The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has produced a draft "Ecological Risk Assessment of the Eastern Shore Islands Area of Interest" that concludes that
You can read the draft study here.
One of the core questions was whether establishing an Eastern Shore Islands Marine Protected Area (MPA) would limit, or even shut down, the local lobster industry. The inability of DFO to answer this question definitely contributed to the climate of suspicion and frustration in the fishing communities that could be affected. Responding to these concerns, DFO decided to accelerate the portion of the risk assessment dealing with the lobster industry.
