessels.
