Fishermen are raising concerns about enforcement and safety as the federal government moves forward with plans to add and redistribute elver fishing licenses in the Maritimes starting next year.
At a meeting hosted by the federal Fisheries Department, existing license holders strongly opposed the government’s proposal, saying it was being implemented without sufficient consideration. The plan would take about 28 per cent of the 9,960 kilograms of allowable catch from nine existing commercial license holders and issue about 150 new commercial licenses, with half of the allowance going to First Nations.
Robert Mark Weldon, who works for Atlantic Elver Fishery, said he is likely to receive a new license, but he is concerned that more people will try to catch elver in the river, which could lead to increased safety concerns.
Dunn Reiss of the Atlantic Canada Eels cited the lack of enforcement staff and asked how enforcement will change in 2025 if the plan goes ahead.
Chris Ferguson, a DFO enforcement officer, said the specific enforcement plan has not been finalized, but said illegal fishing is serious but enforcement resources are limited.
Under the government’s proposal, existing commercial licensees would only keep about 22 per cent of the total catch. The federal Fisheries Department said the plan is intended to increase profit sharing and increase Indigenous participation in the juvenile eel fishery. The pilot project will operate on about 123 rivers with a target of “one license per river”.
Existing commercial licensees, meanwhile, are strongly opposed to the plan, saying it will cause confusion in the industry.