Located in the Gulf of Maine, south of Grand Manan Island, Machias Seal Island has the only lighthouse in the Maritimes that still has keepers working on site. It is located in the heart of an area of water dubbed The Grey Zone.Article contentMaritime lobster fishers are about to return to waters claimed by both Canada and the United States.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentCaptains are anxious to see whether the rhetoric by President Donald Trump and pressure from Maine congressman Jared Golden results in increased American pressure.Article contentArticle content“It remains to be seen – nobody knows,” said Brian Guptil, president of the Grand Manan Fishermen’s Association, about the reception Canadian fishing vessels will get this season in an area of water dubbed the Grey Zone.Article contentArticle content“We’ve heard reports of big coast guard cutters spending a little more time in the area, but we’ll have to wait and see.”Article contentThe Grey Zone is a 700-square-kilometre area of water long claimed by both Canada and the United States in the Gulf of Maine.Article contentAt its heart is Machias Seal Island, on which Canada continues to maintain a staffed lighthouse as a declaration of sovereignty.Article contentWhile Maine lobster fishermen fish there year round, some 70 Canadian boats, primarily from Grand Manan with a few from southwest Nova Scotia, head there after the season in lobster fishing area 38 closes June 29.Article contentThis spring, Trump issued an executive order dubbed Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness, which directed the commerce secretary to “consider suspending, revising, or rescinding regulations that overly burden America’s commercial fishing industries and the United States Trade Representative to examine other nations’ trade practices.”Article contentArticle contentResponding to the executive order, Maine congressman Golden penned a public letter to Trump pointing to what he characterized as unfair trade practices by Canada, our alleged subsidization of our fishing industry and regulatory inconsistencies between the two countries that benefited Canadian lobster fishers.Article contentArticle contentHe specifically referred to the Grey Zone.Article content“Maine’s seafood harvesters have been waiting too long for a resolution to the Gray Zone, with significant consequences for their safety, businesses, and the natural resources they depend on,” wrote Golden.Article contentThe international border around the zone has been in dispute between Canada and the United States since the 1700s.Article contentThe countries have a tacit agreement to abide by “flagship diplomacy,” whereby the home country of boats fishing within the Grey Zone is responsible only for enforcement for their own vessels.
The Grey Zone: Trump’s rhetoric casts shadow over disputed lobster ground
