Morning Read: Owens wants more from Canada on the fisherman incident
The Watertown Daily Times is reporting this morning that Rep. Bill Owens is far from satisfied with Canada’s handling of a controversial stop of an American fishing in Canadian waters a month ago. Owens says the response he got from Canadian Ambassador Gary Doer about the incident is “unacceptable.”
Officers boarded Roy Anderson’s boat and threatened to seize it if he didn’t pay a $1,000 fine on the spot. He did, and went on his way. But the action raised fears of a reinterpretation of the rules governing the border where it divides the St. Lawrence River.
In a statement e-mailed to NCPR and the Times, Owens said:
We find this response unacceptable as it does not provide a practical solution to the problem we face along the St. Lawrence.
Reportedly, they’re still talking.
Here’s Owens” full statement:
“We find this response unacceptable as it does not provide a practical solution to the problem we face along the St. Lawrence River. Yesterday and today I spoke to the Canadian Embassy requesting that they revisit this situation, which they are doing. We are having ongoing discussions in an attempt to reach a practical solution that benefits everyone involved.
“This will likely take several more weeks to resolve and we are hopeful that we will be able to find an realistic solution that allows us to return to the practices of the last hundred years for residents and tourists who fish and recreate along the river.
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How about a $1 fine. If not, then it’s all about the money and not the border.
Did they seize his boat? I’ve read conflicting accounts.
A little off subject but speaking of the St. Lawrence and by extension the Seaway, I was reading in a magazine this past week a story about the emerald ash borer which came from China.
The story had a map showing where the infestation has been the greatest. One thing stood out. The infestation has been greatest around Great Lakes seaports, especially Detroit. This makes me wonder if once again, the Seaway is the number one cause of invasive plants, insects and fish. It all started with the lamprey eel and has been going great guns ever since.
I can understand a little in the commercial fisheries where we are really talking large national interests. But sport fishing in the St. Lawrence River seems over the top for this sort of enforcement.
The fact that the officers had the means to accept a 1000,000 dollar fine, paid by credit card, is VERY interesting, if not a little FISHY in itself.
How do you say shakedown in francaise?
sorry — 1000.00