Prince Edward Island Herring Seiner Dispute
Prince Edward Island Fishermen vs. New Brunswick Herring Seiners
Welcome to my page about the dispute between the New Brunswick Herring Seiners and the Prince Edward Island Fishermen. Being the son of a PEI fisherman I would like to voice my concerns about this dispute. This problem started back in the early 1980's when the Federal Government of Canada moved a fishing regulation line closer to P.E.I. then it should have been. They never fixed it although they have admitted to it. For this reason we now have the dispute here in my hometown of Souris, Prince Edward Island.
Welcome to Souris! A great community built on fishing and farming and tourism. This community has approximately 1500 people. Many of them work in the fishing industry.
The History
For the past few years the huge seiner boats have unloaded their catches at Souris Harbour to be transported to Caraquet, New Brunswick for processing. The fishermen of Prince Edward Island claim that the seiners are fishing too close to the island shore and depleting the stocks and the fishermen are right. In 2003 the seiners came to unload their catches and were met by peaceful Island Fishermen. The Government ordered there be a tactical squad be sent to Souris Harbour to protect the boats. There were 14 fishermen arrested and two injured, but the charges were dropped later. The seiners eventually left for the winter after catching their fish.
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12/10/2004 01:45:18 PM