Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaw Chiefs links shooting to lucrative elver fishery

RCMP in Nova Scotia have issued a provincewide arrest warrant for a Dartmouth man following a shooting that Mi'kmaw leaders say is related to Nova Scotia's lucrative elver fishery.

RCMP say a 38-year-old Eskasoni man suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries when he was shot early Wednesday morning following an altercation inside a home in Meteghan, N.S.

Police say Mitchel Mannette fled a home on Peter Dugas Road in a red Honda Civic before officers arrived.

Mannette, 29, has been charged with multiple offences including discharge of a firearm with intent and reckless discharge of a firearm.

RCMP said Mannette and the victim are known to each other. Investigators believe that the victim was targeted and this was not a random incident.

The incident prompted the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaw Chiefs to release a statement on Friday accusing the Department of Fisheries and Oceans of mismanaging the fishery by failing to protect Indigenous fishers from lawfully harvesting on rivers in the southern part of the province.

Four Mi'kmaw First Nations have reached agreements with DFO to harvest 1,200 kilograms of elvers — or baby eels — in recognition of their treaty right to make a moderate living from fishing. Elvers can sell for up to $5,000 per kilogram. They are shipped live to Asia and grown for food.

Chief Gerald Toney, fisheries co-lead for the Assembly of Nova Scotia Mi'kmaw Chiefs, said the assembly has previously expressed concerns to DFO about the safety of its harvesters in this region, "but we certainly did not anticipate things going this bad, this quickly."

"DFO has an obligation to make our fishing in those specified rivers safe. Clearly from yesterday's incident, we can see that DFO needs to do more to ensure safety on the water and to ensure that conservation and protection measures are being met," Toney said in the release.

Eskasoni is not one of the four Kespukwitk area First Nations that have DFO-authorized moderate livelihood elver fisheries.

No evidence shooting linked to fishery: RCMP

RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Chris Marshall says the Mounties do not have any evidence the shooting was directly related to the elver fishery.

"Our investigators have not been provided with any information that links this incident to the elver fishery and that's where we're at right now," Marshall told CBC News.

Commercial elver licence-holders have complained for many years that both Indigenous and non-Indigenous people have been illegally fishing rivers assigned to them exclusively by DFO.

In 2020, DFO shut down the entire Maritime elver fishery after an influx of Mi'kmaw fishers overwhelmed its ability to manage it.

Although the RCMP have not found a connection between the shooting and the elver fishery, Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray discussed the chiefs' concerns in an emergency meeting Thursday, the department told CBC News.

The department said its conservation and protection officers and RCMP will be on the ground patrolling multiple "high interest areas" in southern Nova Scotia.

Quota transferred to Mi'kmaq

In 2022 and 2023, DFO transferred 14 per cent of the commercial quota to the four Kespukwitk First Nations: Acadia, Annapolis Valley, Bear River and Glooscap.

DFO also says it has increased enforcement to stop illegal elver fishing.

"Fishery officers will be patrolling rivers, inspecting holding facilities and conducting surveillance and inspections at airports, border crossings and other exit points to ensure compliance with the regulations related to the harvest and sale of elver," DFO spokesperson Lauren Sankey said in a statement to CBC News earlier this week.

In its release, the chiefs said there have been large groups of non-Indigenous people taking to the rivers in Kespukwitk to harvest elvers in recent weeks, including those using high-mortality fish traps called fyke nets, raising serious conservation concerns that DFO appears to be incapable or unwilling to control.

"DFO appears to be doing little to control unlawful elver harvest activity and to make sure our Kespukwitk fishers are safe from violence. This is unacceptable and it is time that federal officers start taking steps to ensure the safety of all," Toney said.

The release did not refer to the presence of unauthorized Indigenous harvesters.

DFO sent a statement after this story was posted.

"Fisheries and Oceans Canada is aware of the incident in Meteghan. Please direct questions on the investigation to the RCMP. Violence risking the safety of harvesters, the public, and our officers is a threat to the proper management and control of the fishery, which may necessitate additional actions.

"The safety and security of all those involved in the fishery remains the DFO's first priority. DFO will continue to work closely with our partner agencies and departments to promote a peaceful and orderly fishery, and with the RCMP and local police to monitor and address criminal activity."