Posted on May 10, 2018
By Alison Brunette, CBC
More than 300 lobster fisherman on the Magdalen Islands took to the water Sunday, officially marking the start of their season.
But those on the English-speaking archipelago of Grosse-Îles were not happy about it.
For several years now, they’ve raised concerns about the safety of their harbour with the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO).
Last year, two fishermen nearly died when their boat hit the shallow bottom and capsized while coming into dock.
Now the lobster-fishing community is worried it could happen again.
David Burke, the president of the Association of Inshore Fisherman of the Magdalen Islands, said a buildup of silt in the harbour means the water is not deep enough for fishing boats to manoeuvre safely.
“It’s very dangerous. The access to the channel is very narrow,” he said.
Burke said DFO has put buoys in place to help guide the boats, but he said that’s not an adequate safety measure.
“When we’re coming into or from the harbour, the channel is very close to the south breakwater, which is all rocks,” he said.
“If a wave hits the boat, you don’t know where you’re going to go.”
Fisherman say dredging work is insufficient
Cédric Arseneau, the director of the DFO’s office on the Magdalen Islands, said dredging work was done earlier this spring and, according to recent surveys, the channel meets the required safety standards.
But the fishermen don’t believe that is good enough.
“Last year [we were told] it was safe, but two weeks later we had the accident,” said Burke.
The head of the fishing association said he’d like to see more dredging done.
“This year the dredge showed up two weeks in advance, but still nothing changed,” he said.
“Dredging equipment has been sitting idle in the harbour for the past month, and nobody will tell me why,” he said.
‘That close’ to losing 2 lives
“We were that close to losing two people’s lives last year, and one guy quit fishing,” said Burke. “He’ll live with that the rest of his life, and the captain as well.”
Wilma Clarke, whose two sons and brother fish out of Grosse-Île, said she lives in constant fear for everyone’s lives.
“My brother has been fishing here for 60 years,” she said. “They know what the depth of the water is, and how much water is needed.”
Burke said if nothing more done and another accident occurs, the fishermen will hold DFO accountable.
Source: CBC
