Lobster poaching is becoming an increasingly serious problem in
Newfoundland — but it’s being met with an equally serious increase in
enforcement, according to a federal Fisheries and Oceans officer.
“We’ve charged 31 offenders in 18 days,” said Leinus Fitzpatrick, Area Chief
for DFO Conservation and Protection who’s based in Corner Brook,
Newfoundland. “And the increased surveillance and enforcement will continue
right through the summer.”
The most serious problem area, he said, is the Bay of Islands.
Fitzpatrick added that the DFO action began after complaints came in from
area lobstermen themselves. “You’re not permitted to fish on Sundays here,” he
said. “So fishermen have been going out to check their traps on Monday and
discovering that a lot of their traps were gone. Those that were left had very few
lobsters or none at all.”
Although poaching to some degree has been going on for a long time, the
latest surge is acute, according to Fitzpatrick. “I think it’s happening because
lobster is about the last stable fishery we have after the collapse of the
groundfishery, especially cod, and this is one of the few lobster fisheries left.”
Fisheries officers are working longer hours on staggered shifts to deal with
the problem, and enforcement includes “covert action,” Fitzpatrick said. “On a
positive note, fishermen are reporting better catches since we started the new
enforcement program.”
Fitzpatrick said the violations are on a fast track in the court system. “We’re
moving as fast as we can on this. Any penalties having to do with conservation
mean a suspension of license and a fine. The suspension can carry over into
next season, and that can mean a loss of five to ten thousand dollars for
violators.”
Penalties also include forfeiture of seized catches.
He added that seven of the 31 citations went to non-licensed fishermen.
“Obviously, we can’t suspend their licenses, so the penalties mean a much
higher fine and an absolute prohibition from going out on the water.”
In a related development, a preliminary DFO report says that lobster landings
are down again this year. The stocks have been declining for a decade. Although
the exact cause is not clear, DFO scientists attribute the drop to water
temperature, poaching and fishing practices.