LeBlanc vows fight as European Union reviews impact of American lobster
FREDERICTON — Federal Fisheries Minister Dominic LeBlanc says the Canadian and American governments will “vigorously” try to convince the European Union that the 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.