Cod — Building the Future
In recent columns, I have been discussing what the increasing abundance of cod is likely to mean for our capture fishery.
Last month, I asked the question, “Are we rebuilding the past or building the future?” I ended by suggesting we have to build an industry based on cod that has a reasonable chance of being successful —competitive in international markets, economically viable, capable of attracting people and investment, providing good incomes to participants, and ensuring the ...
Cod — Rebuilding the Past or Building the Future?
In the past couple of columns, I have discussed the increasing abundance of cod and what it may mean for our capture fishery.
Last month, I ended with the suggestion that we need to focus on the kind of future we want to build, not on the past we lost that really wasn’t as good as some people seem to think. This month, I will pick up from there.
As we contemplate what we will do in response to the return of cod, we need to ask ourselves, “are we rebuilding the past or building the ...
Cod and Jobs, Jobs, Jobs
A generation ago, baby boomers were entering the workforce in big numbers and they needed jobs.
In Atlantic Canada, a lot of those baby boomers lived in rural areas, with few local employment opportunities. Many were moving away, leaving their families and communities behind.
“Jobs, jobs, jobs,” was the rallying cry of politicians during elections, in the hope of getting themselves elected.
As it happened, the need for jobs occurred around the time Canada obtained the 200-mile ...
Back to the Future: Return of the Cod
Cod are increasing in abundance off the northeast coast of Newfoundland and Labrador and on the Grand Banks, in NAFO zone 2J3KL.
That is either good or bad news for people in our industry, depending on their individual circumstances. I thought it might be worth considering some of the implications of this development.
Why Are Cod Increasing in Abundance?
The main reason seems to be climate change. Temperatures around the world have been increasing over several decades, mainly due to ...
Risk Versus Reward in the Fishery
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained” and “no pain, no gain” are age-old sayings, generally accepted as true, that suggest rewards come only from taking risks.
It is also commonly believed that bigger rewards come from taking bigger risks — i.e. a greater willingness to do things that are new and different from what others are doing. If you are not a risk-taker, you are very unlikely to achieve more than others and reap the rewards from doing so.
Everyone has ideas but not everyone ...
Increasing Income and Profitability in the Fishery
A value chain is the sequence of activities that ultimately delivers products and/or services to the final consumer.
In the capture fishery, for example, harvesters catch fish and sell them to processors, who turn them into a range of products and sell them to buyers, who may process them further or distribute them through retail stores, restaurants, or other channels to the consumers who eat the products.
The prices paid by the consumers at the end of the chain determine the overall ...
Better Productivity Necessary for Fishery to Evolve
Last month I talked about quality, probably the biggest issue we face as an industry.
This month, I will discuss productivity, another big issue that must be addressed, if we are going to have a better future. And, as we will see, the two issues are related.
Productivity is measured as a ratio:
Productivity = Output / Input
In other words, it is simply a measure of how much of something we get out compared to what we put in. It is a way to measure effectiveness and efficiency in ...
Quality is Biggest Issue Facing the Fishery Today
Of all the challenges we have in the capture fishery in Atlantic Canada — and there are many — probably none is bigger or more important to the future of the industry than the need to improve the quality of our raw materials and finished products.
Quality is a foundation piece — it underpins everything else, determining what is possible in processing and marketing, our ultimate output value, the incomes earned by harvesters and plant workers and the profitability of plants and fishing ...
Maximizing Value
In my last three columns, I have talked about the discussions that took place at a workshop CCFI held in September on the fishery of the future in Newfoundland and Labrador.
After hearing presentations from some very knowledgeable people on different aspects of the industry, participants in the workshop reached a consensus that we need a value-driven business model focused on maximizing the value obtained from our limited resources.
No one disagreed. That is particularly notable, because ...
