Averting Future Species Collapses
In this 24-hour news cycle, social media-obsessed world, all industries have their buzzwords.
A quick look at Twitter will instantly tell you what words are trending at that very moment in time.
Buzzwords surrounding today’s modern fishery now include such terms as sustainability, ecofriendly, ecolabelling, chain of custody and traceability, to name a few.
However, if you venture back in time a few decades, prior to the onslaught of Facebook and YouTube, one will discover that the ...
The Twine Loft – November 2020
Passed On: Maxwell Williams – Pond Cove, N.L. fisherman
Williams, 83, passed away on September 8 at home. Born on June 26, 1937, he spent his life as a hard-working inshore fisherman to provide the best life he could for his family. He also enjoyed hunting, fishing and being in the woods.
Passed On: Oliver Ross – Stoney Island, N.S. fisherman
Ross, 88, passed away on September 28 at the Yarmouth Regional Hospital. Born on February 1, 1932, he was a son of the late Wallace and Flora ...
On the Waterfront – November 2020
Fish Harvester Benefit and Grant Application Deadline Extended
The Fish Harvester Benefit and Grant Program has been extended by another two weeks to ensure that as many Canadian fish harvesters as possible can take advantage of it.
The online portal will now close on October 19, 2020.
The program is delivering financial support to self-employed harvesters across the country who are facing hardships brought on by the economic impact of COVID–19.
The program ...
Former Fishery Officer Reflects on Current Lobster Dispute
Rewind to the years 1999 and 2000.
After the Supreme Court of Canada’s Marshall I and II decisions in September and November 1999, the Canadian Government spent nearly $600 million buying back commercial fishing licences from commercial fishermen and turning them over to First Nations along with boats, fishing gear and training.
At the time, this was supposed to integrate native communities into the commercial fisheries and satisfy the moderate livelihood requirements in the Supreme ...
We Are All Treaty People
Sierra Club Calls on Canada to Uphold Peace and Friendship Treaties and Mi’kmaq Right to Fish
The Sierra Club Canada Foundation condemns the racism that Indigenous people are experiencing as they practice their right to fish in Nova Scotia and stands in solidarity with the Mi’kmaq in the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation.
Sierra Club calls on the Government of Canada to act immediately to uphold its obligations under the Peace and Friendship Treaties and recognized by the ...
All Stakeholders Must be at Table to Resolve Lobster Dispute
We have spent generations being the steward of this resource, protecting it through conservation measures and building the industry.
Three generations of my family have lived through poverty and winters, where a moderate livelihood was simply being able to borrow enough money to survive.
Years ago, anyone could get into the fishing industry if they wanted to. But no one wanted to be a poor fisherman. My grandfather’s gear cost 25 cents and he toiled long and hard for next to nothing for ...
Navigating Troubled Waters
The current situation in Southwest Nova Scotia is very troubling.
But by the same token, it is entirely predictable. Two groups are in dispute and each takes guidance from the two Marshall Decisions.
The Indigenous fishermen naturally take the broad and general recognition of a right to fish commercially for a “moderate income” and the commercial fishermen rely on the follow-up “clarification” to the initial decision which stipulates that the right is not unlimited and is a ...
Despite Uncertainties, Signs Point to a Good Holiday and Lent Season for Seafood
After seven months of struggling to keep businesses going during the pandemic, it seems we are in a bit of a lull.
No end is in sight, but things are not getting dramatically better either. The bounce back we experienced both in terms of sales demand and restaurant demand in June and July appears to be fading.
In mid-September, we were simply facing a huge number of uncertainties. They included the election in seven weeks, a potential stall in job creation and employment this fall with ...
Federal Government Called Upon to Resolve Lobster Dispute
Above Photo: People in support of the moderate livelihood fishery launched by the Sipekne’katik First Nation watch from the rocks near the Saulnierville wharf on St. Mary’s Bay in Digby County. Kathy Johnson photo
Moderate Livelihood Fishery Launched by First Nations Creates Unknowns, Confusion and Conservation Concerns for Industry
There are more questions than answers in the wake of the self-regulated, moderate livelihood fishery launched by two First Nations bands in Nova ...
The Marshall Decision and the Last 21 Years
Twenty-one years and half a billion dollars (give or take) later, First Nations in Atlantic Canada are still fighting for their treaty right to hunt, fish and gather in pursuit of a ‘moderate livelihood’ as affirmed in the 1999 Supreme Court’s Marshall Decision.
Since the landmark decision, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) “has launched several programs in response, beginning with the Marshall Response Initiative, which provided these First Nation communities with licences, vessels ...
