Seven accused of illegally catching gaspereau near fish ladder in Cape Breton

Gulls fight over an alewife, known in Nova Scotia as a gaspereau, on Friday, May 14, 2021, in Nobleboro, Maine. The species migrates from the ocean to freshwater rivers and lakes to breed each spring. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

GRAND RIVER — The federal Fisheries Department has accused seven people in Nova Scotia of unauthorized fishing after its officers seized 3,800 kilograms of fish in southeastern Cape Breton earlier this month.

The department says the fish that were seized in the community of Grand River were gaspereau, also known as alewife.

Members of the herring family, gaspereau spend most of their lives in the ocean but head to freshwater rivers and lakes in the spring to spawn.

The fishers are accused of catching the fish 23 metres downstream from the entrance of a fish ladder — a manmade structure that helps fish bypass barriers that block migration routes.

The department says that catching fish at that location prevents them from moving up river to breed.

It says officers used a drone to observe the fishers, who are also accused of keeping more than the 20-fish daily recreational limit for gaspereau in Nova Scotia.

The accused allegedly gained access to the fish ladder by cutting through a large fence with signs warning against fishing that close to the structure.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 17, 2026.