Fisheries officers land lobster traps in Southwest Nova Scotia

Fisheries officers in Southwest Nova Scotia have recovered more than 100 lobster traps as part of increased patrols in the area.

Chris Sperry, a Fisheries and Oceans Canada supervisor, said the traps included some with no tags, some with invalid tags and some with tags that were current for the season that just closed.

The gear was found in areas ranging between Yarmouth and St. Marys Bay, he said.

"It wasn't just from one specific area," Sperry said in a telephone interview.

He said the traps were recovered during the last week of the fishing season in May and several weeks after the close.

"We've been putting some increased presence on the water over the last few weeks," he said.

Sperry said there was lobster in some of the traps, and while he didn't know the exact amount, he said anything in the traps would have been released back into the ocean.

The gear is being held at a fisheries detachment. Traps with tags from this season could be returned to fishermen after fisheries officers have a chance to talk with them, while other gear will likely be destroyed, said Sperry.

"There's a process to that, of course, and that will take some work from the officers while they investigate that part of it."

While some of the traps could be strays, either lost during the season or forgotten at its close, Sperry said others likely could have been used for illegal activity.

There's been a heightened awareness of lobster poaching recently, which last year included discarded lobster found in the woods near Weymouth.

Tensions related to the issue have also increased. Several boats were set on fire last year and police investigated threats.

Fishermen in the area have called for an increased presence from DFO out of concerns some people are using the Indigenous food fishery as a guise for selling lobster into a black market. DFO officials last year confirmed evidence to suggest that was happening.

Sperry said fisheries officers would continue to have an increased presence on the water, wharves and at facilities as they "ensure we protect this fishery for everyone."