by Marc Laframboise MMNN Contributor

Located on the banks of the Miramichi River in Northern New Brunswick is the picturesque Mi’kmaw community of Eel Ground First Nation. With a population of over 900 residents, the community has built a thriving band-owned commercial fishery enterprise (CFE) that continues to grow and prosper. Not long ago, the community purchased a 45-foot, multifunctional fishing vessel which is currently going through the final phases of construction and on schedule to be delivered later this month.

“This new vessel is very important to our commercial fishing strategy, will create additional employment and increase revenues for our community. We will add flexibility to our fleet, be able to diversify our commercial fishery and use the new vessel to train our employees. They are just working on the finishing touches as we speak,” said Tim Simon, Eel Ground First Nation’s Fisheries Coordinator.

The community’s CFE currently employs 25 people. The vast majority are community members. There are 6 captains, 17 deckhands and 2 administration employees. They own 8 fishing licenses (6 lobster, 1 crab and 1 bass). They are the only First Nation with a bass fishing license. Roughly 80% of the CFE’s revenue comes from lobster harvesting, 20% from harvesting crab and a minimal amount from bass fishing to this point. Because of the rising price of lobster, the community’s revenues have been very strong in the last two years.

They have a fleet of 6 lobster ...

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