On the Waterfront – January 2015

Four Fishermen Rescued on Second Day of LFA 34 Season

Four lobster fishermen had to abandon their boat November 30 after it started taking on water and flipped, a day after the lobster season in southwestern Nova Scotia began, The Chronicle-Herald reported.

The Lady Wallace was about 42 kilometres off Wedgeport when the crew ran into trouble. They boarded their life-raft and abandoned their vessel and were picked up by another fishing vessel. The four fishermen were unharmed.

Although the zone is normally open from the last Monday in November until May 31, the start of the lobster season was delayed until November 29 at 6 a.m. due to weather concerns.

More Fines Handed Out in Newfoundland and Labrador

Fisheries and Oceans Canada recently announced several individuals in Newfoundland and Labrador have received fisheries-related fines.

Morris Manuel Anstey of Summerford has been fined and ordered to upgrade his Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) reporting frequency for violating capelin licence conditions.

Anstey was convicted in Gander Provincial Court on November 3 for failing to outfit a fishing vessel with the proper fishing gear while participating in the capelin purse seine fishery (seine less than 120 fathoms).

He was fined $5,000 to be paid within 12 months, forfeited 63,880 pounds of capelin, valued at $5,986, ordered to upgrade VMS to report positions every 20 minutes for two years and is unable to transfer licences for two years.

John Michael Vinnicombe and Brian MacRoberts of St. John’s have been convicted for fishing lobster without lobster licences, violations of the Atlantic Fishery Regulations.

Both were convicted on November 5, 2014 in St. John’s Provincial Court and fined $1,000 to be paid within 12 months. They also forfeited two lobster traps and three hoop nets.

David Bailey of Harcourt has been fined and banned from fishing in coastal waters of Newfoundland and Labrador for a year after being found guilty of catching and retaining more than the daily allowable catch of groundfish during the 2013 recreational groundfish fishery.

Bailey was convicted on October 28, 2014 in Clarenville Provincial Court. He was fined $1,000 to be paid within 12 months, prohibited from fishing in the coastal waters of Newfoundland and Labrador for 12 months and five fish were seized.

Garrett Norman and Neal Norman of Lumsden have been convicted of violating conditions of their snow crab licences.

Both were convicted on October 21, 2014 in Gander Provincial Court for failing to stop fishing when the amount of snow crab identified on their licences had been harvested and for exceeding the maximum amount of snow crab pots authorized under the licences.

The offences occurred during the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Both fishermen were licenced to operate in the 3D Inshore snow crab fishery (NAFO Division 3K) along the Northeast coast of Newfoundland.

Garrett Norman was fined $1,500 to be paid within six months and 735 pounds of snow crab valued at $1,665 was seized. Neal Norman was fined $1,500 to be paid within six months.

Donna Duffett of Catalina was fined and ordered to forfeit fishing equipment after being convicted of fishing crab in the Conservation Exclusion Zone A in Trinity Bay on June 29, 2013. Duffett, an inshore crab licence holder, was convicted in Clarenville Provincial Court on October 24, 2014.

She was fined $1,500 to be paid within 30 days, ordered to install and operate VMS on vessel for use during the crab fishery, for a period of two years (vessels from this fleet are not normally required to carry VMS) and 26 crab pots, rope and buoys valued at approximately $1,500 were seized.

Allen’s Fisheries Implements New Crab Processing Technology

A crab processing facility on Newfoundland’s west coast has received funding from the provincial government to test new processing technology.

Allen’s Fisheries Limited of Benoit’s Cove was awarded $99,780 to help integrate new processing technology to enhance quality, productivity and product yield at the facility.

The project is funded through the Fisheries Technology and New Opportunities Program, which supports projects aimed at enhancing the harvesting, processing and marketing of provincial seafood, as well as supporting innovation in the aquaculture industry. Allen’s Fisheries Limited plans to have its processing line reconfigured with the new equipment for the start of the 2015 processing season.

Snow crab has been the most valuable seafood export produced by the province in recent years. In 2013 it was valued at over $355 million.

