The Canadian halibut industry is accusing France of seeking an exorbitant share of the fishery in negotiations with Canada on quotas for the valuable groundfish that migrate across the jurisdictions of both countries. Canadian fishermen from Nova Scotia to Nunavut would be the losers if France prevails, said Bruce Chapman, executive director of the Atlantic Halibut Council, representing both inshore and offshore Canadian harvesters. French territorial waters extend into the Atlantic from the islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, 25 kilometres from the southern coast of Newfoundland and Labrador.
"We urgently need the government of Canada's help to address and resolve this matter with France and Saint Pierre and Miquelon, whose aggressive actions are putting at risk the otherwise collegial and collaborative relationship between the two fishery interests, if not also more broadly," said Chapman. Bruce Chapman of the Atlantic Halibut Council wants to see the government of Canada step in. (Patrick Butler / CBC) For decades, the two countries have negotiated quota shares for so-called straddling stocks but have been unable to formalize an agreement on sharing halibut quota, most recently in 2016.
In a May 28 letter to the industry, Chapman said those negotiations were based on respective catch history, and the Saint Pierre and Miquelon share amounted to 1.5 per cent of the combined catch. The Atlantic-wide landings were 4,000 tonnes in 2023.
The fishery was valued at $100 million..
