Federal Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the Canadian and American governments will vigorously try to convince the European Union that the American lobster does not pose a threat.
An arm of the European Union says there’s enough scientific evidence to move forward with a review of Sweden’s request to declare the American lobster an invasive species.
READ MORE: Sweden digs in on proposal to ban North American lobsters from Europe
The opinion of the European Union’s Scientific Forum on Invasive Alien Species sets in motion a broader review of the proposal to ban American lobsters, but a spokeswoman for the European Commission stresses it is only a preliminary opinion.
Lobstermen in the U.S. and Canada stand to lose $200 million in business with EU countries if the ban becomes a reality, but they contend a ban is not supported by science.
Sweden set the wheels in motion when it announced it had found 32 American lobsters in the country’s waters earlier this year and that they pose a threat to native crustaceans.
LeBlanc says Canada and the U.S. have equally compelling scientific evidence to show that lobster from North America is not an invasive species.
The expanded review won’t be completed until the spring, at the earliest.
Christian Brun, executive-secretary of the Maritime Fishermen’s Union, says he’s concerned, but 85 per cent of the live lobster from his region go to the United States.
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