'Just plain panic': Fears mount as N.B. considers restricting U.S. hunters, anglers
American hunters, anglers may be restricted from obtaining N.B. licences as trade war continues
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war → mount → licences
Bradford Burns grew up in Friendship, Maine, a town south of Augusta made up of just over 1,000 people.
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Burns → grow → people
It rests on a peninsula and hosts a public wharf used by dozens of lobster fishers.
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It → rest → fishers
That included his grandfather.
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That → include → grandfather
He’d spend time with him on the boat helping to place bait in lobster traps.
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He → spend → traps
But, as he grew up, his taste for fishing brought him inland.
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taste → grow → him
Then he hooked his first salmon.
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he → hook → salmon
“There's just a lot of things that scratched a lot of itches for me,” said Burns.
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Burns → be → me
“I really got into it, and I really sort of abandoned saltwater fishing after I came here and started making this the focus of my fishing.”
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this → get → fishing
For the last 25 years, Burns has made the six-hour drive from Friendship to Blackville multiple times a year.
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Burns → make → Blackville
This year, he stayed in New Brunswick from mid-June to mid-July, fishing the early salmon run before returning home to his wife, June.
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he → stay → wife
This fall, he’ll spend another five weeks in the province fishing with companions he’s invited from the U.S. and reconnecting with locals.
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he → spend → locals
He loves the wilderness and the people.
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He → love → wilderness
But mostly he just loves� a big fish.
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he → love → fish
Some of them pass up the river through the pool," Burns said.
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Burns → pass → pool
"Those will stay here for a few days, and you'll see them jumping.
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them → stay → days
You'll even get to recognize your particular fish for a few days, and then they're gone.
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they → get → days
And so I just like everything about it.”
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I → like → it
He’s bought multiple fishing camps on the shores of the Cains River and the Miramichi.
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He → buy → River
He owns the rights to Campbells and Keenans fishing pools in front of his fishing camp just outside of Blackville.
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He → own → Blackville
He owns Doctor's Island in the town that hosts multiple fishing camps.
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that → own → camps
“I've spent over a million dollars in buying these camps up here and, you know, I don't know if I'll ever get it back,” said Burns, who made his money in the copy business.
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who → spend → business
“But I figured, whatever I spent on it was for my hobby.
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spent → figure → hobby
That’s why the idea of not being allowed to obtain a New Brunswick fishing licence is unthinkable.
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idea → ’ → licence
On Sept. 10, Premier Susan Holt detailed responses to new tariffs from the U.S.
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Holt → detail → U.S.
In the aftermath of President Donald Trump imposing new 50 per cent tariffs on select Canadian goods and blocking the import of Canadian alcohol, the province stated it would work to eliminate U.S. goods for government contracts.
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it → impose → contracts
It would prioritize Canadian goods and work to develop supports for moving away from American markets.
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It → prioritize → markets
But Holt stated hunting and fishing allowances for Americans could also be targeted.
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allowances → state → Americans
A following news release from the province states that “the provincial government will continue to pursue additional measures, including undertaking a legislative review to explore giving the minister of natural resources the authority to restrict the issue of fishing and hunting licenses and mining claims based on certain criteria.”
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government → follow → criteria
CBC News called and emailed New Brunswick’s Department of Natural Resources communications officer Nick Brown for clarification on what that could mean for U.S. hunters and anglers.
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that → call → hunters
CBC News did not receive a response.
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News → receive → response
But Burns said he believes that could eventually mean hunting and fishing licences will not be available to Americans.
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licences → say → Americans
“What good would it do in New Brunswick to take [from] people like me or other people that live along the river; that own property?” asked Burns.
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Burns → do → property
“To say, 'Well, you can't come and spend your money here anymore because we're mad at the country, at these officials that have nothing to do with us.'
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that → say → us
Burns described himself as a "Trump Republican."
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Burns → describe → Republican
He compared the province's threat of restricting American access to New Brunswick’s fish and wildlife to something his president would do.
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president → compare → something
“I think, just like Trump has done, is famous for doing, is to come out with these statements that are a little far-fetched, you know, sometimes to get people's attention,” said Burns.
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Burns → think → attention
“I certainly hope that it's along those lines.
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it → hope → lines
I mean that it's not really a serious thought.”
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it → mean → ?
Burns’s sentiment is shared among several New Brunswick outfitters and anglers.
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sentiment → share → outfitters
…and 48 more, not listed.
The Aporia
