Prince Edward Island Fisheries Minister Walter Bradley says that Friday’s decision by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to require a 12 x 5 inch lobster escape mechanism for the 1996 spring fishery just doesn’t make sense.
"I’m afraid the deck was stacked on this one," said Bradley. "It’s this kind of selective use of information and opportunism by DFO that makes fishermen very cynical."
Bradley said that he and Premier Callbeck, Fishermen’s Association representatives and Island M.P.s all made very strong and rational arguments to federal minister Fred Mifflin as to why this measure was not appropriate for all fishing areas.
"No one disagrees with the need for escape mechanisms, but they must be appropriate for the particular fishery, and be based on solid evidence rather than one study," said Bradley.
"This type of forced decision-making also flies directly in the face of the approach to lobster conservation recommended by the Fisheries Resource Conservation Council," said Bradley. The F.R.C.C. report, released only last fall, recommended action by fishermen to choose from several conservation tools.
"I can only conclude that DFO officials didn’t accept the direction of the report. There seemed to be more interest in DFO forcing this decision than in working cooperatively toward a more comprehensive approach to conserving lobster stocks. The credibility of DFO officials has been seriously shaken," stated Bradley.
He pointed out that P.E.I. fishermen have showed more maturity than those in Nova Scotia in dealing with license fees, license rationalization and reform of the fishery. Bradley said he hoped that this latest DFO decision, however painful, will continue to show how professional P.E.I. fishermen really are.