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 ...
