Nova Scotia fisheries minister raises concerns about potential no-fish zones

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“They (federal officials) are talking about 25.5 per cent of the province being a marine protected area, so where’s it going to end?,” Colwell said following Thursday’s cabinet meeting.

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“Marine Protected areas are important . . . but if it destroys our economy, how can we justify it?”

Colwell said he wants the federal government to know that it has to protect areas in a way that allows fishing that also respects the environment.

“We want to make sure that we have all the conditions that we can still harvest fish in a non-destructive way so we are not destroying the bottom, so that we are not destroying the ecosystem,” he said. 

Colwell said the lobster fishery on the Eastern Shore is a “prime example” of what he is talking about, because fishermen have instituted environmentally friendly practices on their own, including holding large female lobsters that are caught and returning them to the ocean at the end of the season.

“Because of that, it’s improved their income and also made the place a very pristine place,” he said.

Colwell said he plans to relay his concerns to federal Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc.

The Canadian Press