Cape Breton Fish Harvesters Association

11/18/2025

Update from NS Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture

11/18/2025

The Province is establishing a compliance unit to combat illegal activities in the fish buying and processing sector.

“Our new compliance unit will target illegal seafood-related activities that are negatively impacting the sustainability of our resources and the safety of our communities,” said Kent Smith, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture. “As the regulator of the shore-based fish buying and processing sector, these inspectors will focus their activities on the wharves and in seafood facilities where illegal activities occur.”

The new unit will include four inspectors responsible for monitoring, inspecting and investigating regulatory compliance and acting on offences.

They will work with federal and provincial enforcement services, including Department of Natural Resources conservation officers. Enforcement actions could include fines, licence suspension, loss of licence and formal charges.

The Province is also setting up a new audit program and developing stronger summary offence tickets with penalties to match the seriousness of the activity; options include suspending and/or terminating a fish buyer and/or processor licence.

These new steps build on the actions that the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture has already taken, including:

increased maximum fines under the Fisheries and Coastal Resources Act to $1 million from $100,000 for the first offence and up to $2 million for a second offence
modernized the Fish Buyers and Fish Processors Regulations and policies with clearer requirements for agents, designated buyers, buyers and processors
implemented new licence conditions to require enhanced reporting of buying data to help with enforcement and compliance; the Province is also investigating improved ways to trace lobster and snow crab, Nova Scotia’s most valuable species
hired a new licence compliance analyst to assess buyer and processor data for non-compliance and to collaborate with other enforcement agencies
contracted a forensic accounting firm to carry out in-depth, third-party forensic audits of records collected from licensed buyers and processors to assess potential wrongdoing
continuing to push for modern cross-jurisdictional regulatory tools like boat-to-plate traceability.
Quotes:

“Today’s announcement is a clear indication of the Province’s continued commitment to ensuring a fair playing field for all enterprises operating in the seafood sector. A focused compliance unit will help stamp out illegal activity and boost the prosperity for all participants in the industry.”
— Kris Vascotto, Executive Director, Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance

“While most harvesters and buyers play by the rules, it has become clear in recent years that much more needs to be done to effectively deter and root out illegal or unreported transactions from our industry. This requires urgent and collaborative actions by both levels of government. Nova Scotia continues to show the way forward with the deployment of this new compliance team.”
— Nat Richard, Executive Director, Lobster Processors Association

Quick Facts:

up to 30 per cent of annual lobster landings in Atlantic Canada go unreported, representing up to $400 million in unrealized taxable income for Nova Scotia
conservation officers with the Department of Natural Resources will continue to provide support to combat illegal fisheries activities

11/18/2025

The Province is establishing a compliance unit to combat illegal activities in the fish buying and processing sector. Kent Smith, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, made the announcement in Yarmouth this afternoon. He was joined by Kris Vascotto, Executive Director of the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance.

The new unit will include four inspectors responsible for monitoring, inspecting and investigating regulatory compliance and acting on offences.

They will work with federal and provincial enforcement services, including Department of Natural Resources conservation officers. Enforcement actions could include fines, licence suspension, loss of licence and formal charges.

For details about this and other actions that the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture has already taken, read the news release at: https://news.novascotia.ca/en/2025/11/17/new-compliance-unit-combat-illegal-seafood-sector-activities

11/13/2025

We are looking to gauge interest in having the required courses needed to work on a commercial vessel held closer to Sydney. Feel free to send me an email if you're interested.

Send a message to learn more

11/07/2025

Good Friday morning, Remember: tag orders for the 2026 season are due by next Friday, November 14.

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11/03/2025

Sorry for the short notice , but the office will be open late today. We will be opening around 12 pm today

10/23/2025

Good afternoon,
This is a reminder that tag order forms were sent out via email last week and are due back to the office with payment by Friday, November 14th. Remember, if the orders are not received by Nov 14th, we can't guarantee that you will have your tags in time. Please make sure to check your emails.
Thank you,

Send a message to learn more

10/23/2025

News release
New Cabinet Will Drive Development
21 October 2025 | 2:44 PM
Premier's Office
Today, October 21, Premier Tim Houston announced cabinet changes that will enable the government to stay focused on energy and resource development.

Premier Houston will take over as Minister of Energy. He will continue as President of the Executive Council, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, and Minister of Trade.

“I want to turn Nova Scotia into an energy superpower,” said Premier Houston. “Responsible resource development will power our economy for generations, combat poverty and help Nova Scotians earn more money.”

Kim Masland, Minister of Emergency Management, will also take on the role of Minister of Natural Resources.

Barbara Adams will become Minister of Opportunities and Social Development and also maintain her current portfolios.

