Canadian tribal lobster fishing tensions in the Gulf of Maine turn violent

BANGOR DAILY NEWS • October 18, 2020

Vandalism, physical intimidation and suspicious fires have broken out in Canada as tensions rise over indigenous fishing rights, according to Canadian news reports. A “suspicious” fire destroyed a storage building at a lobster pound near Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. The lobster storage facility is used by members of the Mi’kmaq tribe. It came weeks after angry mobs of non-tribal fishermen swarmed and vandalized lobster pounds used by Mi’kmaq fishermen, including the one set on fire Saturday. The fire is the latest in a series of escalating confrontations between Mi’kmaq and non-tribal lobstermen over the tribe’s position that it is not subject to seasonal fishing prohibitions.