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The situation in Mi'gma'gi is escalating.
Nova Scotia has issued a total of 985 licenses to settlers to fish for lobster. A boat fishing under one of those licenses can have up to 375 or 400 lobster pots, or traps.
Even by the most conservative estimate, settlers are working with roughly 367,125 lobster traps.
Even by the most conservative estimate, settlers are working with roughly 367,125 lobster traps.
Conversely, Mi'gmaq have issued a total of 5 - that's right FIVE - licenses to Lnu fishermen. Each of those licenses allow fishermen to have up to 50 lobster traps.
Even by the most conservative estimate, Mi'gmaq are working with roughly 250 lobster traps.
Even by the most conservative estimate, Mi'gmaq are working with roughly 250 lobster traps.
Now you tell me who is the bigger threat to lobster stocks and marine conservation in general? I'm no bigshot mathematician, but it seems to me like ONE average Nova Scotia lobster fishing vessel is working with many more lobster traps than all Mi'gmaq vessels combined.
Keep this discrepancy in mind when you read about settlers cutting lines on Mi'gmaw traps, when you see videos of them shooting flare guns at us, when you hear stories about gas stations refusing to serve us because we're Native.
Whenever someone directs violence, intimidation, and threats at us in the name of "conservation" remember that settlers take more lobster using a SINGLE BOAT than our entire fleet does.
If settlers are so worried, they should ask their neighbors to stop fishing so much.
If settlers are so worried, they should ask their neighbors to stop fishing so much.
The fact of the matter is that we've been fishing these waters for thousands of years and we've never had any problems. The fishery has never been on the verge of collapsing under our watch.
Can settlers say the same?
Can settlers say the same?
[note: I got these statistics from the NS lobster fisheries site, but this post is really just riffing off and building on a post that @killaatencio made on Facebook]
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#MikmawTwitter
#Mikmaq
#Mikmaw
#LnuTwitter
#PeaceAndFriendship
#ModerateLivelihood
#MarshallDecision
#LandBack
#Resurgence
#Indigenize
#Decolonize
#cdnpoli
#cdnmedia
#Canada
#NovaScotia
#Upsettlers
#DFO
Found a fundraiser on FB that you can donate to.
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=4892587897425878&substory_index=0&id=100000241480299
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=4892587897425878&substory_index=0&id=100000241480299
Please note that I made a slight error in my numbers. As per this article by @mgoogoo at @Kukukwes, there were 7 licenses issued to Mi'gmaw fishermen, not 5.
Virtually nothing is changed by this correction in the grand scheme of things. Just for accuracy http://kukukwes.com/2020/09/18/nova-scotia-first-nation-launches-its-own-moderate-livelihood-fishery/
Virtually nothing is changed by this correction in the grand scheme of things. Just for accuracy http://kukukwes.com/2020/09/18/nova-scotia-first-nation-launches-its-own-moderate-livelihood-fishery/
Update. Click to read the full thread: https://twitter.com/TheAgentNDN/status/1307494782332219392?s=20
Update from about an hour ago:
Lines are being cut. Boats attacked. Hearing that an APTN reporter was on the boat under attack, so there'll probably be some footage of that shortly. People are saying that the police and other agencies are standing down and letting it happen.
Lines are being cut. Boats attacked. Hearing that an APTN reporter was on the boat under attack, so there'll probably be some footage of that shortly. People are saying that the police and other agencies are standing down and letting it happen.
