As of Monday, Clearwater Seafoods has been sold in an historic $1 billion deal.
The new owners are a partnership between British Columbia-based Premium Brands, a specialty food company, and an Indigenous coalition, led by the Membertou First Nation from Cape Breton, NS, and the Miawpukek band from Newfoundland and Labrador.
This means that a Mi’kmaq coalition will own 50% of the largest seafood brand in Canada.
The same seafood brand whose commercial lobster fishermen harassed Indigenous lobster fisherman earlier this fall for exercising their right to fish in the off-season.
In a news release, Membertou Chief Terry Paul also noted that “Mi'kmaq not only become 50% owners of the company but expect to hold Clearwater's Canadian fishing licences within a fully Mi'kmaq owned partnership. This collective investment by First Nations in Clearwater represents the single largest investment in the seafood industry by any Indigenous group in Canada.”
Which is, to put it bluntly, fucking fantastic.
Now, this deal was put into place months ago. It’s not something that arose after the violence on Nova Scotia shores. But the timing is just wonderful.
Paul also told CBC that the coalition has put up $250 million for it’s share.
"I feel excited about it," said Paul. "We're a player now. In order to be in business, you first have to play the game.
You have to play to win, and we won."
*chef’s kiss*
There are a few different kinds of fishing licenses that Indigenous fishers can apply for, including a commercial license, a ceremonial license, and a moderate livelihood license. That last one was what the Nova Scotia fisherman had an issue with.
The moderate livelihood license allows Indigenous fishers to set a small number of lobster traps (about 30 - 40 per licence) in the off-season to help maintain their moderate livelihood.
Non-Indigenous fishermen protested, saying that this practice could deplete lobster stock, which has been disproven. But the science apparently didn’t sway many of the protestors, who destroyed Indigenous lobster stock and vandalized their equipment before burning a warehouse down.
Will this deal immediately settle the tensions over lobster fishing in the Maritimes? Of course not. The commercial licenses that the Mi’kmaq coalition now hold don’t have anything to do with the moderate livelihood licences, so this deal doesn’t address the core of the issue, which is respecting and honouring treaty rights.
But there might be indirect benefits, not least of which is having Indigenous voices as a major player in one of the largest industries in Canada.
This year’s lobster season begins on November 30. Boats will head out before sunrise, with teams of fishermen setting traps and running lines. The same as it’s always been.
But it will be interesting to see what happens when those boats return to shore.
Recommendations From the Slush Pile:
Indigenous women are more likely to face abuse while giving birth.
Are you drunk? Try hyperventilating.
Spending a lonely year on campus.
I profiled Josh Gondelman for Timber, and had a lovely time doing it.
The novel of the week is Bunny by Mona Awad, which is creepy and weird but also nails the special language and relationships of girl groups.
One Last Thing:
I feel like we all need a carwash but for our brains. Here’s the next best thing: