MFU, First Nations say harbour dredging is needed immediately

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The Maritime Fishermen’s Union and, First Nations Chiefs are urging the federal fisheries minister to have two N.B. harbours dredged before lobster season opens April 30, saying that clogged entrances pose a safety threat to fishing boats.

“The absence of dredging operations is not just a bureaucratic issue. It directly puts the lives of 109 fishermen at risk,” Réjean Comeau, president of the fishermen’s union, said in a news release. “We witnessed the tragic consequences of such negligence in 2013. It’s disheartening to see that, just over a decade later, the authorities seem to have forgotten that three lives were lost in circumstances eerily similar to the current situation.”

On May 18, 2013, a lobster boat went aground near McEachern’s Point in Tabusintac, resulting in the deaths of the captain and two crew members. Comeau said an investigation report stated the need to dredge the McEachern’s Point navigational channel annually. The MFU, First Nations communities and harbour authorities are urging the department to have the channel dredged before the lobster fishing season opens April 30.

The letter to fisheries minister Diane Lebouthillier says the Tabusintac and Pointe Sapin wharves together represent a total of 105 fishermen. They said there are 39 fishermen at McEachern’s Point, including nine from the Esgenoôpetitj First Nation and represented by the MFU. At Pointe Sapin, there are six from the Natoaganeg First Nation and 60 represented by the MFU. If the channels are not dredged, they won’t be passable during the 2024 season.

The letter to the minister was signed by Chief Alvery Paul of the Esgenoôpetitj First Nation; Éric Benoit
president, McEachern’s Point Port Authority; Chief George Ginnish of Natoaganeg First Nation; Ernest Mazerolle, president of Pointe Sapin Port Authority and Réjean Comeau, president of the Maritime Fishermen’s Union.

“Once again, the government is forgetting that the inshore fishing industry, which generates millions of dollars for our economy, starts with our fishermen being able to do their job,” Comeau said in the news release.

DFO says not enough funding for dredging every year

Etienne Chiasson, a communications advisor with the DFO, said the department has limited funds for dredging operations at harbours across the country, and therefore must prioritize funds available to maximize the operational capacity of as many harbours as possible.

“For these reasons, dredging at McEachern’s Point (Tabusintac) and Pointe-Sapin was postponed to a future year,” Chiasson said in an email to Brunswick News. “In New Brunswick, dredging is underway or will be completed for the respective fishing seasons, as required, and according to departmental priorities.”