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SEPTEMBER 20, 2000

As part of an ongoing mediation process with the federal government, Mi'kmaq fishermen in New Brunswick will remove all untagged lobster traps from the waters of Miramichi Bay today.

The Burnt Church First Nation had been setting their own lobster traps according to their own rules and regulations. In response, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) had been raiding the waters, confiscated unmarked traps, arresting fisherman, and sinking boats.

Mediator and former Ontario premier Bob Rae called the move a "significant development." Karen Somerville, spokesperson for the Burnt Church First Nation, expressed hope that a settlement could eventually be reached.

Get the Story:
Mediator claims breakthrough in native fishing dispute (CBC 9/20)

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Relevant Links:
Fishing Fury, from the CBC: cbc.ca/news/indepth/fishingfury/index.html