Illegal Elver Poaching Must End
Bridgewater, NS – Rick Perkins, Conservative Candidate for South Shore-St. Margarets, and Clifford Small, Conservative Candidate for Central Newfoundland, issued the following statement today regarding the illegal poaching of the elver fishery:
“The return of elvers in the rivers of Nova Scotia and New Brunswick has attracted a surge of poachers who descend upon Nova Scotia’s 300 rivers each night, trespassing on private land to illegally harvest. Unregulated fishing not only threatens the safety of residents due to the armed poachers but also jeopardizes scientific research and conservation efforts crucial for maintaining a healthy environment and ensuring the sustainability of this species. The unchecked actions of these poachers could lead to the collapse of the entire eel population.
“After the lost Liberal decade, the number of illegal poachers has swelled into the thousands, progressively depleting this essential fishery resource. Four successive Liberal Fisheries Ministers have failed to uphold the law, resulting in heightened violence and disorder. Despite nightly reports from residents and legal license holders, neither the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) nor the RCMP have responded effectively.
“Legal license holders, desperate for assistance, flagged down an RCMP cruiser in Hubbards, only to be told by the officer that the DFO had instructed them to stand down and not intervene in the illegal elver poaching.
“Canada First Conservatives believe the government should enforce the law and hold those responsible accountable. Only through such measures can order be restored and the scientific and conservation efforts necessary for a sustainable fishery and a thriving environment be upheld. After the lost Liberal decade, Nova Scotians have reached their limit.”