2018: The Sharper the Blast, the Sooner it Will Pass?
Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us: American author Hal Borland.
So good readers, were any lasting lessons learned in 2018 that will better the fishery of the future?
What events transpired over the last 12 months that could impact the way the commercial fishery evolves in the years and decades to come?
Perhaps the best analogy one could use to describe the fishing year that was is to compare it to the ...
The Twine Loft – January 2019
Passed On: Ralph Atkinson – Yarmouth, N.S. fisherman
Atkinson, 52, passed away on November 21 at the Yarmouth Regional Hospital. Born on May 15, 1966 in Everett, Mass., he was a son of the late Janice (Malone) and Peter Atkinson. He was a skilled carpenter, working on many projects including boats, houses and barns. He was at home on the water and was a fisherman most of his life.
Passed On: Loretta Carroll – Griquet, N.L. fisher
Carroll, 77, passed away on November 7. Born in ...
On the Waterfront – January 2019
Yarmouth to Host Major Commercial Fishing Expo
One of Canada’s longest-running, most successful commercial fishing shows returns to the Yarmouth Mariners Centre in two short months.
The Eastern Canadian Fisheries Exposition, held every two years in southwestern Nova Scotia, offers a comprehensive showcase of commercial marine products and services. The show is presented in partnership with the Navigator Magazine, the Voice of Atlantic Canada’s Fishing Industry.
“2018 has been ...
Seals Continue to Plague N.L. Fishery
As winter arrives, we have time to reflect on this past year’s fisheries pros and cons, quotas, catch rates, challenges and management issues.
There are planned advisory meetings and consultation on future direction, fisher challenges, quotas and impacts of climate change, commercial fishing and natural mortality.
Recently there has been discussion on the impact of grey seal predation on groundfish stocks in the Gulf. There are an estimated 500,000 grey seals (DFO census 2014) or seven ...
Is FFAW Crying Wolf Over 3Ps Cod?
Inshore Sector Increased Catches as Stock Remained Low
One of the characteristics of a fishery is that decisions about harvests run on two tracks: the scientific track of what can be caught sustainably and the allocation track, where fishers and gear sectors fight over who gets what proportions of the catch.
With Newfoundland’s 3Ps cod, mixing up these two tracks can take a relatively clear picture and turn it to mud.
This was the effect of FFAW-Unifor President Keith ...
A Good Deal for Canadians
The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is an updated, modernized North American trade agreement that is good for Canada and good for Canadians.
It is the result of Canada being tough at the negotiation table, united at home and getting the job done.
Canada negotiated hard. We stayed strong, even when some were urging capitulation. We held out for a good deal, and we got a good deal. Canadians can be justly proud of this.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce, which represents ...
Happy New Year
This issue of The Navigator marks the beginning of another new year.
It’s a good time to reflect on the past, assess where are and think about the future.
Like most people involved in the fishery in Atlantic Canada, I am a member of the baby boom generation. That means I can reflect back over several decades of involvement in this industry and even a few earlier decades, when I was growing up and hearing about things going on around me. It has been quite a ride.
I can remember the ...
Dire Predictions for 2019 N.L. Snow Crab Fishery
Above: David Greening Photo
In a fishery that has been shrinking significantly over the last few years, the outlook for Newfoundland and Labrador snow crab might be worse than many were anticipating.
Scientists with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) recently informed harvesters that the province’s valuable crab stocks are not in good shape at all. In fact, DFO is warning that 80 per cent of the snow crab in the waters off the province’s shores are now smaller than ...
BP Canada Comes up Dry in Scotian Basin
The first of what could be as many as seven exploratory wells in the Scotian Basin is being plugged and abandoned by BP Canada after the drilling project failed to find commercial quantities of hydrocarbons.
The Hess Corporation, which holds a 50 per cent interest in the Scotian Basin Exploration Drilling Program, announced on November 9 that drilling of the Aspy exploration well in offshore Nova Scotia had reached a total depth of 7,400 meters.
“The prospect did not encounter commerc...
