Another Successful North Atlantic Fish and Workboat Show
Three New NL Inductees Welcomed into the Atlantic Canada Marine Industries Hall of Fame
Oil and gas, fish processors, commercial fisheries and aquaculture were just some of the industries represented at the 2014 edition of the North Atlantic Fish and Workboat Show, held November 28-29 at Mile One Centre in St. John’s.
This year’s show marked the fourth biennial edition of this all-encompassing commercial marine event. A broad exhibitor base showcased new and innovative products to 3,177 ...
Twine Loft – January 2015
Passed On: Marcel Comeau — President and CEO of Comeau’s Sea Foods.
The Comeau family, the residents of Clare and the business community are deeply saddened by the sudden and untimely death of Marcel Comeau on November 20, 2014. As President and CEO of Comeau’s Sea Foods, Marcel worked tirelessly all his life, building and maintaining the success of the family business. For over 50 years he followed the footsteps of his father, Bernardin, who was his mentor and teacher. Gradually, ...
Respecting Tradition but Embracing New Technology
The North Harbour Johnson Brothers, Earl and Oakley
Earl Johnson has taken a vacation every year since he turned 40.
But unlike many people, Earl doesn’t always go to Florida — he likes to take the path less travelled. For example, a few months ago, he spent a couple of weeks in Mongolia with stops in a few other countries along the way.
So why does a 64-year old fisherman from North Harbour, Placentia Bay Newfoundland go to Mongolia, a landlocked country between China to the south ...
P.E.I. Lobster Industry Finishes MSC Certification
The Prince Edward Island seafood industry announced in November it has completed the MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certification for lobster.
The certification is essential because domestically larger food retail companies such as Sobeys, Loblaws, Whole Food and Walmart now have requirements for all seafood to be sourced from sustainable fisheries. MSC is one of the third-party eco certification standards.
The MSC certification of the P.E.I. lobster trap fishery was the result of the ...
Foolish, Is What He Was
To some people, ‘foolish’ may sound like an odd way for 19-year-old Gilles LeBlanc to describe his best friend who is no longer with us, but in this case it is truly spoken as a term of endearment and spoken with huge affection.
The ‘foolish’ one was Michael (Mike) Doucette from Wedgeport, Nova Scotia, who was loved by everyone because of his crazy fun-loving pranks and his wild sense of humour that often translated into “acting the fool.” And, Gilles still smiles broadly when he ...
Atlantic Charger Living up to Expectations
Captain Brad Watkins has had more than a year to reflect on the performance of his new vessel, the Atlantic Charger and he really likes what he has seen to date. In mid-July, 2013, the Atlantic Charger was launched — a versatile 68.5-foot multi-species vessel, designed by TriNav Marine Design and built by Val Cull of Northern Boat Building and Repair in Port Saunders.
The Atlantic Charger has a bulbous bow, a nozzle, fuel efficiency components and the first autopilot system of its kind to ...
Distress Flares: The Low-Tech, Last-Ditch Option That Might Just Save You
With the arsenal of distress signaling options available to mariners now, there are a lot of things that have to malfunction before you’ll find yourself rummaging for flares in your emergency kit.
But should the unfortunate situation arise where flares are all you’ve got, here are a few important things to keep in mind.
All distress signaling devices have pros and cons.
Flares may be a ‘last-ditch’ choice, but if used correctly, parachute flares can be seen upwards of 40 miles ...
Keeping the Home Fires Burning in the New Year
A climatologist recently stated that one of the impacts of global warming would be shorter winters for countries like ours.
The last week of November and first week in December readily brought that to mind as temperatures in my part of Nova Scotia, on more than a few days, hovered in the double digits.
Lawns seemed to beg for yet another clipping and teens whipped out their stored, cut-off jeans to pay homage to the sun.
This could come at a price for the lobster fishing industry in ...
Maximizing Value
In my last three columns, I have talked about the discussions that took place at a workshop CCFI held in September on the fishery of the future in Newfoundland and Labrador.
After hearing presentations from some very knowledgeable people on different aspects of the industry, participants in the workshop reached a consensus that we need a value-driven business model focused on maximizing the value obtained from our limited resources.
No one disagreed. That is particularly notable, because ...
Peering Under the Surface
The funny thing about fishing is how little we know about the animals that form the basis of this industry.
For most commercially-exploited species in Canada, we know roughly where they live, how many there might be and if we’re lucky, what eats them and what they eat. Beyond that, there are far more mysteries than facts in the ocean.
Compare what we know about fish to what we know about large land mammals, like moose. To understand moose, we can walk in the woods and get a pretty good ...
