2021 Recreational Groundfish Fishery
Once again, for 39 days throughout the summer and fall in Newfoundland and Labrador, thousands of residents took to the water to participate in the recreational groundfish fishery. The recreational groundfish fishery occurs in all NAFO areas/subareas around Newfoundland and Labrador, which includes 2GH, 2J3KL, 3Ps, 3Pn and 4R.
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More than 100 N.L. Fishing Vessels to be Equipped with AEDs
Trained Crews Ready to Act in a Cardiac Emergency at Sea
The crews of 105 fishing vessels in Newfoundland and Labrador will be safer at sea now that each vessel will have an automated external defibrillator (AED).
The funding was provided by the Hibernia Management and Development Company Ltd. (HMDC) and the Heart & Stroke’s collaboration with the Newfoundland and Labrador Fish Harvesting Safety Association (NL-FHSA) the Fish Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW/UNIFOR), the ...
More Than 700 Tonnes of Ghost Gear Removed
Approximately 739 tonnes of abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear, including more than 118 kilometres of rope, has been removed from Canada’s Atlantic and Pacific coasts over the past two years through the federal government’s Ghost Gear Program.
Launched in 2019 with an $8.3-million Ghost Gear Fund, an additional $10 million in funding for the Ghost Gear Program was included in last year’s federal budget for 2021–2022.
Since the launch of the program, partners who received ...
Seafood Sector Worth $1.2 Billion Annually to P.E.I. Economy
‘We’re in a good position as a province,’ says Minister
The seafood industry continues to be a driving force for the Prince Edward Island economy, powered by the production of mussels and oysters and the commercial lobster fishery.
According to the PEI Seafood Sector Economic Contribution Study released in October 2021, the economic value of the P.E.I. seafood industry in 2019 had a combined economic impact of $1.2 billion to the Island’s economy.
“That’s a huge ...
2021 a Banner Year for N.L. Fishery
With a landed value for seafood products exceeding $1 billion, despite the pandemic, 2021 will go down in the books as one of the best years in the history of the Newfoundland and Labrador fishery.
“This has been a great year for the fishery,” said N.L. Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture Minister Derrick Bragg. “We were lucky to keep COVID-19 out of all our facilities and fishing boats so no loss of time this year.”
As of December 12, 2021, the landed value for seafood was ...
Demand for N.B. Seafood at an All-Time High
New Brunswick seafood exports reached an all-time high in 2021, surpassing $1.9 billion from January to October.
“New Brunswick saw the largest growth in Canada for seafood exports with an additional $742 million in revenues, surpassing every other Canadian province by at least $230 million,” said Margaret Johnson, Minister of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries.
“With an increased demand for frozen seafood at both food service and retail markets, New Brunswick captured that ...
New Minister at Nova Scotia’s Fisheries Helm
It’s been six months since Nova Scotia MLA Steve Craig took on the Fisheries and Aquaculture portfolio.
“My entry into the world of Nova Scotia’s seafood industry has come at a very interesting time, a time of challenge and opportunity,” said Craig.
“And I am excited about it. I became minister in August and immediately toured multiple processor sites and aquaculture operations around the province, meeting many of the hard-working industry members who help keep the polish on our ...
P.E.I. Fishermen Asking for Early Opening in LFA 26A and Flexibility in LFA 24
Conservation concerns with fishing into July have prompted Prince Edward Island lobster fishermen in lobster fishing area (LFA) 26A to vote in favour of moving the season opening date ahead four days to April 26 with the season closing four days earlier than usual.
The online vote held in December was organized by the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association (PEIFA) following the season review meeting of the PEIFA LFA 26A Lobster Advisory Committee.
Concerns were raised around additional handling ...
Industry Groups Critical of DFO and TC Vessel Length Policies
The Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (SEA-NL) has taken issue with what it calls the sudden move by Transport Canada to come down like a hammer on inshore fishermen who’ve had fishing vessels modified or cut in length without advance approval.
“Fishermen have been told for years by officials with Transport Canada, Fisheries and Oceans and their own union that they didn’t need architectural drawings or advance approval to modify or cut a vessel to fish in the ...
Lobster Demand Strong Going into 2022
While demand for all lobster products going into 2022 remains strong, the export sector will be facing access challenges this year in all major markets.
Changes to European Union (EU) health certificates due to new animal welfare laws, new decrees in China that are changing labelling and company registration and concern around North Atlantic right whale interactions with the United States are market access challenges the export sector is facing, says Geoff Irvine, executive director of the ...
