Nova ScotiaThe arrests of members of an alleged crime group and its connection to lobster fishing in southwest Nova Scotia is significant news for the industry, according to the local MP. Fisheries Act charges part of case brought forward by RCMP following 13-month investigationGareth Hampshire · CBC News · Posted: Nov 24, 2025 3:27 PM EST | Last Updated: 3 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.A number of charges announced last week include several under the Fisheries Act. (Brian McInnis/CBC)The arrests of members of an alleged crime group and its connection to lobster fishing in southwest Nova Scotia is significant news for the industry, according to the local MP.Police announced a number of charges last week against four men, including several under the Fisheries Act against Eric David Thibault, a 66-year-old lobster dealer that RCMP allege is the ringleader of the group. Those charges include fishing for lobster during a closed season without a licence, and selling lobster caught in contravention of the act.Chris d’Entremont, the MP for Acadie-Annapolis, said protecting the integrity of the fishery is crucial considering its importance to the province’s economy and especially its attempts to access new markets around the world.He said tracking and traceability of products is a key part of that and unreported fisheries create problems.“If we don’t know where the fish is coming from or who paid for it, who caught it, you know, what pound it was in, who was the trucker, who was the transporter,” d’Entremont said. “So we need to do a bit of a cleanup on this side.”Finding new markets for lobster is an ongoing mission for the industry, which is hoping to offset some of the losses created by Chinese tariffs on seafood.‘It does not represent the industry as a whole,’ says seafood allianceThe Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance estimates a drop of about $100 million in exports to China between April and the end of August.“The beautiful part about those traceability systems is they actually act as a safeguard against unauthorized sales entering into that value chain,” said Kris Vascotto, the alliance’s executive director. Vascotto said the industry has been ahead of the game on traceability to maintain and explore markets.He said the timing of the recent charges was unfortunate coming just prior to the opening of the most lucrative lobster fishery in the country. However, he said his group has been asking for increased enforcement and said it is a small part of the industry that has been subject to those types of investigations.“It does not represent the industry as a whole,” he said. “And because of that, they should still have that continued interest and confidence that they can purchase our seafood and not be supporting criminal organizations or just illegal fishing.”Thibault’s lawyer, Allan MacDonald, shared an emailed statement with CBC News noting Thibault is “presumed innocent and should benefit from that presumption.””The charges he faces are merely allegations at this point,” the statement said. “Mr. Thibault eagerly awaits the opportunity to contest these allegations in court, notwithstanding the real possibility that the RCMP’s comments to the media have prejudiced his ability to receive a fair trial in the region.”RCMP said it is rare for them to lay charges under the Fisheries Act but in this case they say officers “directly observed activity they believed contravened the Fisheries Act while investigating criminal activity.”Police said they consulted with Fisheries and Oceans Canada and laid the charges on the department’s behalf.MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORGareth Hampshire began his career with CBC News in Edmonton. He is now based in Halifax.
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