2019: A Calming of the Tempest?
“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day”: American poet Edith Lovejoy Pierce.
So good Navigator readers, what final entries will you be adding to your 2019 journal, while cracking the spine on your new 2020 memoir?
What was the overall tone of your 2019? Could it be summed up by the normal terms associated with the fishery in Atlantic Canada — including adject...
The Twine Loft – January 2020
Passed On: Malcolm MacEachern – Antigonish, N.S. fish plant worker
MacEachern, 91, passed away on November 11 at St. Martha’s Regional Hospital. In his early life, when his two brothers went overseas, he stayed at home to look after the family farm for his mother who was a widower. He began his working career as a fisherman’s helper and went to work in the woods with his friend, Johnny Adams, in Economy hauling logs where he worked his way up to teamster. He had his own truck hauling ...
On the Waterfront – January 2020
Bill Introduced to Modernize N.B. Aquaculture Act
The New Brunswick government has introduced a new Aquaculture Act to replace the current legislation.
“As part of our efforts to energize the private sector, our government is modernizing the Aquaculture Act to better support growth and attract further investment in this sector,” said Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries Minister, Ross Wetmore.
“The new act will strengthen environmental protection, improve fish health and welfare ...
Mowi CEO Apology was Empty
There is little comfort in the apology by Mowi CEO Aarskog to Premier Ball and Minister Byrne in relation to the suffocation of 2.6-million salmon in their net pens in August on our south coast.
Minister Byrne held a technical briefing recently to showcase his new policies, but it was by invitation only and the public was excluded, just like the public was excluded from the Mowi apology.
This is another example of the two-way discussion between the aquaculture industry and the N.L. ...
Wrong to Compare Aquaculture to Agriculture
This is in response to a letter to the editor by Mark Lane, executive director of the N.L. Aquaculture Industry Association, where he is supporting the fish farms in the ocean, regardless of the damage they cause and I can understand why, that’s what he is getting paid for.
I too am a proud citizen of this province and grew up harvesting the ocean and the land and the two are as different as chalk and cheese, especially what has happened this year on the South Coast.
When farmers lose ...
World Fisheries Day: Highlighting the Challenges for a Sustainable Future
November 21 was World Fisheries Day.
It is a day to recognize what the fishery means to our communities, our province, our country and the world.
The fishery is what brought many settlers to Newfoundland and Labrador and over 500 years later it remains the industry that sustains much of our rural and coastal communities. Tens of thousands of people are directly and indirectly employed by the fishing industry in our province.
In rural Newfoundland and Labrador, the crew member, the ...
Can We Stop IUU Fishing by Thinking Outside the Box?
Above: Participants at the recent International Coldwater Prawn Forum held in St. John's, N.L.
Campaigns against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing by both the industry and environmentalists continually run up against a problem: government enforcement.
Enforcement is not as much of an issue for rich countries with well-developed fisheries management systems and strong enforcement histories.
In these cases, when IUU fishing happens, it can be successfully exposed, ...
Fishing for Phantoms
Using the Local Ecological Knowledge of Fish Harvesters to Assess the Extent of Ghost Fishing Gear in Nova Scotia
In recent years, Canadian and Global public awareness of ghost gear has improved.
Ghost gear is traditionally defined as fishing gear that has been lost or discarded at sea and which continues to fish. This continued trapping of both targeted and bycatch species has negative environmental and economic impacts.
One point of view that has often been overlooked with ...
Aquaculture Versus Capture Fishing
In September 2019, something like 2.6-million fish died in aquaculture farming operations on Newfoundland’s south coast.
The event caused quite a stink — both literally and figuratively. And the media was full of stories, most of which were based more on emotional rants than they were on facts and reality. Because of that, I thought it would be worth putting some things in perspective, to reduce the heat and shed some light on a very significant issue.
As a starting point, it may be ...
Industry Reps Pleased Jordan Handed Federal Fisheries Portfolio
Above: Bernadette Jordan. Photo courtesy of bjordan.liberal.ca
The appointment of South Shore-St. Margaret’s Member of Parliament Bernadette Jordan as the new federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard has industry representatives in Nova Scotia optimistic.
“I’m just as happy as I can be,” said Kevin Ross, president of Brazil Rock 33/34 fishermen’s association. “I’ve worked a lot with her in the last three years. She’s gotten me meetings with ...
