Canada Can Lead the World in a Diverse Marine Economy, says CWOIL
Above: Tara Gaulton, an intern at the Ocean Careers Immersion Program, tours The Calvert.
The Canadian Women in Ocean Industries Leadership (CWOIL) believes that Canada’s ocean sector, which is faced with labour shortages and increased attention as Canada tries to promote its “Blue Economy,” provides a great opportunity for women to enter the traditionally male-dominated sector.
CWOIL is an organization that seeks to foster diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) ...
Locate, Retrieve and Replace
A Fisherman’s Mission to Clean up the Ocean
Ghost Gear Disappear, founded by New Brunswick fisherman Austin Vibert, offers an ever-expanding list of products and services to protect marine environments.
Vibert is a third-generation fisherman and experienced scuba diver from Miscou Island, New Brunswick. One day while walking on the beach, Vibert noticed a slew of discarded traps. This experience led him to learn more about lost, discarded or abandoned fishing gear, commonly ...
Union Against Oil Spill Tests by DFO in N.L. Waters
Above: A boom used to contain oil spills for the purposes of skimming. Credit: the Canadian Coast Guard
The Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW) is calling for an immediate halt to tests by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) that are set to spill oil and chemical dispersants off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The tests are part of a Multi-Partner Research Initiative (MPRI) that aims to, “advance scientific knowledge and science-based decision ...
Harvesters Air Grievances at DFO Outreach Meetings
Above: Fish harvesters from Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove recently gathered at the town’s community centre to speak with representatives from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Photo by Nick Travis
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) recently held a series of community outreach meetings in select towns in Newfoundland and Labrador, including Petty Harbour.
Many fish harvesters at these meetings were concerned about the very short cod season in 2022. With no ...
New Leadership at the Helm of the ASP
Above: David Greening photo
Jeff Loder was recently appointed the new Executive Director of the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP) and is seeking a collaborative approach with all parties to address the problems that face the fisheries in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Loder, who has spent a number of years teaching political science and public policy at Memorial University in St. John’s, has an extensive background in negotiations. He’s worked for the province as ...
North Atlantic Right Whale Entanglement off North Carolina Linked to LFA 33
Above: An aerial survey team located an entangled adult male right whale (#1218) “Argo” off of Surf City, North Carolina. The rectangle behind the flukes is the trailing entangling gear. The survey was conducted by Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute with funding from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Credit: Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, taken under NOAA permit #24359
For the first time in more than five years, a North Atlantic right whale ...
LFA 33–34 Fishery Ready to Ramp Back Up
Above: The Miss Kylie Anne and the Atlantic Tide steam back into port at the Falls Point wharf in Woods Harbour after a day on the lobster fishing grounds. Kathy Johnson photo
After the usual winter lull in the LFA 33–34 lobster fishery, by late March/early April the countdown will be on to the May 31 season end.
“By April most people will be back at it,” says Tommy Amirault, president of the Coldwater Lobster Association. “Where that price settles and what the ...
FFAW and ASP Turning Over a New Leaf for 2023 Snow Crab Season
Above: (L-R) ASP Executive Director Jeff Loder, ASP Chair Paul Grant, FFAW President Greg Pretty and FFAW Secretary-Treasurer Jason Spingle. Photo by Nick Travis
In a rare instance of solidarity, the Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW) and the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP) recently held a joint meeting to announce their cooperation for the 2023 snow crab season.
FFAW President Greg Pretty and Secretary-Treasurer Jason Spingle, alongside ASP Executive ...
Snow Crab Stocks Stay Consistently Strong in N.L.
While prices likely won’t meet the high expectations set by 2021 and early 2022, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) delivered a cautiously optimistic outlook on the snow crab stocks in Newfoundland and Labrador for the coming season.
According to Julia Pantin, the biologist in charge of this year’s snow crab technical briefing, the stocks off Newfoundland (with the exception of 2HJ off Labrador) will continue to stay steady into 2023.
“The overall exploitable biomass ...
Critical Seafood Exports Showing Signs of Life
Nova Scotia and Atlantic Canadian seafood, especially lobster, is not just enjoyed by consumers around North America, but around the globe.
However, as you are aware, live lobsters don’t crawl to these foreign markets themselves. Part of the challenge for processors and buyers, notably for a live product such as lobster, is timely and efficient air cargo transportation.
Prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, air shipments of live lobster from this region were on the ...
