Groups call for answers on Basin clam closure

Clam harvesters, First Nations, clam buyers and community members in Annapolis and Digby counties are demanding answers about the recent closure of the clam harvest in the Annapolis Basin.

All clams harvesting in the basin was closed by Environment Canada over the long weekend because of a sewage spill in the Digby area. Similar spills have happened frequently in past years, always resulting in the closure of the immediate area which had been polluted. In this case the whole basin, a huge area, was closed, with extensive unpolluted areas closed as well, affecting the incomes of 265 licensed harvesters, four local clam plants and plant workers.

Other than a vague press release no information has been released about the closure by Environment Canada or DFO. However many observers believe this massive closure is the result of a recently implemented protocol between Canadian bureaucracies and US officials. Although negotiations on this agreement have apparently been underway for sometime, Fisheries Canada and Environment Canada have not informed the people and businesses affected.

The board of the recently formed CHA2 Clammers Association has expressed concern at the number of unanswered questions regarding this closure. Why has it been shrouded in secrecy? Why have unpolluted areas been closed as well as the affected areas? When was the necessary testing done?

How can the Canadian government destroy jobs in rural Nova Scotia without the slightest explanation? How and when can the basin be re-opened?

What, if anything, can the clam harvester do to help? When is the Canadian government going to get to work cleaning up the environment instead of using closures as the answer? Since when do U.S. regulations close our waters?

Clam association president Ken Weir said, “We represent the people whose livelihoods will be taken away by this closure. We want answers now. Why were not we informed about this protocol, and when we asked for information about this closure we were flatly refused. We are demanding an immediate meeting with senior officials to get some information about this matter, as well as answers to our questions.”

This closure also affects Aboriginal food and potential commercial fisheries. Sherry Pictou of the Bear River First Nation said “We are very concerned that the federal government has taken this action without any consultation with our community, especially with the chief and council or through the existing consultation process between Mi'kmaq, federal and provincial governments. This consultation is not optional under Canadian law.”

Recreational clam diggers and clam buyers are also very worried about the impact of this closure and concerned about the lack of information.