Canadians struggling with rising grocery bills will not be permitted to catch lobster for personal consumption after the federal government rejected a petition calling for a recreational food fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador.Blacklock's Reporter says the Department of Fisheries and Oceans confirmed the decision in a response tabled in the House of Commons, arguing the province's $1.9-billion lobster industry must be protected for existing commercial fishing operations.The petition, sponsored by Green Party MP Elizabeth May of Saanich-Gulf Islands, B.C., sought permission for Canadians to harvest lobster for food rather than commercial sale as households face increasing food insecurity.“A recreational food fishery will not be considered,” the department stated.Fisheries Minister Joanne Thompson defended the decision, pointing to the economic importance of the industry and the livelihoods of 2,172 commercial licence holders.“It is a fishery that shapes entire communities,” Thompson wrote in her response to Petition 451-01173.“Jobs and livelihoods depend on it.”Thompson said allowing additional access to lobster stocks would undermine previous efforts to manage the fishery and maintain its long-term sustainability.“Any requests for new access must respect the significant past efforts to reduce the number of traps and licenses in support of the long-term sustainability of the fishery,” she wrote.“A recreational lobster fishery will not be considered.”The petition, submitted September 21, called for a conservation-focused lobster food fishery that would allow residents to harvest the seafood for their own tables.Petitioners argued lobster stocks in Newfoundland and Labrador were sufficient to accommodate a limited recreational catch while helping families struggling with food costs.“For centuries lobster has been a traditional food resource in Newfoundland and Labrador and is directly tied to local identity,” the petition stated.“Rising food insecurity in Canada has put strain and hardship on Canadian families. Statistics Canada’s Consumer Price Index clearly shows food inflation is on the rise.”.The federal government's refusal comes despite previous programs that used taxpayer funding to provide surplus seafood to food banks.During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ottawa launched the $50-million Surplus Food Rescue Program to prevent food waste after restaurant closures disrupted demand for Canadian seafood and other agricultural products.Under the program, the Department of Agriculture paid Clearwater Seafoods Inc. of Bedford, N.S., $1.54 million in 2020 to distribute 150,000 pounds of scallops free of charge.Green Seafoods Ltd. of Winterton, Newfoundland and Labrador, received another $55,230 to supply 24,000 pounds of blue mussels to food banks in Nova Scotia.The subsidies were introduced as temporary emergency measures to redirect food that might otherwise have gone to waste during pandemic restrictions.Then-prime minister Justin Trudeau also encouraged Canadians to purchase lobster and other domestic seafood products in 2020 as fishing families struggled with falling demand and prices.“Everyone who wants to show their support, buy Canadian,” Trudeau told reporters.“Have a fish fry or buy Canadian lobster. Not only will it taste great but it will help the people who keep putting food on our plates.”Trudeau acknowledged the financial difficulties facing commercial fishers as restaurants closed and seafood markets contracted.“Prices and demand have gone down, putting financial pressure on fishers and their families,” he said.“This adds up to a really tough time.”He also noted the practical challenges facing fishing crews during pandemic restrictions.“You can’t harvest lobster from inside your house,” Trudeau said.“That leaves you trying to figure out how to either space people out on a fishing boat or cancel your operations.”The latest petition sought a different approach by allowing residents to catch lobster directly for personal consumption rather than relying on government-funded seafood distribution.However, Fisheries and Oceans Canada maintained that protecting existing commercial fishing access and conservation measures takes precedence over creating a recreational lobster food fishery.The department's response did not propose an alternative program to provide lobster directly to Canadians experiencing food insecurity.
