Lobster dispute boils over at Canadian border

By Daniel Cusick | 10/18/2024 01:27 PM EDT

Allegations of illegal U.S. fishing in Canadian lobster grounds tests the detente between Maine lobstermen and those from north of the maritime boundary.

A lobster with one banded claw and one free claw looks at the camera.

A lobster is seen at a packing facility in Kennebunkport, Maine. Robert F. Bukaty/AP

A fishing fracas has erupted along the U.S.-Canada border, where lobstermen in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia say U.S. fishing boats are poaching lobster from north of the maritime boundary, a violation of international law.

But it’s Canada’s senior fisheries regulators — not U.S. lobstermen — who are feeling the heat in the two Canadian provinces.

That’s because local fishermen say the Canadian government remains unwilling or unable to enforce laws protecting the Bay of Fundy’s fishery from poachers.

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“Americans are actively fishing right now [in closed Canadian waters], their boats are settling in just over that international line,” said Amanda Johnson, executive director of the Fundy North Fishermen’s Association, which represents 150 New Brunswick boat captains. “In a few cases it could be by accident, but in most others it’s definitely not. These boat captains use high-tech [navigation] equipment. They know exactly where they are.”

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