N.S. lobster pound guilty of 'egregious' handling of egg-bearing female lobsters
CBC
One of Nova Scotia's largest lobster pounds has been convicted for holding undersized and egg-bearing female lobsters at its facility on Cape Sable Island.
Atlantic ChiCan pleaded guilty in provincial court Thursday on two Fisheries Act charges and was fined $25,000 and ordered to pay another $50,000 into an environmental damages fund.
"This was an egregious amount" of egg-bearing, or berried, female lobster that were located and seized by fishery officers, federal Crown lawyer Derek Schnare said in Shelburne provincial court.
Fishery officers inspected the big pound at the Orion Wharf Road plant in January 2019.
They found three crates containing 132 egg-bearing female lobsters that had been in storage for a week. It wasn't the first time.
In 2017, inspectors found egg-bearing females stored in the same place inside the plant and warned the company to stop.
To avoid stress, egg-bearing females found in shipments are supposed to be returned to the water within a day.
Six more egg-bearing females and 32 undersized lobsters were found elsewhere at the plant. The company did not measure the length of the lobsters at the time to determine size compliance.
Schnare said the company should have known better.
"This is a very large lobster plant that is well aware of the rules and regulations required of them under the rules and regulations," he said. "There was a complete failure in this case to establish a proper process and procedures."
Atlantic ChiCan was charged with one count for holding the berried lobster and one for the undersized lobster found at the plant.
Two other charges were dropped by the Crown.
Atlantic ChiCan lawyer Matthew Fraser said the company admitted its failure.
"Clearly in this instance there is a lack of due diligence exerted," Fraser told Judge Jim Burrill.
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