Charges laid against two Nova Scotia businesses accused of illegal lobster buying

The Nova Scotia government has laid charges against two businesses accused of buying illegally caught lobsters in the province.

Two firms in southwestern Nova Scotia, Independent Fisheries in Lockeport, N.S., and a numbered company in Shelburne County are facing charges under the Fisheries and Coastal Resources Act.

The Department of Natural Resources says these charges follow a two-year investigation into the lobster trade.

Both companies face charges for buying, selling or processing fish that were caught without a valid licence.

The numbered company, 3329874 Nova Scotia Ltd., faces the same charges and an additional charge for buying, selling or marketing fish in Nova Scotia without the required licence.

Neither firm could be reached for comment on Friday afternoon.

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Nova Scotia raised the maximum fine under the act in 2024, to $1 million for a first offence, up from $100,000.

The cases are scheduled for a court date in Yarmouth Provincial Court next month.

Colin Sproul, president of the Unified Fisheries Conservation Alliance, said the organization is “extremely pleased” to see charges have been laid.

“The lobster fishery is the most important segment of Nova Scotia’s economy. It’s our largest export and our biggest employer. And it’s all being placed in extreme jeopardy by an industrial-scale, out-of-season fishery that’s taking place across the province, and across the Maritimes for that matter,” Sproul said in an interview Friday.

Canada’s lobster fishery had a landed value of $1.97 billion in 2024. Almost half of that, about $962 million, was caught in Nova Scotia.

Sproul said Nova Scotia’s government has ramped up illegal fishing enforcement over the past couple of years, and he thanked Premier Tim Houston and provincial Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Kent Smith for their efforts.

“We give our heartfelt thanks to Minister Smith and to Premier Houston for today. It’s a really important day for fishermen in Nova Scotia,” he said.

The group that represents thousands of independent, multi-species commercial fishers and associations across the Maritimes filed a lawsuit against Independent Fisheries Ltd. in November 2024.

A court hearing about the lawsuit was held last month, but there hasn’t been a ruling yet.

Sproul said he’s hopeful the province and public prosecution moves ahead with these charges in a timely manner, adding that the group’s lawsuit has faced multiple delays.

“Seeing this prosecution move forward would definitely be beneficial to a lawsuit that seeks to recompense fishermen across Nova Scotia for what’s been done to their industry,” he said.