Some Positive News for Capelin, But Stock Still in Critical Zone
Capelin stocks in Newfoundland and Labrador have improved since 2021, but are nowhere near where they need to be.
While delivering its latest technical briefing on capelin stocks, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) announced a new limit reference point (LRP) for capelin stocks, indicating their biomass needs to be over 640 kilotonnes (kt). This LRP is based on cod stocks and how much available capelin they would need to sustain a healthy population.
“We’re considering ...
Capelin Fishery “Pause” Not Necessary
Seafood producers (harvesters and processors) respect and value the work of the researchers and scientists at Fisheries and Oceans Canada, who play an essential role in keeping our fisheries sustainable.
However, in capelin and many other fisheries, a present state of alarmism simply overrides harvesters and processors’ input, dismissing generations’ worth of lived experience.
Last year, capelin was a very small fishery of 16,000 tonnes. Activists argue with apparent moral certainty ...
The Capelin Conundrum
Capelin are almost as controversial, in fishery circles, as they are essential in Newfoundland and Labrador’s marine food chain.
The call in March by WWF-Canada, Oceana and the NunatuKavut Council for a ban on the capelin fishery and the vigorous responses from the FFAW and the Association of Seafood Processors, highlight the need for a solution that everyone involved would be able to live with.
On the one hand, WWF and Oceana recommend we stop fishing the capelin stocks, whose numbers ...
On the Waterfront – August 2020
N.L. Capelin Price Up 20 Per Cent
In mid-June, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Standing Fish Price-Setting Panel sided with harvesters and increased the 2020 price of capelin by 20 per cent over 2019 prices.
Fishermen will now receive $0.42/pound for Grade A capelin. Last year they received $0.35/pound.
The FFAW, which negotiated on behalf of the harvesters, stated that over the past two years, capelin collective bargaining has increased prices by 68 per cent over 2018 levels.
The ...
On the Waterfront — August 2019
N.L. Company Building OCI Vessel’s Production Line
Bay Bulls-based C & W Industrial Fabrication and Marine Limited has been sub-contracted to build and install the production line for Ocean Choice International’s (OCI) new groundfish vessel.
Last November, OCI announced the construction of a state-of-the-art, Arctic-class vessel that is expected to create approximately 70 new, full-time, year-round positions and enable the company to provide its workers at sea the safest possible ...
The Ecosystem and the Connection Between Capelin, Cod and Seals
Growing up, every year we would go out in my grandfather’s trap skiff to get a load of capelin for the gardens.
You did not have to search for capelin back then, they would land in the same beaches every year.
I returned to the fishery in 1977 and spent the winters sealing — there were good markets, good prices and you could sell seal meat for canning. You could cut open a mature harp seal and fill a five-gallon bucket with capelin — but not any more. The seal hunt continued until ...
On the Waterfront – May 2018
Five Nations Clam Company Announces Partners
There was much speculation following the Feb. 21 announcement that the newly-created Five Nations Clam Company would be receiving the new, lucrative license for Arctic surf clams form the Department of Fisheries and Oceans.
At the time, it was announced that the Five Nations Clam Company would be comprised of First Nations from Quebec, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick and will partner with Cape ...
On the Waterfront – December 2017
Canada’s Largest Commercial Marine Event a Near Sell-Out
With exhibit booth space nearly sold out, excitement is mounting for the next edition of Fish Canada Workboat Canada, returning to the Moncton Coliseum Complex on January 26-27, 2018.
This biennial event is Canada’s largest commercial marine trade show. It welcomes those who make their living on, in, and around the water, along with those who provide the related products and services to keep Atlantic Canada’s marine-based ...
Working Together
Using Indigenous and Local Knowledge and Science to Better Manage Capelin
By Chelsea Boaler, Ph.D. Student
Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland
Centre for Fisheries Ecosystem Research
Capelin (Mallotus villosus) is a prominent pelagic forage fish species for piscivorous predators in North Atlantic and Arctic waters.
It is not only a central food source in marine ecosystems, but also holds important subsistence and commercial value for people. Despite the ecological ...
Listen to the Capelin
If you want to know the future of the fishery around Newfoundland and Labrador guess who you should talk to?
It’s a tiny fish that’s about 20 centimetres long and weighs in at 25 grams. When it’s trawled and dumped on the deck of the boat it smells like cucumber and its silvery underbelly sparkle like diamonds in the sunshine.
One more hint? Historically, it was a popular fertilizer and most people want at least one meal of it a year. You got it. It’s the Mallotus villosus, or to ...
