Federal minister defends enforcement since baby eel fishery closure in the Maritimes

 By Michael MacDonald THE CANADIAN PRESS HALIFAX- The office of federal Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray is rejecting allegations her department hasn’t done enough to stop poachers from harming the lucrative baby eel fisheries in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick. In a statement released late Wednesday, Murray’s office said fisheries officers have continued to enforce a fishing moratorium imposed April 15 amid reports of increasing poaching and violence along tidal rivers in the two provinces. Some commercial harvesters have come forward to complain that little has been done to stop the fishing, especially during the nearly two-week strike by members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, which includes fisheries officers. The strike started four days after the moratorium was imposed. The tiny, translucent eels, which are worth more than $4,000…

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