Copyright © 2001 NLThomas
All Rights Reserved

ESGENOOPETITJ (BURNT CHURCH) - My first thought was, "They're going to run over us." The 16-foot long motorboat I was in was temporarily stopped; a line from one of the lobster traps had gotten tangled in our propellor. Suddenly, a 45-foot long, non-Native commercial fishing boat came racing towards us.

Ever since the Supreme Court of Canada affirmed the Mi'kmaq's Aboriginal treaty right to hunt, fish and gather to sustain a moderate livelihood, the members of Esgenoopetitj First Nation (EFN) have attempted to fish lobster in Miramichi Bay, the front yard of their reserve. And the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) and non-Native fishers in the area have attempted to stop them.

On Sunday, September 16, a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer drove onto the reserve and talked with a community member. He informed the community that fifty non-Native fishing boats from the surrounding area were coming in to the bay to have a "peaceful protest." During a similar "peaceful protest" in October 1999 EFN fishers lost over 3000 lobster traps.

When one community member went out on his motorboat, I went with him, bringing a video camera. When we reached the place where the non-Native boats were, I could only see about twenty of them. The non-Natives were yelling and their boats were circling our motorboat, creating huge swells. Our motorboat bounced up and down as I held onto the seat with one hand and the camera with the other.

Non-Native fishermen threw beer bottles, rocks, and buoys they had cut from lobster traps at us and the six other EFN dories in the vicinity. One community member jumped into the water when he saw a non-Native fishing boat racing towards him.

That's when we stopped, caught by the line tangled in our propellor. The non-Native boat swerved at the last second and instead of running over us, went speeding past. This maneuver happened twice. The third time our propellor was finally free and we sped back towards the shore.

The entire time an RCMP helicopter was flying overhead, but that didn't stop the "peaceful protesters."

Back on the shore, CPTers counted around fifty-four non-Native fishing boats as well as six RCMP boats. The RCMP boats remained on the sidelines and showed no attempt to stop the non-Native fishers. As we stood watching the scene on the bay, shots were fired out on the water. One of the men standing at the shore yelled, "Kids, get behind the house! Now!" and all the children raced behind the house while their parents stood on shore, potentially in the line of fire.

The official story from the DFO is that the non-Natives were protesting the closing of the herring fishery. But why did they cut Native lobster traps and attempt to swamp Native boats in the bay?

On two previous Sundays this fall, non-Native fishing boats have entered the bay to "demonstrate." One time, twenty boats entered the bay, the other time it was ten. One question I have heard over and over again from members of this community is "How can people go to church on Sunday morning and then commit these kinds of acts on Sunday afternoons?"

As a Christian, I don't have an answer.