FFAW and Processors Form N.L. Groundfish Lobby Group
On April 8, the union representing fishermen and plant workers in Newfoundland and Labrador announced it has teamed up with some of the province’s fish processors to form the N.L. Groundfish Industry Development Council (NL-GIDC), with the goal of facilitating inter-industry cooperation in the revitalization of the groundfish industry.
The NL-GIDC will be comprised of equal representation from the harvesting and processing sectors. The harvesting members on the council will be represented ...
Incentives, Risks and Safety
Safety is a big concern in the fishery, as this issue of The Navigator illustrates.
Fishing is widely reputed to be the most dangerous occupation in the world. There are certainly long histories and many stories of tragic losses of vessels and crews. And the danger is probably a big part of the reason reality TV shows like The Deadliest Catch and Coldwater Cowboys attract substantial audiences.
So why are people willing to fish for a living, despite the dangers?
Essentially, people ...
You Can’t Fix It — Part III
As the Seafaring Legend was sinking, Captain Corey Starkes and his crew faced monumental odds attempting to survive. One crewmember, Max Pittman, was unable to help himself, Corey became snagged in debris and rope, both life rafts were submerged, seas were 15-20 feet high and winds were 35 nautical miles per hour (65 km/h) As well, the men didn’t know if their mayday had transmitted because the electronics were underwater by the time Corey made the call, they were 65 miles offshore and there ...
Controversial LIFO Policy Under Review: Prominent Economist Says Offshore Shrimp Fishery Provides More Benefits to Province
The federal government finally announced it will be setting up a committee to review the much-debated and hotly contested last in, first out (LIFO) policy.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans announced that a ministerial advisory panel will perform an external review of the LIFO quota allocation policy and deliver its findings and recommendations to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans by June 15, 2016. The yet-to-named panel will be conducting consultations in several communities across ...
Concerns Raised Over Mandatory Lobster Handling Course
Please allow me some space to respond to the recent announcement by the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Keith Colwell, that lobster buyers and their designates will be required to take a mandatory lobster handling course if they wish to have their licences renewed.
My initial reaction is that this is an insult to the entire lobster industry. For generations, the handling and care of lobsters has been taught and passed on.
In the rural fishing industry, fishers wishing to follow in ...
Food Fishery Foolishness
According to the editorial in the April issue of The Navigator, the recreational/food fishery is the elephant in the room with respect to future cod fisheries management.
The editorial claimed that DFO cannot get a handle on the catch from the recreational fishery. I don’t understand.
DFO has had two recreational cod surveys done, 2005 and 2007. Both concluded and agreed that about 1,000,000 cod were caught each season, or around a couple of thousand metric tonnes. Pre-moratorium ...
On the Waterfront — May 2016
3Ps Cod Fishery Achieves MSC Certification
A southern Newfoundland cod fishery recently gained Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification, demonstrating that it is possible for struggling fish stocks to recover and reach sustainability benchmarks that benefit both nature and communities.
The MSC certification of the southern Newfoundland cod fishery — known by its Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) Subdivision of 3Ps — comes after the successful completion of a WWF- ...
Fishing Under a Shell of Worry: Crab Season Might be a Struggle in Many Areas, Despite Good Price
This season’s price for snow crab is the best ever negotiated between the organizations representing processing companies and crab fishermen in Newfoundland and Labrador.
At $3 per pound, it offers fishermen hope and a chance to make a go of it, despite lower quotas and worry about the future of the declining crab resource.
“We’ve never gone over $2.50 (per pound) in a negotiated settlement. That was back in 1995. We got up to $2.45 last year,” said Bill Broderick, inshore ...
It’s Not What They Say: Atlantic Quest I
Helping people in distress is something that goes back three generations in Shawn Tracey’s family.
His grandfather was the lighthouse keeper on the Strait of Belle Isle and his father was a radio operator for 35 years.
“That’s where my parents met in the late 50s,” says Tracey and the rest is family history.
Tracey is 53 years old and originally from Stephenville. He has worked with the Canadian Coast Guard’s Marine Communications and Traffic Services (MCTS) since September ...
Twine Loft – May 2016
Passed On: Douglas McCullough – Yarmouth, N.S. Fisherman
McCullough, 75, passed away on March 20, 2016 at the Yarmouth Regional Hospital. Born in Freeport, Digby County, he was the son of the late Harold and Sarah (Stark) McCullough. He was a fisherman for his entire working career and started fishing on his own in 1976, before retiring in 1999. In his spare time he loved woodworking and watching hockey and baseball.
Passed On: Frank Colp – Port Mouton, N.S. Fish Plant Worker
Colp, ...
