Members of the Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point say they will continue to fish in federal waters despite questions about their rights.

The Passamaquoddy are known as the "people who catch pollock" in their language. The tribe has a 1794 treaty that refers to fishing and the courts in Canada have recognized the rights of Native people to fish in the Atlantic Ocean.

"We've been fishing here for thousands of years. For us there are no federal waters, no state line," Kani Malsom, a tribal member who owns a fishing vessel, told The Quoddy Times.

But the U.S. government says tribal members must secure federal permits and follow federal regulations. A fisherman and one of Malsom's vessels was recently cited by the U.S. Coast Guard and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

Get the Story:
Tribe asserts right to fish in federal waters (The Quoddy Ties 9/14)

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