Is Lobster Larvae Decline a Factor in Whale Deaths?
Editor’s Note: This is Alain’s final contribution to The Navigator Magazine. Our long-time, revered, Nova Scotia fisheries contributor passed away on August 5 in Yarmouth. He will be missed, not only by the readers of this publication, but by the fishing industry as a whole.
Marine scientists now believe the lack of lobster postlarvae is the culprit behind the right whales vacating their feeding grounds at the mouth of the Bay of Fundy and migrating to the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
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Organization and Lobbyists Could Be Solution to Industry Woes
When the late U.S. President Lyndon Johnson appointed a person into his inner circle, who at times had publicly disagreed with his policies, he justified his decision by saying he’d rather have the guy inside the tent peeing out than outside the tent peeing in.
When it comes to having any influence with governments, especially Ottawa concerning the commercial fishery, hiring lobbyists is the solution because the opposition is doing so and with results.
Three worried lobster harvesters ...
High Lobster Prices Lure Fraudsters
Canadian lobster is a valuable commodity, with a global reach now that it has found a niche in Asia.
The removal of tariffs from seafood imports into the European Union from Canada will eventually open doors to our lobsters — live and frozen — to a multi-million-dollar marketplace.
The Americans are a bit leery, or jealous, of this move as their government tries to rid itself of international trade agreements like NAFTA and one with the European Community, in an effort to persuade ...
Shore-Grown Seaweed a Major N.S.-Based Industry
After eating a sumptuous lunch in Barrington Passage, in a place where lobster is pronounced “lobsteh,” my daughter and I decided to take the old shore route back to Yarmouth.
At Shag Harbour, I pointed out the spot where one of the world’s best documented UFO crash landings occurred a few decades ago. It was witnessed by a whole slew of people. Fishermen actually went to the spot with their fishing boats thinking the object might have been an aircraft. They were met with slimy waters ...
While Trump Cuts Funding to Science, Ottawa Adds Positions in Atlantic Canada
I have to note the difference between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau when it comes to science.
President Trump will cut major programs such as the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA — the agency which is predicting an eight-foot plus rise in ocean levels by 2017), while at the same time our federal government has announced $325-million to be shared among the four Atlantic Provinces for fisheries growth.
Included in the package, an informant ...
Are Coastal Communities in Peril?
Atlantic Ocean Predicted to Rise Substantially in 20- 50 Years
While President Trump contemplates a mega billion-dollar wall between the U.S.-Mexican border, recent news from the scientific community strongly indicates the wall should be constructed along the coastline of the United States to protect such entities as New York City, Miami and San Francisco.
The accepted theory by most of the world’s leading marine scientists is that the world oceans would rise by one to two feet in the ...
The Bluenose and the Cape Islander: Two Different Fishing Vessels, Two Different Stories
Nova Scotia will have the honour of having two of its fishing vessels featured on Canadian currency when the Cape Islander will be part of a commemorative Loonie celebrating this country’s 150th anniversary.
The first one was the Bluenose, which first graced the Canadian dime in 1937.
Two different boats, two different tales.
The Bluenose was built in Lunenburg, N.S., to fish and race against its counterparts in Gloucester, Mass., in the 1920s.
The schooner design had actually ...
Trump Trade Threats May Not Amount to Much
The election of Donald Trump as president of the most powerful country in the world wasn’t an isolated incident, as other countries — especially in Europe — blazed the trail by electing people opposing global trade agreements and wide open immigration policies.
Great Britain led the way with its opposition to the European Union and voted narrowly to opt out of the organization.
France and Germany also have ultra-right wingers vying for top political offices, with free trade arrang...
EU Trade Deal the Perfect Christmas Gift for Our Fishing Industry
Christmas is a time for fellowship and giving, where, for a very brief period in time, an aura of peace and goodwill that seems to permeate the psyche of many of us, placing what we perceive as ill winds at bay, at least for a few weeks.
The problem is, when we awake from the festivities, the ever-so-brief lull which is like medication to dull the pain does nothing to solve the cause of the pain.
Free trade deals between nations have become a fact of life and as with most deals there are ...
Lobster Processing Revival in South Western Nova Scotia
When you think of lobster processing, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island readily come to mind.
But it wasn’t that far back that south western Nova Scotia was a leader in this field. And with the success of Riverside Lobster International, based in Meteghan River, about 50 kilometres from Yarmouth, the revival is in full swing.
Stepping back a bit, lobster canning was a major seasonal employer in this region from about 1840 to 1932, when the markets collapsed.
Places like Harris ...
