Nova Scotia judge upholds fisheries minister’s right to impose licence moratorium

CITYnews halifax / By The Canadian Press

HALIFAX — The Nova Scotia Supreme Court has upheld the provincial fisheries minister’s right to impose a moratorium on new licences for fish buyers and processors that has been in place since 2018.

In a decision issued last week, Justice James Chipman dismissed an appeal by Meteghan, N.S., lobster processor Lobster Hub Inc.

The company launched the appeal in April after applications to expand its processing licence to include snow crab and other species were rejected by three different fisheries ministers over a three-year period.

Lobster Hub filed its initial request to the provincial Fisheries Department in February 2021.

Chipman notes that in all three instances, the ministers rejected the company’s application citing an ongoing policy review that had halted the issuing of new licences.

In his ruling, the judge says the moratorium falls within the fisheries minister’s authority to create and administer policies under the Fisheries and Coastal Resources Act.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 1, 2024.

The Canadian Press