P.E.I. bait company puts seal meat plans on ice, fearing U.S. fallout

A P.E.I. company's high hopes for a new alternative bait using seal meat byproducts have come crashing down after being warned the United States might ban the import of any lobster or crab harvested by fishing crews that use it in their traps.

Bait Masters Inc. started producing bait sausages in its $1.4-million facility in Nine Mile Creek in April 2021, using a mix of fish, fish oil and other organic matter inside a biodegradable casing.

In March, the company did a test run of sausages using a seal-mackerel mix and the results were promising.

"I think it's the oil, the seal oil as an attraction, and possibly the meat itself," Bait Masters co-owner Mark Prevost said in an interview at that time.

"So far, I think seal would probably be one of the higher end [sausages] as far as quality goes, with oil and fat. I would consider it the Cadillac of all the baits that we've tried to make."

Bait Masters was taking pre-orders for the seal sausages, and Prevost said there was lots of interest.

Red flags raised

However, as word spread that the bait would contain seal byproducts, that triggered some red flags in the fishing industry because of U.S. rules around the seal harvest, laid out in the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act.

Prevost received an email that was being circulated to people in the lobster industry, warning of the implications if seal were to be used in trap bait.

It said the Department of Fisheries and Oceans had asked the American regulatory agency, NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration), about the potential implications of using marine mammal parts as bait.

In the email, the Americans responded: "The prohibition on intentional killing of marine mammals includes the use of marine mammal parts as bait in commercial fisheries. In this scenario, a fishery using marine mammal parts as bait would be unable to export to the United States."

Prevost sent a letter to federal Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray asking for clarification, and put a halt to the production and sale of the seal bait sausages.

"Our priority is fishermen and the industry. So we're not — I'm not touching it, until somebody says it's OK," Prevost said.

"Nobody told us. [The email] actually went out to other seafood alliances and councils. There was an email sent out that it could be a problem, and 'could be a problem' is enough for us to say that we're not doing it."

He added: "Until we get the stamp or some approval from the government, we don't want to risk it. We don't want to damage the lobster industry, or the crab industry."

Industry concerns

In a statement to CBC News, the P.E.I. Fishermen's Association said it too had concerns when it heard about the bait being made from seal byproducts, because about 80 per cent of the lobster caught by Island crews is exported to the United States.

The Fishermen's Association called a meeting after hearing about the seal bait sausage to talk about possible ramifications, with officials from DFO and the provincial Department of Fisheries present.

The statement said DFO had investigated and confirmed that any fishery using marine mammal parts as bait would be unable to export their products to the U.S.

The statement continued:  "We fully recognize that everyone has the freedom to own and operate a business with their own business model and the PEIFA have been supportive of these companies.

"In this instance, the PEIFA wanted to be sure that all stakeholders were aware of the implications of such a product as the lobster fishery is a key economic driver in this province. We are pleased the product is no longer being produced or tested for use in P.E.I."

Disappointed sealers

The director of the Intra Quebec Sealers Association based in the Magdalen Islands had been excited about the seal bait sausage and the potential to create jobs for sealers in the region.

Gil Thériault was disappointed but not surprised by the latest development.

"I mean it's just a perfect idea, and then DFO is opposing it because the States are telling them, you should be opposed to it," Thériault said.

"It's sad to say, but I think that the greatest enemy of fisheries right now is DFO.

"If the fishermen are not waking up very, very soon, you're going to have in the Gulf of St. Lawrence — and probably all around Canada — only protected species like whales, white shark and seals," Thériault said.

"Then seals are going to take care of the rest. They're going to clean up the bottom of the ocean, lobster and crab included."

Liberal MP Heath MacDonald has been following the company's progress, and was on hand during the production run of the seal bait sausages.

MacDonald said the U.S. Mammal Protection Act dates back to the 1970s and needs to be updated, because the situation has changed, especially around the size of the seal population.

He said he would like to see some kind of path forward to allow the seal bait to be used in the Canadian fishery without repercussions from the Americans.

"Yes, it could become a trade issue, but I also think that industry on both sides of the border need to come face to face, and see what they can do together to put pressure on the the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and their policy makers in the U.S.," MacDonald said.

"I will be pushing our minister, and I will be talking to industry, because I think industry is going to have to play a significant role in this."

Fisheries minister 'reviewing concerns'

The federal minister's office sent an email to CBC News addressing the situation facing Bait Masters.

"Bait Masters do important work and Minister [Joyce] Murray is supportive of alternative forms of bait," it said.

"The minister has received a letter from Bait Masters raising possible concerns about seal being used in bait and possible conflicts with the US Marine Mammal Protection Act for exported seafood. DFO is reviewing these concerns.

"In Canada, the harvesting of seals is guided by the Marine Mammal Regulations. The use of seal as bait is supported by the Canadian regulatory framework, provided that the products are legally sourced from licensed commercial harvesters."

CBC News also reached out to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the U.S.  It reiterated that seals are protected in the U.S. — and importing lobster that had been trapped with bait containing seal would be illegal.

Meanwhile, Prevost says the seal sausages produced that day in March are probably headed to the landfill, because he doesn't see any way that the U.S. rules around seals will be changing any time soon.