Atlantic Canadian Seafood by the Numbers
The seafood caught and produced in Atlantic Canada is worth in excess of $2.2 billion annually and continue to grow.
According to the most recent statistics (2013) from the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), the landed value of all seafood produced in the four Atlantic Provinces totals an impressive $2,258,151,000. This number is quite staggering when you think about at. Few industries in this region produce products that contribute this much to the economy and gross domestic ...
Fishing for Success
NL Organization Formed to Pass on Traditional Industry Practices
The name Petty Harbour has been synonymous with the fishery for centuries. And Kimberly Orren would like to ensure it stays that way for many years to come.
Orren is the executive director and driving force behind Fishing for Success, a new, non-profit organization formed to help preserve traditional fishing knowledge in Newfoundland and Labrador.
The Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove resident explained her vision for the fledgling ...
Will CETA War Overshadow Shrimp Battle?
Uncertainty remains the catchword for the 2015 Atlantic Canada shrimp fishery.
Many harvesters are waiting, with much trepidation, to see if additional shrimp quota cuts will be coming this year. However, some indicators are pointing to a further tightening of already shrinking quotas. Question to be asked is what will be the extent of those abatements?
Fishermen took a major hit last year when federal quota reductions included a cut of 20 per cent to Shrimp Fishing Area Six, with the ...
FFAW President Outlines Union’s Key Priorities
The new president of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers (FFAW-Unifor) is not wasting any time in outlining his priorities for the powerful Newfoundland and Labrador union.
Keith Sullivan spoke about his mandate during a recent interview with The Navigator.
While there are many issues currently facing the FFAW, fair access to adjacent resources is at the top of the list, the labour leader explained.
“Most people are aware of the difficulties we have facing us with the northern shrimp. If ...
Fishing Fatalities Continue to be Major Concern For TSB
The high number of accidents involving loss of life on fishing vessels remains one of the key priorities for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB).
Commercial fishing industry fatalities was one of eight significant safety issues identified by the TSB in its 2014 Watchlist — released in late November of last year.
According to the TSB Watchlist, an average of 134 fishing vessel accidents per year were reported between 2009 and 2013 in Canada, which together comprised 40 per ...
A Hands-On Experience
The Department of Ocean Sciences at Memorial University has wrapped up a two month-long, joint collaboration with the Oceans Learning Partnership.
The program offers high school students and their teachers an opportunity to discover the diverse and fascinating world of ocean sciences. The biodiversity lab program gave Biology 2201 students and their teachers a field trip that provided many of the learning outcomes associated with the biodiversity unit of the course.
“The program is an ...
P.E.I. Lobster Industry Finishes MSC Certification
The Prince Edward Island seafood industry announced in November it has completed the MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certification for lobster.
The certification is essential because domestically larger food retail companies such as Sobeys, Loblaws, Whole Food and Walmart now have requirements for all seafood to be sourced from sustainable fisheries. MSC is one of the third-party eco certification standards.
The MSC certification of the P.E.I. lobster trap fishery was the result of the ...
Atlantic Charger Living up to Expectations
Captain Brad Watkins has had more than a year to reflect on the performance of his new vessel, the Atlantic Charger and he really likes what he has seen to date. In mid-July, 2013, the Atlantic Charger was launched — a versatile 68.5-foot multi-species vessel, designed by TriNav Marine Design and built by Val Cull of Northern Boat Building and Repair in Port Saunders.
The Atlantic Charger has a bulbous bow, a nozzle, fuel efficiency components and the first autopilot system of its kind to ...
The Times They Are a Changin’?
Any number of words can and have been used to describe the fishing industry in Atlantic Canada — including some highly ‘descriptive’ terms that are not exactly suitable for print.
However, one descriptor that seemed to appear on the lips of many when looking back at the year that was is the time-tested, French-borrowed phrase déjà vu.
Deja vu is the phenomenon of having the strong sensation that an event or experience currently being experienced has been experienced in the past ...