Scott Armstrong will be the new Attorney General, Minister of Justice, and Minister of Equity and Anti-Racism.

Two members of the legislative assembly will become ministers.

John A. MacDonald will be the Minister of Municipal Affairs while John Lohr will continue as Minister of Finance and Treasury Board.

John White will become the Minister of Housing. Colton LeBlanc will remain Minister of Growth and Development.

Premier Houston thanked outgoing ministers Tory Rushton, Becky Druhan and Trevor Boudreau for their ongoing commitment to the people of Nova Scotia. They will continue to sit as MLAs.

“I am grateful to have such a strong cabinet and caucus. Nova Scotians chose us to lead this province,” said Premier Houston. “We will lead this province to a more prosperous future.”

Appointments are effective immediately following the swearing-in ceremony.

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10/22/2025

After a decade of being accused of under-enforcement, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has racked up a string of lobster and vessel seizures over the past two months in southwest Nova Scotia.
Among those busted for allegedly holding lobsters caught without a valid DFO-issued licence is a fish plant associated with one of the larger buyers in the area.

“Fisheries officers have done more in the last five weeks than they’ve been allowed to do in the last five years,” said Dan Fleck, a retired DFO officer and project manager with the Brazil Rock Lobster Association.

“That’s not on the officers, that’s on those that direct them – the senior managers and politicians.”

According to DFO, since June 1 it has seized six fishing boats, 1,478 traps and nearly 28,000 lobsters (which were returned to the water) in southwest Nova Scotia.

➡️DELAPS COVE SEIZURE
A large share of the catch, 115 crates containing 8,028 lobsters, was seized Oct. 16 at a commercial fish plant in Delaps Cove. One man was arrested for violations under the Fisheries Act.

While DFO refused to specify which plant was busted, there is only one commercial plant in the identified community, Delaps Cove Fish Products Ltd. According to the Registry of Joint Stock Companies, the directors of Delaps Cove are Allan Longmire, Patricia Longmire, Reginald Leblanc and Marcel Leblanc.

Both Reginald and Marcel Leblanc are directors of Wedgeport Lobster, a prominent southern Nova Scotia lobster buyer.

Neither Reginal Leblanc nor Allan Longmire returned requests for comment.

According to DFO, the lobsters were caught under a First Nations food, social and ceremonial licence and are not allowed to be sold or bought.

➡️SAULNIERVILLE WHARF
A fleet of Mi’kmaq boats have been fishing from the federal government-owned Saulnierville wharf in St. Mary’s Bay through the late summer and early fall. The area’s commercial fishing season doesn’t open until Nov. 24.

Many are fishing food, social and ceremonial licences for their bands, though in recent years some have told The Chronicle Herald that they are pursuing rights-based moderate livelihood fisheries outside the federal regulation regime.

“Some of those lobster are being blended in with ones caught under commercial licences in Area 35,” said a lobster buyer in southwest Nova Scotia who doesn’t want his name published.

➡️’GOLDEN WINDOW’ OF LOBSTER LAUNDERING

Lobster Fishing Area 35, which comprises 96 commercial licences fishing the upper Bay of Fundy, opened Oct. 15.

The buyer characterized the time between the opening of the smaller Area 35 and the Nov. 24 opening of the larger commercial lobster fisheries in Area 34 and Area 33 as “the golden window” for laundering food, social and ceremonial lobsters.
The FSC fishery on St. Mary’s Bay is wound up by Nov. 24, when the local commercial season opens.
The buyer said the going rate for lobster caught under an FSC licence is $6 to $7 a pound, compared with $10-$12 per pound for commercial lobster.

By blending the lobsters together, some buyers are able to lower their total costs.

“It will have an effect. You look at 80 crates seized, that’s $50,000 out of someone’s pocket,” said the buyer. “Are they following up with charges against these plant owners? That’s the big thing, is anybody being held accountable?”

➡️DFO CHARGES:

DFO could not verify Tuesday whether charges have been laid against any plant owners or buyers.
However, DFO has laid charges in relation to on-the-water enforcement. Five members of a fishing crew were recently charged with obstruction of a fishery officer in relation to a September 2024 incident. One of the people on the boat was charged with an additional four Fisheries Act charges, including fishing lobster without a licence.

DFO did not release names or disclose where the incident occurred.

“All five individuals are known to fishery officers, and have been arrested and charged in the past for violations related to lobster or elver,” reads a written statement from DFO.

“At the time of the arrests in 2024, one of the individuals assaulted fishery officers and was later charged by RCMP.”

10/17/2025

10/15/2025

The office will be closed Thursday Oct 16 and Friday Oct 17, reopening on Monday Oct 20. Sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.