Salt Water in His Veins
P.E.I. Bids Farewell to Fishing Industry Icon, The Bearded Skipper
There is an old saying that goes something like, “if you looked up (insert adjective) in the dictionary you would see a picture of (insert proper noun).”
It’s a roundabout way of saying that two things have become synonymous with each other.
Well, this being the 21st century and the internet having replaced most dictionaries, go ahead and Google, “P.E.I. lobster fisherman.” You will see Norman Peters’ whiske...
Captains Calling for More Enforcement in P.E.I.’s Fishing Industry
Fishermen from the western region of Prince Edward Island want to see more enforcement officers on the docks and out on the water.
Captains from P.E.I.’s Prince County Fishermen’s Association (PCFA), most of whom fish lobster in Lobster Fishing Area 25, in the western part of the Northumberland Strait, recently issued a public call for more DFO officers to be stationed in their part of the province.
They argue that their area is simply too big for the current number of officers to ...
Waste Water Worries
P.E.I. and N.S. Fishermen Concerned with Proposed Plan to Pump Treated Effluent into Northumberland Strait
Above photo: Northern Pulp in Pictou, N.S., is planning to replace the aging effluent treatment facility used by its mill. Its current plan involves pumping treated waste water into the Northumberland Strait, which has angered the fishing and tourism industry. Fishing organizations on both the N.S. and P.E.I. sides of the Strait fear the treated fresh water will harm larval shellfish and ...
One More Giant on the Line
P.E.I. Bluefin Tuna Harvesters Optimistic About Quota Increase
P.E.I.’s commercial bluefin tuna license holders have a reason to be optimistic these days.
The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) recently increased the Western Atlantic allocation of tuna for 2018. The Western Atlantic region includes Canada, the U.S., Japan, Mexico and parts of the U.K. and France. The total allowable tonnage will increase from 2,000 tonnes to 2,350 tonnes.
Assuming ...
New Player in Town
Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan Enters North American Shellfish Industry With Purchase of P.E.I’s Largest Mussel Producer
There is a new player in the Atlantic Canadian aquaculture industry — and it’s a big one.
On November 17, the Ontario Teacher’s Pension Plan (OTPP) announced that it had purchased Atlantic Aqua Farms, the largest mussel producer on Prince Edward Island and one of the largest in North America.
OTPP was founded in 1990 to manage the defined pension ...
Flipping an Industry
Above photo: Island Aquatech founders Dylan MacIsaac, Brett McDermott and Jordan Sampson with their oyster cage flipper prototype. The three University of Prince Edward Island students are hoping to turn a second-year engineering project into a viable commercial business. Submitted photos
UPEI Students Launching Aquaculture Tech Company Based on School Project
In 2016, three second-year engineering students at the University of Prince Edward Island were assigned to meet with a local ...
Concern Replacing Optimism in LFA 25
Fall P.E.I. Lobster Fishermen Face Disappointing Lull in Price Per Pound
There was a great deal of optimism this year as Prince Edward Island lobster fishermen with fall licences started gearing up for their season — but it didn’t last.
There are about 254 boats from P.E.I. who participate in the Northumberland Strait lobster fishery in Lobster Fishing Area (LFA) 25. The season runs this year from Aug. 8 to about Oct. 8.
By any leap of logic, the captains had good reason to have a ...
Filming Giants
P.E.I. Documentary Bluefin Examines History and Plight of Province’s Famous Giant Tuna
All his life John Hopkins had wanted to catch a bluefin tuna.
Growing to massive sizes, well in excess of 1,000 pounds and incredibly strong swimmers, bluefin are revered all over the world.
“Every fisherman’s dream is to catch a giant bluefin. It’s one of the most powerful fish in the sea,” remarked Hopkins.
But that was then.
If you asked him that same question today — the answer ...
Seaweed Dreams
P.E.I. Man Celebrating a Decade Since He Sold His Dairy Quota For Kelp
“This is it. This is our finished product.” As he spoke, Joe Dorgan plunged his hefty, calloused hand into the container in front of him, emerging with a small mound of finely crushed, dark plant material.
It was dried seaweed, a mixture of rock weed, Irish moss, kelp and furcellaria, all collected from beaches across Prince Edward Island and crushed at Dorgan’s facility in Sea Cow Pond, near the western tip of the ...
Boat Backlog
Wait for New Fibreglass Fishing Vessels up to Five Years on P.E.I.
If you’re a fish harvester on P.E.I. and are just starting to think about investing in a new boat — you might be in for a few delays.
A glut of orders for new fishing vessels continues in the province, with no end in sight.
If a captain were to walk in to Colleen Avery’s office at Doucette’s Boat Building in Miminegash, P.E.I. today and was willing to put down a deposit, she’d tell them that they could be ...
