A number of lobstermen fishing the Atlantic just north of Maine are allegedly hiding their catch to avoid taxes.
So the marine patrol in New Brunswick is joining its counterparts in Nova Scotia cracking down on lobster theft.
Nova Scotia was the first to focus on unreported catches, which the police say is costing the province $400 million a year in lost tax revenue.
The Nova Scotia government has said up to 30 per cent of annual lobster landings in the Atlantic region go unreported.
New Brunswick Public Safety Ministry has begun hiring a team of enforcement officers who’ll monitor, inspect and investigate lobster landings and inventories, to ensure what’s on paper matches what actually came to shore.
The officers comprise an anti-fraud unit similar to one recently formed in Nova Scotia, according to CTV news.
Maine’s Lobstering Neighbors Cracking Down On Stolen Atlantic Catch
By Ted Cohen
