N.S. fishers plan appeal after court dismisses lobster treaty rights case
A group representing commercial fishers in Nova Scotia says it plans to appeal after a court ruled it does not have standing to pursue a case involving Indigenous fishing rights.
Commercial fishers in Nova Scotia are planning to appeal a recent court decision that dismissed their case challenging Indigenous lobster fishing rights. The Unified Fisheries Conservation Alliance sought the court's ruling that members of the Sipekne’katik First Nation cannot fish lobster outside of the season without commercial licenses. The group argued that the commercial fishery in St. Mary's Bay was unauthorized and harmful to other fishers and lobster stocks.
However, last month, the Nova Scotia Supreme Court dismissed the case, stating that it is up to Sipekne’katik to determine whether they want to engage Ottawa over treaty rights. Alliance President Colin Sproul plans to appeal the decision, expressing frustration with the outcome. He emphasized that the Attorney General of Canada should take the matter to the Supreme Court of Canada to resolve it once and for all, rather than burdening hard-working fishing families with additional expenses.
Sproul's comments come after the alliance's officials and Sipekne’katik's representatives declined to provide immediate comment on the matter.
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