METEGHAN, Nova Scotia – A fisherman must make sure the water that may have poisoned 40,000 pounds of lobster is safe before it’s dumped, an environmental official said Wednesday.

Lobster pound owner Paulin Robichaud of Meteghan said he found the dead lobsters – about $280,000 worth – late last month in a holding tank.

Robichaud said holes had been drilled into the building and there was a strange liquid on the ground.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have been investigating the incident as a deliberate poisoning.

York Friesen of Environment Canada’s environmental enforcement division says Robichaud is responsible for dumping the more than 40,000 gallons.

“We advised [Robichaud’s insurance company] to get the water tested before it’s released into any water course,” Friesen said Wednesday from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

“If it turns out their tests come back positive for a harmful substance, then we’ve suggested they contact a consultant to determine the best way to treat that, or neutralize that.”