Tensions high over fishing zone Canadian officials show flag in disputed lobstering area

GRAND MANAN, New Brunswick – The Canadian Coast Guard showed the flag and some muscle on Thursday as it patrolled the Bay of Fundy near a tiny island claimed by both Canada and the United States.

Patrol boats headed out to Machias Seal Island off southern New Brunswick where tensions are running high between Canadian and U.S. lobster fishermen setting traps in a disputed area called the gray zone.

Although heavy seas and dense fog cut the patrol short, Canadian fisheries officials traveling on one of the patrol boats said they wanted to drive home the message that it’s time to settle the longstanding, international dispute.

“American officials say they’re not getting complaints from their fishermen, so this isn’t an issue,” said Faith Scattolon, regional director general for Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

“That’s not the case for us in terms of what we’re hearing from fishermen here on Grand Manan. There have been several reports of gear being cut and people losing gear in the area. That’s a significant concern for us,” said Scattolon.

Laurence Cook of the Grand Manan Lobster Fishermen’s Association said too many fishermen are crowding into the relatively small patch of ocean known as the gray zone to catch lobster.

The 77-square-mile area normally would be considered sufficient for only three or four lobster fishermen. Instead, as many as 50 fishermen, most of them Americans, pack into the area off Machias Seal Island.

“It’s very congested,” Cook said. “It’s a very hard area to fish. The Americans think it’s theirs; the Canadians think it’s theirs and nobody gets along all that well.”

The tiny island off the Maine and New Brunswick coasts is little more than a spit of rock known to birdwatchers for its puffins and migratory bird populations. Both Canada and the United States claim the island and its surrounding waters as their territory.

Canada has maintained a lighthouse on the island since 1832. To this day, it is the only manned lighthouse in the Maritime Provinces and serves as a symbol of sovereignty as well as an important navigational aid. Scattolon said the frequent patrols by the Coast Guard serve a similar function.

“We consider it Canadian waters so our patrol vessels are out there patrolling Canadian waters,” she said.

Greg Peacock, director of federal-provincial relations for the Fisheries Department, said Canadian officials are worried there could be trouble in the gray zone this year.

“I’m anticipating a fair amount of gear conflict out there this year,” Peacock said. “With gear conflict comes frustration, anger and economic loss. Who knows what that might lead to?”

Peacock said Canadian officials have not been able to convey a sense of urgency about the issue to their U.S. counterparts. He said bilateral talks between Canada and the United States scheduled for later this summer may produce an agreement to at least look at the situation more closely.

“We’d like to sit at the table with them and develop a complementary management plan for the area,” Scattalon said.

Cook said Grand Manan fishermen want the gray zone to reflect Canadian lobster fishing rules and regulations, which would mean the season would close this weekend.

“If we can’t decide who owns it, then I’d like to see it tied to the Canadian season and when it opened the Americans and Canadians could go there, but we would have better conservation in the area,” he said.