Gerry Byrne Named New N.L. Fisheries Minister
The sudden resignation of Finance Minister Cathy Bennett Monday forced Dwight Ball, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, to change up his cabinet.
Joining Cabinet are Tom Osborne, MHA for Waterford Valley, who has been appointed as Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board, Minister Responsible for the Human Resources Secretariat, Minister Responsible for the Public Service Commission, Minister Responsible for the Office of the Chief Information Officer and Minister Responsible ...
Gulf Snow Crab Fishery Closed to Protect North Atlantic Right Whales
On July 20, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) announced the closure of Snow Crab Fishing Area 12 in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence.
This decision was made in an effort to protect North Atlantic Right whales from risks posed by snow crab fishing gear in the area.
As of July 20, 98 per cent of the total allowable catch for snow crab in Area 12 has already been harvested. “We understand the impact this could have on fishers. However, the recent whale mortalities in the area are unprec...
$5-Million Fund Provided for Ice-Related Compensation
Fish Plant Workers Not Included in Federal Emergency Assistance Plan
After weeks of prevailing Northeasterly winds and constant pleas from fishermen unable to get their vessels out of port due to severe pack ice, the federal government finally came out with a financial assistance package on June 9.
Under the Ice Assistance Emergency Program, a total of up to $5 million was allocated for payments for eligible applicants residing in Newfoundland and Labrador, and Quebec, who have been ...
Troubled Lobster Season Wraps Up in SW Nova
The lobster fishing industry in the south western end of Nova Scotia has been going through heady and profitable times during the past decade.
While prices still mimicked those paid 30 years ago, the volume landed made up the difference in the all-important take home pay.
No matter that signs appear to be a bit amiss on the lobster patch, a volume versus quality mentality pervades this industry to this day — but climate change could put an abrupt end to the catching frenzy, especially ...
The Dutchman in the Promised Land – Part II
Last month, we introduced you to a hard-working fishing skipper from Souris, Prince Edward Island. Bert Boertien moved to Canada from Holland in 1950, two months before his 18th birthday. After trying his hand at farming on Prince Edward Island for a couple of years, Bert later decided on a life at sea and went fishing. In 1959, he purchased the 65-foot dragger North Bay, the first of a series of vessels that he would own or captain as he carried out a very successful fishing career for over 30 ...
Sharks are Making Waves – Part I
To say that sharks go a long way back in history is a colossal understatement.
Sharks have lived on this planet 200 million years before dinosaurs. For the last 450 million years, the shark has been making waves.
“They are among the most ancient branch of fish. They survived most of the mass extinctions in the past. They’re very plastic in the sense they can occupy many different habitats,” says Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) Aquatic Sciences biologist Dr. Luiz Mello with the ...
MI Partners with Industry to Introduce New Technical Certificate — Aquaculture Management
The Fisheries and Marine Institute (MI) of Memorial University of Newfoundland has launched a new Technical Certificate — Aquaculture Management in partnership with the Newfoundland and Labrador Aquaculture Industry Association (NAIA).
“Aquaculture has been identified as an important social and economic priority both here in Canada and around the world,” said Carey Bonnell, Head of MI’s School of Fisheries. “As demand for leaders in the aquaculture sector continues to grow, we ...
N.S. Herring Fishery Patterns Changing
For the uninitiated, catching fish with all of the modern gear is a simple thing, with the creatures having little chance of surviving the onslaught.
This might be the case in instances where migratory patterns are set, or as in the case of scallops, the prey is basically static on the ocean bottom.
Climate change, especially the warming of ocean waters, is changing all that.
Herring, an important food and bait fish in Atlantic Canada, used to disappear in the fall, with purse seiners ...
Status Quo for 2017 N.L. Recreational Groundfish Fishery
After much public consultation, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) recently announced that there will be no changes to the regulations governing the recreational groundfish (cod) fishing season for Newfoundland and Labrador and Quebec’s Lower North Shore.
In 2016, the fishing season was extended by 14 days to allow a total of 46 fishing days. These measures will remain in place for the 2017 season.
In November 2016, DFO held a series of regional consultations, eight public ...
High Lobster Prices Lure Fraudsters
Canadian lobster is a valuable commodity, with a global reach now that it has found a niche in Asia.
The removal of tariffs from seafood imports into the European Union from Canada will eventually open doors to our lobsters — live and frozen — to a multi-million-dollar marketplace.
The Americans are a bit leery, or jealous, of this move as their government tries to rid itself of international trade agreements like NAFTA and one with the European Community, in an effort to persuade ...
