Canada’s Federal Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the Canadian and American governments will vigorously try to convince the European Union that American lobster does not pose a threat.
LeBlanc vowed to fight after an arm of the European Union announced Tuesday that there’s enough scientific evidence to move forward with a review of Sweden’s request to declare the American lobster an invasive species.
The analysis of the scientific evidence is far from certain from our perspective. We believe we have equally compelling, if not more compelling, scientific evidence to say that it is not an invasive species whatsoever, LeBlanc said Tuesday.
The opinion of the European Union’s Scientific Forum on Invasive Alien Species sets in motion a broader review of the proposal to ban American lobsters, but a spokeswoman for the European Commission stresses it is only a preliminary opinion.
Before a final decision on whether to list or not, a number of further consultations will now take place, Iris Petsa wrote in an email to The Canadian Press.
The commission will be considering all information submitted by the U.S. and Canadian authorities.
Lobster fishermen in Canada and the U.S. stand to lose $200 million in business with EU countries if the ban becomes a reality, but they contend a ban is not supported by science.
Sweden set the wheels in motion when it announced it had found 32 American lobsters in the country’s waters earlier this year and that they pose a threat to native crustaceans.
How the American lobsters ended up in Swedish waters is unclear.
The expanded review won’t be completed until the spring, at the earliest.
Christian Brun, executive-secretary of the Maritime Fishermen’s Union, said 85 per cent of live lobster from his region currently goes to the United States, but Europe is a coveted market.
(The European Union) is an emerging market and it was to become important in the future especially with a free trade agreement if that also goes through, Brun said.
TC Media © 2016