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N.S. seafood processor wants accuser to name names in $10-million lobster lawsuit
The company says it cannot defend the $10 million case without the names, dates and other details of the alleged lobster transactions.
Independent Fisheries Ltd. and president Xiaoming Mao are fighting a $10-million lawsuit, demanding The Unified Fisheries Conservation Alliance identify specific harvesters and dates involved in alleged illegal lobster buying.
The Unified Fisheries Conservation Alliance filed the lawsuit in November 2024, alleging a conspiracy to transport and process illegally caught lobster from Marys Bay, claiming the scheme caused $10 million in damages to Nova Scotia stocks.
Mao denied the allegations, stating the company employs more than 80 people and complies with all regulations, while expressing disappointment that the company's "Chinese Canadian ownership structure has been called into question."
A Nova Scotia Supreme Court judge dismissed the initial motion in January, stating it would be unreasonable to "straitjacket" the alliance; Independent Fisheries is now appealing, claiming it "inflicted a patent injustice."
Lawyer Michel Samson argues the defendants are using discovery demands to delay the case, noting no defence has been filed as the suit approaches its two-year anniversary.