Nova Scotia Lifts Freeze on Seafood Buying, Processing Licences

Nova Scotia Lifts Freeze on Seafood Buying, Processing Licences
Nova Scotia Fisheries Minister Kent Smith, left, Geordie MacLachlan of the Nova Scotia Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, and Deputy Fisheries Minister Jason Hollet announce the lifting of seafood buyer and licensing moratoriums during a news conference in Halifax on May 13, 2025. The Canadian Press/Keith Doucette
Olivia Gomm
Updated:
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Nova Scotia will lift two long-standing bans on seafood buying and processing licences—a move the province says will strengthen economic opportunities in its seafood industry, and help cushion against the impact of China’s ongoing tariffs and other potential levies from the United States. 
The Nova Scotia government will lift the moratorium beginning Aug. 1 on all seafood buying and processing licences, a measure that was introduced in 2018. A moratorium on ground-fish that was imposed in 1994 will also be lifted.