Canada’s Turbot war with the Spanish could soon have a follow-up, the shrimp war with the Danes.
Fisheries Minister Gail Shea served notice on Tuesday, via news release, that unless ships from Greenland and the Faroe Islands, both controlled by Denmark, cease overfishing shrimp; Canada will block them from entering Canadian ports. Minister Shea says that the Greenlandic and Faroese authorities have until February 15th to respect the quota given to them by the North Atlantic Fisheries Organization or they’ll be blocked from making stops in Newfoundland and Labrador.
According to an official in Shea’s department, boats from the two Danish outposts have been taking almost 10 times as much shrimp from the waters east of the Grand Banks than they are supposed to. The shrimp stocks in question are spread across Canadian and International waters.
In 1995, then Canadian Fisheries Minister, Brian Tobin ordered a Canadian Coast Guard vessel, with support from the navy, to detain the Spanish trawler Estai for illegal turbot fishing. No word at this point if Minister Shea will consider similar action if the Danes refuse to comply with Canada’s demands over shrimp fishing.
Brian Lilley is the Ottawa Bureau Chief for radio stations Newstalk 1010 in Toronto and CJAD 800 in Montreal. Follow Brian on Twitter to get the latest as it happens.
Get more from Examiner.com's Canadian Politics Examiner
Harper's drop in the polls is not due to prorogation. Well, not all of it...
Comments
Nice to see Canada standing up for it's rights. Let's hope it is not a shallow threat.
Got something to say?
Examiner.com is looking for writers, photographers, and videographers to join the fastest growing group of local insiders. If you are interested in growing your online rep apply to be an Examiner today!