And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Subject: Mi'qmaw rez attacked From: <A HREF="mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] ">[EMAIL PROTECTED] </A> (justanoldman) Date: Mon, 04 October 1999 10:48 AM EDT Two Mi'qmaw from Burnt Church rez in hospital. Critical after their truck rammed by settler goons.. Burnt out trucks all over dock at the rez, not sure if NDN trucks or not. All NDN parents keeping their kids at home. All Mi'qmaw warrior societies out on lines at all communities.. news as it happens.. jaom/énéthekwé ---------- Anger explodes over fishing rights N.B. fishermen destroy native traps in reaction to off-season lobster catch endorsed by Supreme Court KEVIN COX and DANIEL LEBLANC The Globe and Mail Monday, October 4, 1999 Yarmouth, N.S. and Ottawa -- KEVIN COX in Yarmouth, N.S. DANIEL LEBLANC in Ottawa The simmering anger over off-season fishing boiled over in New Brunswick yesterday when a flotilla of non-native fishermen went out to sea and disabled hundreds of lobster traps owned by natives. This led to clashes between natives and non-natives at the wharf in Burnt Church, N.B., and a tense meeting in Nova Scotia where non-native fishermen threatened to take similar action by Wednesday. The New Brunswick incident was the first act of violence since a Supreme Court decision less than three weeks ago that recognized the terms of a 1760 treaty that conferred on East Coast native people the right to earn a moderate livelihood from fishing and hunting, even during the off season. Later yesterday, lobster buyers were also singled out. More than 100 non-native fishermen and local supporters went to fish plants where native-caught lobster is sold, ordered employees out and wrecked some of the equipment. About $25,000 worth of damage was caused to a plant in Pointe-Sapin and a plant in nearby Richibucto was also damaged. Earlier yesterday, about 150 boats owned by non-native fishermen went out on Miramichi Bay -- off the coast of northeastern New Brunswick -- and raised native-owned traps, sliced them off their buoys or broke their wooden doors, freeing the catch. The non-natives say the off-season fishing jeopardizes their livelihood. Several of them later engaged in heated arguments and some shoving with native fishermen, who responded angrily that they had the unequivocal right to harvest the seas at this time of the year. RCMP officers monitored the situation on the water aboard six coast guard vessels and a helicopter. The RCMP, which is investigating the confrontation, called on everyone to be patient and demonstrate good will. No charges had been laid by last night. The non-native fishermen made no apologies for their actions. "It's pretty clear the traps had to come out of the water," said Michael Belliveau of the Maritime Fishermen's Union. Mr. Belliveau wants a moratorium on native fishing until next year, and added that non-native fishermen will not negotiate as long as the fishing goes on. He blamed Ottawa for allowing the situation to get out of hand. The natives have set 6,000 lobster traps in the bay, he said, and caught more than 59,000 kilograms of lobster. "Ottawa let this thing hang in the fire for 11 or 12 days, when it was evident within 24 hours of that [Supreme Court] decision which direction things were going. Whoever was calling the shots either wanted this kind of thing to result or was naive." Mr. Belliveau said if charges are laid, the union will defend the fishermen who removed the lobster traps. But native leaders were quick to condemn the non-natives' "vigilante" tactics. "If it was us going out, when we didn't have access to the fishery, we would be dealt with [using] the full force of the law," said Rick Simon, regional vice-chief for Nova Scotia and Newfoundland at the Assembly of First Nations. The government also condemned the non-natives, and called on them to be patient. "It's a bit unfair to think that we can resolve this so quickly, and come up with interim arrangements. These [native] people have been waiting for hundreds of years to get this treaty reaffirmed," said Marc-André Lanteigne of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. He said that he understands the concerns of the non-natives but that the DFO can prevent native fishing only if it affects conservation efforts. The DFO started meeting with native groups on Saturday and is still trying to come up with an agreement. Fisheries Minister Herb Dhaliwal was supposed to visit the Maritimes on Friday but is expected to reschedule his trip for earlier in the week. Meanwhile, the tense New Brunswick situation was uppermost in the minds of many fishermen at a meeting in Yarmouth, N.S., yesterday. The Nova Scotia fishermen have vowed to use their boats to pull up native fishing gear on Wednesday if the local native bands do not do it voluntarily. The non-native groups insist that aboriginal fishermen should not be catching lobster during a closed season. They are also demanding the DFO move quickly to regulate the native fishery by setting catch limits and fishing seasons to coincide with existing fishing rules. In an emotional meeting attended by about 700 people at a Yarmouth high school, several fishermen said they were simply fed up. "There's no more room for nobody in this fishery so let's get that gear out of the water," one fisherman shouted. The fishermen also say thousands of lobster traps are being illegally operated by people who claim to be non-status natives. But on Saturday, the DFO said that the Supreme Court decision does not apply to non-status natives and that the department's enforcement officers will be hauling gear of the non-status natives out of the water this morning. Wayne Spinney, a lobster fisherman who chaired the meeting, told the audience that they had won a major victory in persuading the DFO to do so. But several other fishermen insisted that the number of natives who are involved in the fishery will increase, depleting lobster stocks and reducing incomes for the more than 900 non-native lobster fishermen in the Yarmouth area. However, lobster fisherman Junior Theriault, who has been involved in negotiating with the native groups, said the angry fishermen had to give their leaders time to work on an agreement with local bands. "If not we'll have a civil war here for the rest of our lives. Is that what we want?" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Copyright © 1999 Globe Information Services
