Canada to close ports due to over fishing

OTTAWA, Feb. 14 (UPI) -- The overfishing of shrimp has pushed the Canadian government to decide it will close its ports to ships from Greenland and the Faroe Islands, authorities say.

The North Atlantic Fisheries Organization sets catch limits for each member, and Greenland and the Faroes allegedly refuse to abide by the quotas, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. said Sunday. Federal Fisheries Minister Gail Shea said the ports would be closed Monday.

"We have acted in good faith for several years to try to resolve this issue, to no avail," Shea said.

Greenland and the Faroes had Canadian ports closed to them in December 2004 over the same issue. They were re-opened in March 2008, the CBC said, as an act of good faith.

Greenland and the Faroe Islands are self-governing overseas administrative divisions of Denmark, which acts on their behalf in international matters.

Denmark unilaterally set a shrimp quota in the area of the north Atlantic east of St. John's beyond Canada's 200-mile limit of 3,101 tons, which is almost 10 times greater than what the NAFO set for their quota, the CBC said.

"Their continued overfishing is unacceptable," Shea said.