John Cummins, M.P.
Delta-South Richmond		 News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 21, 2000

DFO Must Not Compromise the Resource
Lobsters Stocks Now Threatened

 

OTTAWA--"The Minister of Fisheries would do well to remember that Miramichi Bay is now closed to commercial lobster fishing because of the need to protect fragile lobster stocks", said John Cummins, M.P. (Delta-South Richmond).

Regrettably DFO, earlier this year, agreed that natives could take 40,000 lbs of lobster for food using 40 traps. DFO has failed to enforce the 40 trap limit. There are now hundreds of traps in the water. It is possible that the 40,000 lb limit has already been reached.

DFO scientist, Marc Lanteigne, gave testimony to the Federal Court in December that lobster stocks in LFA 23 are in danger and that no additional traps could safely be used:

"Any increase in the number of traps in LFA 23 is equivalent to an increase in fishing pressure and goes against conservation objectives of increasing egg production and reducing fishing effort."

"Considering the available data, the current fishery is designed towards high exploitation rates (estimated to be as high as 85 per cent in many areas), harvest of primarily immature animals, and results in very low egg production (estimated to be below 1 per cent of what might be expected in an un-fished population). In these circumstances...the risk of recruitment failure is unacceptably high".

"The margin of safety that may have existed previously is being eliminated...the presence of a very high and increasing fishing effort exerts a pervasive pressure both on the resource and on the ability of fisheries management to attain conservation objectives regardless of other conservation measures which might be put in place."

"Any localized increase in fishing effort will result in a local increase of exploitation rate (removal rate), which will result in an increased removal of potential breeders. Any increase in fishing pressure goes against the conservation recommendations of the Fisheries Resources Conservation Council...and would therefore, represent a conservation issue to the lobster population in the southern gulf, including the lobster resource in LFA 23."

"I would remind the Minister that his only responsibility is to protect fragile lobster stocks. Acceding to threats of violence and lawlessness sets a dangerous precedent for the future of the fishery", concluded Cummins.

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For more information, please contact:

John Cummins, M.P.
(613) 992-2957
(604) 970-0937 (Cell)