Redfish Biomass in Gulf Unprecedented
The biomass of the two redfish species combined accounted for 90 per cent of the total biomass of all captured organisms in the 2019 research survey conducted by federal fisheries scientists in the Estuary and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence.
“This relative biomass of redfish is unprecedented and could have important ecological impacts on other species,” reads the latest DFO stock assessment on redfish species sebastes mentella and sebastes fasciatus.
By comparison, the biomass of the ...
2020 Northern Shrimp Prices Take a Major Hit
Despite Newfoundland and Labrador’s Standing Fish Price Setting Panel siding with the price put forth by harvesters this year, the 2020 season will still be a challenging one.
The panel recently accepted the Fish Food and Allied Workers’ (FFAW-Unifor) price recommendation of $1.18/pound for Northern shrimp landed at the plant and $1.15/pound for trucked shrimp.
Last year, fishermen were paid a minimum price of $1.78/pound. At the time, it represented an 18 per cent increase over the ...
Lobster Exporters Cautiously Optimistic Markets Will Continue to Recover
Above photo by Kathy Johnson
While lobster exporters have been facing some COVID-19 obstacles moving product into China this summer, not all the news is bad.
“In general, markets have recovered faster than we expected and we are cautiously optimistic that this will continue through the summer,” said Geoff Irvine, executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada (LCC).
Irvine said the European Union markets are “opening slowly with volumes increasing in live and processed ...
Meeting Specifications
These days, nearly all commercial food products are grown, harvested, cut and packaged in accordance with specifications.
Governments specify the minimum requirements that must be met to ensure consumer health and safety. Food retailers, restaurant operators and other food service organizations specify additional requirements to ensure their products will be attractive to consumers, meet targeted price points and fit into their production and distribution systems. Both sets of specifications ...
Strength of Frozen Lobster Means We Survive the Summer
Two things have combined to help both the snow crab and lobster fisheries avoid the worst-case scenarios that were feared back in April.
First, government stimulus programs and employment benefits have protected consumer spending to a large extent. And what people are not spending going out, they are spending on the seafood they crave when they see it priced aggressively at retail.
So, we have the strongest snow crab market seen in years and we have a good recovery of interest in frozen ...
Death by 1,000 Cuts: The Rise and Fall of Little Bay Islands
The community of Little Bay Islands is situated in the mouth of Little Bay, in the part of Notre Dame Bay known as Green Bay.
Green Bay is named because the hills are green with trees to the water’s edge.
Little Bay Islands is made up of two islands, with a beautiful harbour with two narrow entrances, very sheltered from the winds and seas.
In 1891, the population was 316, by 1935 it had grown to 560 and stayed around that figure until 1960, quite a population for that time. It was ...
Nova Scotia Fish Farms Global Leaders in Sustainability
It is an unfortunate reality that fish farming has been the subject of sustained misinformation campaigns in recent months.
What makes this disturbing is that fish farming supports thousands of essential jobs in rural communities across Atlantic Canada — jobs that have become even more precious during these difficult economic times. For more than 40 years, Nova Scotians have supported marine fish farming and recognized that it can coexist with other fisheries on working waterfronts.
T...
On the Waterfront – August 2020
N.L. Capelin Price Up 20 Per Cent
In mid-June, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Standing Fish Price-Setting Panel sided with harvesters and increased the 2020 price of capelin by 20 per cent over 2019 prices.
Fishermen will now receive $0.42/pound for Grade A capelin. Last year they received $0.35/pound.
The FFAW, which negotiated on behalf of the harvesters, stated that over the past two years, capelin collective bargaining has increased prices by 68 per cent over 2018 levels.
The ...
The Twine Loft – August 2020
Passed On: Isaac Kettle – St. Lawrence, N.L. fisherman
Kettle, 33, passed away suddenly at sea on May 26.
Passed On: William O’Brien – Bay Bulls, N.L. businessman
O’Brien, 79, passed away on June 25 at St. Clare’s Mercy Hospital. Born on January 21, 1941, he owned and operated a number of fish businesses in a career spanning six decades. As a businessman, he was fortunate to visit many places throughout the world bringing with him a passion for Newfoundland and Labrador and ...
The Saga of Recommendation M16-05
On September 5, 2015, the fishing vessel Caledonian capsized 20 nautical miles west of Nootka Sound, British Columbia.
At the time, the vessel was trawling for hake with four crew members onboard. Following the capsizing, the master and mate climbed onto the overturned hull and remained there for several hours. When the vessel eventually sank, the master and mate abandoned it and the mate swam toward and boarded the life raft.
The Canadian Coast Guard subsequently rescued the mate and ...
