Ten years after the last time anyone outside of the Maritimes noticed the fisheries industry, an international crisis is set to erupt again as Canada seized a Portuguese trawler for fishing illegally in Canadian waters:
Commenting from Ottawa, federal Fisheries Minister Geoff Regan said the rare move is intended to send a message.
“This is a message that we take these matters seriously,” Regan told reporters, promising those responsible for breaking the rules will be held responsible.
In convicted of unauthorized entry and unauthorized fishing inside Canadian-controlled waters, captain Ramalheira could be fined up to $250,000.
I actually recall the 1995 incident amazingly well, thanks to a strange coincidence. I was in high school then and taking a geography course where we were assigned a project on a Canadian industry of our choice. My team chose the fisheries industry because we figured there was nothing much to research and the project could be completed in a hurry. Then, two days before the due date, Brian Tobin directed the seizure of a Spanish ship, causing front-page headlines for “our” industry and necessitating a last-minute redo of the entire project the night before its due date. Ah, memories…
Will things escalate that much this time? I doubt it. We’ll have to wait and see, though. There’s nothing to spark interest in the fishing industry like the threat of a nice old-fashioned gun battle.
I just saw the Perfect Storm. My sympathies to the poor fisherman so far from home.