Groundfish Council Influencing Changes to N.L. Cod Fishery
The Newfoundland and Labrador Groundfish Industry Development Council (GIDC) has only been in existence for 10 months, but has already made an impact on the province’s fishery.
In April 2016, the union representing fishermen and plant workers (Fish Food and Allied Workers – FFAW) announced it had teamed up with some of the province’s fish processors to form the GIDC, with the goal of facilitating inter-industry cooperation in the revitalization of the groundfish industry.
The ...
New Entrants to Fishery Need to Meet Exact DFO Criteria
Acquiring a fishing license used to be as easy as walking up to your local DFO office and springing a few bucks and voila, you could legally prosecute this fishery.
There were a lot of loopholes with this scenario, chief of which was that non-fishermen would take their vacations during the opening weeks of the lobster fishing season in LFA 34, for example, acquire a license and reap the benefits then go back to their day jobs.
This policy was finally changed, limiting the licenses to ...
Sustaining Fisheries
GAMS Holds Successful Two-Day Industry Forum
The fifth annual Fishermen’s Forum, “Sustaining Fisheries: Challenges and Changes” took place at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, on November 21-22.
The Fishermen’s Forum is organized by The Gulf Aquarium and Marine Station (GAMS). The Forum is a free event, open to all members of the local fishing associations, fishing and aquaculture industries, government and academic scientists, NGO’s and the public and other stakehold...
Group’s Spirits Raised on Shipwreck Issue
Coast Guard Recommends Manolis L Oil Removal Following Technical Assessment
The shipwrecked tanker Manolis L has given up its innermost secrets after lying on the sea bottom in Notre Dame Bay, Newfoundland, for 36 years.
Armed with knowledge of how much oil remains in the wreck’s cargo tanks following a detailed technical assessment, the Canadian Coast Guard is recommending to the federal government that potential environment-damaging oil be removed from the wreck as soon as the operation ...
Valuable and Lucrative LFA 33-34 Season Kicks Off
Nor’easters are not a fishermen’s friend, especially on dumping day of the lobster fishery.
One was predicted to visit the weekend leading up to November 28, the day when over 1,600 lobstermen from Eastern Passage, Halifax County, to Digby, Nova Scotia, were due to set over half a million lobster pots to usher the beginning of the winter season in LFA 33-34.
The storm veered more to the north than predicted and most of the key lobster sites in the areas were spared near hurricane ...
Learning from 40 Years with the 200-Mile Limit – Part II
Last month’s column dealt mainly with how Canada obtained the 200-mile limit in 1977, leading to great optimism about the future of the fishery in Atlantic Canada, but things did not turn out as expected.
Starting in 1992, just 15 years later, we imposed a series of moratoriums on fishing groundfish stocks to try to conserve what was left of those resources.
However, things were not going well even before the moratoriums. In 1981, there was a Royal Commission to investigate problems in ...
Auditing Vital Fish Stocks to Ensure They Will Be There
As the auditor general of Canada’s Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development, I have the privilege and responsibility of overseeing audits that examine some of Canada’s most fragile and valuable resources.
The audits inform Parliamentarians and Canadians about how government departments and Crown corporations manage these resources.
Recently, a team of environmental auditors from the office of the auditor general of Canada focused on one of Canada’s oldest and most ...
N.B. Lobster Processors Warn of Possible Shortage of Tails This Winter
The major lobster processors in New Brunswick are concerned about a possible disconnect between what they see happening in the market this winter and the expectations of their major customers.
Although the lobster meat market has been near record highs, lobster tails have traded normally and have been priced around $15 per lb. for a 4 oz tail since July. Packers say this is a good price point for retailers, but they feel it may not last, despite the fact there is still some lobster tail ...
