Four people face serious charges for illegal lobster fishing in southwest N.S.
Posted Jun 12, 2026 10:14:45 AM.
Last Updated Jun 15, 2026 01:01:56 PM.
Federal authorities have arrested four people and released more than 75 lobsters back into the ocean near St. Mary’s Bay.
Although the Department of Fisheries and Oceans only released details on Thursday, the arrests were made back on May 31 after officers inspected a boat in Saulnierville, in which they found 76 lobsters, most of which were under the minimum legal size.
According to a social post from DFO Maritimes, the enforcement of minimum size is made because “lobsters of legal size are likelier to have reproduced before they were fished.”
The federal department says a vessel was seized along with 40 lobster traps, and four people were taken into custody, who face charges of fishing without authorization.
In federal terms, penalties for possessing or catching undersized lobster in Canada can result in serious fines up to $5,000 for individual, first-time summary convictions.
However, under the Fishery Act’s maximum penalties, serious or repeat offenders can see fines reach up to $1,000,000 or higher.
DFO officers say they released the live lobsters back into the ocean, but there were no further details about the arrests made.
Although this was a federal arrest, it comes after the province announced earlier this year that it was cracking down on illegal fisheries activities with new, tougher penalties.
In January, the Nova Scotia government launched 31 new summary offences with higher fine amounts.
In a release, it noted up to 30 per cent of annual lobster landings in Atlantic Canada go unreported, representing up to $400 million in unrealized taxable income for the province.
