Finnish Icebreaker – A Leader in its Field
Above: Captain Hanna Kujala and Captain Sid Hynes chat about new marine technology on the bridge of the Fennica.
What was touted a few years ago as one of the most powerful and efficient icebreakers in the world, recently spent four days in St. John’s harbour in September.
The Fennica is from Finland and will be working in waters off northern Baffin Island for several months a year over the next two years. Arctia Icebreaking Ltd., a state-owned company in Finland, operates a ...
The Battle Against Yet Another Placentia Bay Invasive Species
Above: Vase tunicates often congregate on fishing and aquaculture equipment, which can significantly weigh them down.
Since 2012, Newfoundland and Labrador has been quietly fighting back an invasion of primitive, five-inch-long, water-filled animals that can wreak havoc on fishing and aquaculture equipment.
The vase tunicate is a biofouling organism in the same vein as barnacles, that tend to grow on wharves, boats and buoys, that were first sighted in N.L. waters by the ...
Studies Show Fish Can Withstand Marine Heatwaves, But Not Forever
Research by the University of British Columbia (UBC) has shown that fish stocks are more resilient to the effects of marine heatwaves than many previously thought, but this hardiness won’t save them from the effects of climate change.
Marine heatwaves are a period of abnormally high temperatures in certain areas of the ocean, which can last anywhere from a few days to almost two years, as was seen when “The Blob” warmed a large swath of the Pacific Ocean from late 2013 into 2015. ...
Bluegreen Group is Betting Dollars to Donuts on Newfoundland and Labrador
Above: A marine donut onsite in Molde, Norway undergoing functional testing.
The Bluegreen Group, a Norwegian-based microplastic firm, has created a self-contained aquaculture system known as the marine donut that may be the solution to many of Atlantic Canada’s aquaculture problems.
The design by Bluegreen Group takes its name from its circular, donut-like shape. The structure is made of high-density polyethylene and is 60 feet in height, 180 feet in diameter, 22,000 cubic ...
N.S. Company Serves Up Lobster for the Microwave
What began as an idea to avoid the lingering smell of boiling lobster has led Lobster Made Easy founder and CEO Mark Lowe to expand his microwaveable product from Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia to as far away as Texas.
The idea began shortly after Lowe, a commercial real estate developer, had sold a business of his and built a new home. Lowe had recently bought a couple of lobsters from the grocery store and decided to treat himself to a nice meal, only to meet resistance from his wife Corrina.
...
Triton-Based Boatyard Serving Marine Industry for Four Decades
Mid-Island Marine and Fabrication Ltd., based in Triton, Newfoundland and Labrador, has built over 40 vessels and serviced countless others in its inception as a marine service centre in 1983.
Pete Winsor, the owner of Mid-Island Marine and Fabrication, grew up around the business that would eventually become his own when he purchased it in 2016. He can remember the facility’s initial construction and its impact on his career trajectory.
“I was 10 years old when the marine centre was ...
Regaining What Was Lost – Initiative Aimed at Creating Artificial Reefs for Sea Life
To combat the loss of marine habitats, Homarus Inc., the science branch of New Brunswick’s Maritime Fishermen’s Union (MFU), creates artificial concrete reefs to replace lost natural reefs and revitalize fishing grounds.
Pierre Dupuis, the General Director of Homarus Inc., said that anything from natural disasters to construction can be destructive to marine habitats. These habitats, consequently, need to be replaced when and where replacement is possible.
“When you’re starting to ...
The Nova Scotia Lobster Fleet is Ready to Go Electric, With Some Help
Oceans North, a charitable organization that seeks to encourage the adoption of policies to address issues with climate change, has identified Nova Scotia’s lobster fleet as a prime candidate for switching to fully electric propulsion.
Brent Dancey, Oceans North’s Director of Marine Climate Action, said that while many sectors across the country have made moves to enact cleaner, greener changes to reduce carbon emissions and pollution, the fishing industry has fallen behind the global ...
Kent Smith Takes on N.S. Fisheries and Aquaculture
On September 14, 2023, Kent Smith was sworn in as Nova Scotia’s newest Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture.
Smith, who was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for Eastern Shore in 2021, is taking on his first ministerial portfolio in Fisheries and Aquaculture — which he admits is a large undertaking.
“Obviously, this sector is extremely important, and I knew how important it was based on my life growing up on the Eastern Shore here in Nova Scotia, but I’m really ...
St. Mary’s Bay Lobster Poaching Saga Continues
It’s like a reoccurring bad dream.
Every summer, after the season closes for the commercial lobster fishery in southwestern Nova Scotia, another one starts in St. Mary’s Bay, Digby County.
Some of the lobster fishing activity that happens in St. Mary’s Bay during the summer months is legitimate; First Nations people exercising their right to fish for Food, Social and Ceremonial (FSC) purposes as provided for in the Marshall Decision.
But not all.
Since early summer, commercial ...
