To report suspected violations of the Fisheries Act, contact your local fishery officer:

Mr. Deveau was sentenced to pay a total of $10,000 in fines ($5,000 for each conviction) by March 9, 2026. Almost $77,000 from the sale of seized catch from within the closed area was also forfeited.

On October 21, 2025, at Antigonish Provincial Court in #NS, Noah Deveau pleaded guilty on two counts under section 43.4 (1) of the Fisheries Act for unauthorized fishing in a closed area and inaccurate hail-in.

@CoastGuardCAN @hfxjrcc Learn how DFO fishery officers support the lobster fishery:

As always, we will continue to work with @CoastGuardCAN , @hfxjrcc , and other partner agencies to monitor fishing activity. We wish all harvesters a safe season!

Wasoqopa’q (Acadia), Bear River, Glooscap and Annapolis Valley First Nations will fish in pursuit of a moderate livelihood and sell their catch during the commercial seasons in these LFAs, under a DFO authorization. Interference with this legal fishery will not be tolerated.

During the 2024-2025 season, harvesters in LFAs 33 and 34 landed 21,500 metric tonnes of lobster, worth approximately $540 M.

Today is #DumpingDay in Southwestern Nova Scotia, when harvesters dump their lobster traps into the water for the first time during the fishing season in Lobster Fishing Areas (LFAs) 33 and 34, opening Canada’s largest and most valuable lobster fishery!

These collaborative efforts with Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia help strengthen our science, our relationships, and our overall understanding and long-term care of the St. Anns Bank MPA

We visually observed life on the water, and below the surface through marine mammal identification and SCUBA dives to underwater habitats🤿 🐋

We deployed 29 acoustic receivers to track aquatic animals tagged with electronic transmitters as they move in and around the MPA and proposed IPCA, helping us to understand connectivity between conservation areas and the surrounding marine environment.

Through the collection of eDNA we analyzed genetic material left behind by marine organisms using the area 🧬 providing a snapshot of diversity and helping to create a foundation for long-term, non-invasive monitoring.

This summer, we set out to sea with @UINR staff to explore the St. Anns Bank Marine Protected Area (MPA). Together, we conducted research that’s helping us better understand the species, features and shared priorities of this special ocean space.

During a Halloween fundraiser, DFO Maritimes Region staff were busy gathering food and monetary donations for Feed Nova Scotia. A total of 62kg of food was collected, with fishery officers helping with the delivery.

Commercial harvesters are required to pay annual licence fees in most fisheries by December 31 each year. 💻 You can pay your annual licence fees online via the National Online Licensing System: https://t.co/zVoq7t21ps

This partnership enables the co-management of the St. Anns Bank MPA, ensuring both Indigenous and Western knowledge are equally considered in the study and management of this special ocean area. Learn more about our last survey stops: https://t.co/R1Gveu3XO8.

We also collected eDNA to evaluate biodiversity and potential presence of invasive species – a collaborative project with the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia.

Passive acoustic monitoring helps us detect when & where whales pass through this area, informing decisions on how to best protect them. In the St. Anns Bank MPA we collected physical, chemical, and biological data.

📍St. Anns Bank Marine Protected Area (MPA), where we also collected environmental DNA (eDNA) data! The Cabot Strait is an area of heavy vessel traffic which threatens whales who use this migratory corridor.

Our collaborative fall science survey has come to an end. The final days involved water sampling in two priority areas: 📍Cabot Strait, where six passive acoustic monitoring moorings were also retrieved