Canadian fishers are being accused of “pillaging” fish from American waters in a video shared by U.S. President Donald Trump on social media.
The video, which Trump posted on July 5, alludes to a now-dismissed lawsuit against a New Brunswick seafood company over foreign ownership allegations.
“So here we have Canadian exploitation of U.S. natural resources. Does that make any sense today?” Phil Zalesak, president of the Southern Maryland Recreational Fishing Organization, says in the video.
Also in the video, Capt. Michael Frenette, a licensed fishing guide from Louisiana says, “The only two states that are allowing it are being pillaged by foreigners and that’s a fact.”
They’re referencing a longstanding controversy over allegations of overfishing the Menhaden, a small fish in the Chesapeake Bay.
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A speaker in the video alleges two thirds of the fish are being “removed by a Canadian company,” alluding to Cooke Inc., a seafood company based in Saint John, N.B.
Former MP Rick Perkins, who represented the riding of South Shore—St. Margarets in Nova Scotia, had a strong reaction to the video.
“I saw it on X like everybody else, I actually reposted and responded to it saying it’s total BS,” he said.
“No Canadians have (a) quota or our own companies that fish the stocks referenced in the video. That’s not part of the fishery, there’s no licences.”
In January, American courts dismissed a lawsuit alleging Cooke Inc. was violating laws that require all companies fishing in U.S. waters to be 75 per cent American-owned.
The lawsuit alleged the company was skirting these rules through the use of shell companies.
A spokesperson for Cooke Inc. referred Global News to Ocean Fleet Services and Ocean Harvesters.
In a statement, a spokesperson from those companies said the claims in the video are false.
“Ocean Harvesters does have a long-term supply contract with Omega Protein, which, while owned by Canada-based Cooke, Inc., is also headquartered in Reedville and operates exclusively in the U.S.,” the statement said.
“Omega Protein purchases the menhaden caught by Ocean Harvesters and processes it into fish meal and fish oil for use in aquaculture, health supplements, and healthy food for pets.”
Trump has made several comments alleging that the seafood trade between Canada and the U.S. is unfair. It’s unclear how fishing might be impacted with the looming July 21 deadline for the two countries to reach a trade deal.
For more on this story, watch the video above.
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‘It’s total BS’: Trump video taking aim at Canadian fishers, N.B. company scrutinized
