On the Waterfront – January 2022
20th Anniversary of Fish Canada Workboat Canada Show Coming in January
Canada’s largest commercial marine event is charting course for the Moncton Coliseum in Moncton, New Brunswick.
The much-anticipated event is scheduled to take place January 21–22, 2022 — kicking off the 20th edition of this biennial event.
With Moncton as a central location to much of the surrounding coastal regions, Fish Canada Workboat Canada attracts people from the fishing, aquaculture, processing ...
2020: A Year to Forget?
Good day loyal and dedicated Navigator Magazine readers.
It is once again time to pour yourself a cup of tea, or a beverage of your choice, cozy up in your favourite chair and reflect on the year that was. Alright, we all get it — after the last 12 months, one can only guess what that beverage of choice might be.
Looking back 12 issues, the Navigator’s 2019 year-in-review editorial ended with the following prophetic words:
So, what will transpire in 2020? Let’s insert another ...
The Twine Loft – January 2021
Passed On: Scott Bateman – Newellton, N.S. fisherman
Bateman, 55, passed away on October 29 at home. Born on December 25, 1964, he was the son of the late Carol (Smith) and Ted Bateman. He spent the majority of his life on the water as an avid fisherman.
Passed On: Gerard Lewis – St. Anthony, N.L. fisherman
Lewis, 71, passed away on November 18 at the Charles Curtis Memorial Hospital in St. Anthony. He spent the majority of his years fishing and upon closure of the fishery, his new ...
On the Waterfront – January 2021
FCC Praises Canada-U.K. Transitional Trade Deal
The Fisheries Council of Canada (FCC) recently applauded the governments of Canada and the United Kingdom for reaching a transitional trade deal ahead of the Dec. 31, 2020 deadline.
The new transitional trade deal will ensure that Canadian seafood products will continue to enjoy tariff-free access to Britain.
“The Canadian fishing industry values its trading relationship with the United Kingdom as our fifth largest importer,” said Paul ...
All Unions Should Have Term Limits
I wish to reply to Barb Dean-Simmons’ article, Not all members of FFAW will get to vote for interim secretary-treasurer, published in The Telegram’s Sept. 29 edition.
Not only was the byelection to replace retired secretary-treasurer Dave Decker reserved for members of the FFAW executive, but when nominations opened, the 2,600-plus inshore harvesters who signed FISH-NL cards in the fall of 2019 were blocked from running for the office.
The FFAW executive unilaterally changed the ...
The Fishery Was and Still is Our Reason for Being Here
I recently watched Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey on Issues and Answers, NTV, Oct. 25, where he mentioned the fishery and that was the reason for us being here.
I have mentioned that statement many times in my articles to the news media and open line shows over the last 40-plus years.
The last six years, under the leadership of Premier Dwight Ball, the word fishery was barely mentioned. He did say one day when a reporter questioned him about the fishery that he knew very ...
Safety on the Water Must Take Precedent
Above photo by Lonnie Snow
The year 2020 is nearly in the rearview mirror.
Feel free to take a moment and let out a collective sigh of relief here.
Who knows what 2021 has in store for us, but could it possibly be any more strange, troubling or unprecedented than the last 12 months?
This past year will go down in history as one of the most turbulent for the fishery in Southwest Nova Scotia. Not only was the industry rocked by the global impacts of the COVID-19 ...
Don’t Fear Expansion of Indigenous Fishing Rights
The Canadian lobster industry is in turmoil over Indigenous fishing rights.
In 1999, the Canadian supreme court ruled that Mik’maq and other First Nations had harvest rights that had to be recognized by the Canadian government. For decades, this was never implemented.
For that reason, the Sipekne’katik First Nation began a test case, issuing 11 licenses themselves, limited to 50 traps each and began to fish lobster in Southwestern Nova Scotia during the closed season. This led to the ...
Possible Agreement Forthcoming?
Above photo by Lonnie Snow
Draft MOU from DFO on Moderate Livelihood Lobster Fishery Under Review by Sipekne’katik First Nation
Could there finally be a resolution on the horizon to the months-long moderate livelihood lobster fishing dispute in Nova Scotia?
A draft memorandum of understanding (MOU) from federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan was being considered by the Sipekne’katik First Nation in December.
“This agreement has the potential to be a historic ...
