PETIT DE GRAT - The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has cancelled Nova Scotia's three remaining shark fishing derbies, including an event which had been running in Isle Madame during the first week of August since 2011. 

A statement provided to Telile Community Television by DFO Maritime Region officials confirmed that the shark derbies have proceeded in previous years under the issuing of scientific licenses under Section 52 of the national Fisheries General Regulations as a way to support the department's science requirements. However, the same statement adds that the department no longer requires these derbies for scientific purposes, resulting in the recent cancellation of events in Petit de Grat as well as the South Shore communities of Lockeport and Yarmouth. 

According to DFO officials, three criteria must be met for those wishing to hold shark fishing derbies in the future: 

1. Tournaments authorized through the issuance of a recreational licence that permits catch and release, which would allow tagging, but not landing; 
2. Tournaments authorized through the issuance of a recreational licence that permits retention, which requires human consumption of the catch in order to avoid waste; and,
3. Tournaments authorized through the issuance of a scientific licence, with the support of another organization (or DFO in the future, as needed) that requests scientific study of a shark, that would require the shark to be landed in circumstances outside commercial fishery bycatch.

Since the event first took place in Petit de Grat 12 years ago, it has been overseen by officials with the Marine Research Centre at the Petit de Grat campus of Universite Sainte-Anne. Two of these officials - the centre's executive director Michelle Theriault and one of its key researchers, Aleasha David - had recently taken on leadership roles for the event. 

Reached by Telile LJI journalist Adam Cooke last week, David struck a conciliatory tone and suggested that DFO officials "have a point" in demanding specific criteria for the derbies to take place in the future. 

"We understand that, and we may not be able to have it again," David conceded. "But we have several fishermen on our board, and we're just trying to see if there's any way we can work around this to see if we can have the event again."