The Canadian province of Nova Scotia has introduced higher financial penalties for violations of the nations Fisheries and Coast Resources Act to discourage illegal fishing activities.
“We’ve heard the concerns of the seafood industry and are taking strong action,” Nova Scotia Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture Kent Smith said in a release.
The provincial government claims that up to 30 percent of lobster landings in Atlantic Canada go unreported – the equivalent of CAD 400 million (USD 294 million, EUR 246 million) in unrealized taxable income. Despite the widespread issue, most of the summary offense tickets law enforcement could issue carried fines of less than CAD 1,000 (USD 735, EUR 614).
Nova Scotia has worked to improve its capacity to tackle illegal fishing activities over the last several months. In November 2025, Smith announced the creation of a unit of inspectors dedicated to ensuring compliance on the province’s wharves and seafood facilities. Those inspectors will be charged with inspecting, monitoring, investigating, and acting on regulatory offenses, according to the announcement.
“Our new compliance unit will target illegal seafood-related activities that are negatively impacting the sustainability of our resources and the safety of our communities,” Smith said at the time. “As the regulator of the shore-based fish buying and processing sector, these inspectors will focus their activities on the wharves and in seafood facilities where illegal activities occur.”
The government also claims to have modernized its regulations, hired a license compliance analyst to look for issues in buyer and processor data, and contracted with a forensic accounting firm to conduct third-party audits of records collected from licensed buyers and processors.
“While most harvesters and buyers play by the rules, it has become clear in recent years that much more needs to be done to effectively deter and root out illegal or unreported transactions from our industry,” Lobster Processors Association Executive Director Nat Richard said in November. “This requires urgent and collaborative actions by both levels of government. Nova Scotia continues to show the way forward with the deployment of this new compliance team.”
Now, the provincial government has designated 31 new summary offenses, all with higher fine amounts than previous regulations.
“Designating new summary offenses with significant fines reflects our commitment to combating illegal activities,” Smith said. “This step, along with others, will ensure that our seafood industry continues to grow responsibly while making our rural coastal communities safer.”
Two noteworthy fines highlighted by the Nova Scotian government include:
- A CAD 5,000 (USD 3,677, EUR 3,070) fine for a first offense of falsifying, unlawfully altering, or destroying documents, with the fine doubling for subsequent offenses; and
- A CAD 25,000 (USD 18,380, EUR 15,352) fine for a first offense of buying or processing illegally caught fish, with the fine doubling for subsequent offenses.
The changes are already in effect, meaning Canadian conservation officers can immediately begin issuing tickets with the higher fines.
The new fines come shortly after the province increased maximum fines for a first offense violation of the Fisheries and Coastal Resources Act from CAD 100,000 (USD 73,500, EUR 61,400) to CAD 1 million (USD 735,000, EUR 614,000), which can double for a second offense.
The changes have been welcomed by the province’s seafood industry.
“Historically, if somebody was going to lay a charge, you’d have to go through an extensive legal process to get the charge,” Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance Executive Director Kris Vascotto told the CBC. “Under this, you have a summary offense ticket, which is just like if you’re speeding and you get a speeding ticket. You have an opportunity to plead guilty and pay the fine or else to try and challenge it in court.”