U.S. Company Considering Aquaculture Research Centre for Souris

The Centre for Aquaculture Technologies Canada is looking at the feasibility of turning the former fishplant in Souris, P.E.I. into a research centre for the aquaculture industry.

The company specializes in services needed to grow the aquaculture sector and is interested in the Souris fish plant that shut down three years ago.

The company has said the project would create up to 15 jobs in the area.

The Centre for Aquaculture Technologies Canada is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Centre for Aquaculture Technologies, which is based in San Diego.

MP Critical of Small Craft Harbours’ Cuts

Member of Parliament for Random-Burin-St. George’s, Judy Foote, says the move by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to reduce the number of management areas for Small Craft Harbours (SCH) in Newfoundland and Labrador, from four to two, shows a lack of understanding of the importance of SCH.

This restructuring will see two area managers and six program officers responsible for overseeing the 335 harbours and 205 harbour authorities in the province. In Random-Burin -St. George’s alone, there are 70 harbours managed by harbour authorities, more than any other riding in Canada.

“In a manner all too familiar when it comes to the Harper Conservatives, DFO is using a slash and burn approach with Small Craft Harbours in Newfoundland and Labrador, done, of course, without any consultation with the Harbour Authority Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (HAANL) or individual harbour authorities,” said Foote.

“HAANL and local harbour authorities are comprised of volunteers, with minimal paid staff. When these volunteers assumed positions with our harbour authorities, it was done with the realization that they were taking on a big commitment. However, they also assumed that the federal government would provide adequate assistance through Small Craft Harbours to ensure they could be effective in their volunteer efforts.”

Mussel Farmers Receive $53,200 to Help Maintain Certifications

Mussel farmers throughout Newfoundland and Labrador will continue to promote their sustainable and environmentally-responsible approach to aquaculture with support from the provincial government.

The Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture recently announced more than $53,000 to help the Newfoundland Aquaculture Industry Association engage in mandatory audits to maintain the industry’s Canadian Organic Aquaculture Standard certification and Best Aquaculture Standards certification.

The provincial government has invested almost $1 million in the mussel industry since 2006. This investment not only assisted the process of certifying mussels produced in Newfoundland and Labrador to the Canadian Organic Aquaculture Standard, but also helped the provincial mussel industry achieve record production levels.

In November 2013, Norlantic Processors in Botwood became the first mussel plant in the world to be certified to the Best Aquaculture Practices processing standard. In March 2014, Green Seafoods Limited in Winterton became the first secondary mussel processing facility in the world to be certified to this standard.

The Best Aquaculture Practices certification is provided by the Global Aquaculture Alliance, an international, non-profit trade association dedicated to advancing environmentally and socially responsible aquaculture.

Live N.S. Lobster Exports to Asia Grow 428 per cent in Five Years

Tonnes of Nova Scotia seafood will once again be shipped overseas this holiday season.

Halifax International Airport Authority (HIAA) recently announced that numerous freighter aircraft will transport fresh lobster up to December 28.

Lobster will be sent to all parts of the world through the connections provided by Halifax Stanfield. Several carriers will be transporting seafood this season including: Air Canada, CargoJet, FedEx, UPS, Purolator and Korean Air Cargo.

Korean Air Cargo will provide the largest shipments of lobster. Each flight will carry between 40 and 50 tonnes of the crustaceans and provide lobster enthusiasts in Asia with a taste of the Maritimes over the holidays, with the largest shipment on Dec. 21, carrying 100 tonnes of lobster.

All Korean Air Cargo flights are destined for Seoul, South Korea with a stop for fuel in Anchorage, Alaska. After arriving in Seoul, the lobster will be sent to cities such as Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing.

“We are pleased to welcome back Korean Air Cargo for the holiday season,” says Jerry Staples, HIAA Vice President Air Service Marketing and Business Development.

“In just the last five years, Canadian live lobster exports to Asia have grown 428 per cent. And the interest in our delicacy continues to grow. This summer, Korean Air Cargo took advantage of our extended runway, operating during the summer months transporting Nova Scotia seafood to South Korea and beyond.”