Cod Stocks in 3Ps Remain in Critical Condition, Says DFO
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) held a briefing in late November to update the status of 3Ps cod off the southern coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, which has remained in the critical zone since 2000.
In 2023, 3Ps cod stock was found to be at 55 per cent of the limit reference point, or the level below which the stock is considered to be subject to serious harm. Based on factors such as the current small stock size, small fish size and early maturation, DFO doesn’t believe ...
Has Fisheries Over-Analysis Created Action Paralysis?
Has there ever been a single Canadian industry that has been subjected to more studies, papers and analyses than the commercial fishery?
Perhaps fisheries regulators in the country subscribe to the theories of American George Pólya, known by many as the father of modern mathematical problem solving.
Pólya once said that “It is better to solve one problem five different ways, than to solve five problems one way.”
The problem with the modern-day fishery is that challenges and ...
The Delicate Balance Between Helping and Harming
In the federal government’s ever-increasing desire to protect the undoubtedly dwindling North Atlantic right whale population in this region, fish harvesters have had to sacrifice large portions of their seasons due to closures and make do with less-than-ideal whale-safe gear.
In lobster fishing area (LFA) 25, located between New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, harvesters are currently feeling the pressure of what the Maritime Fishermen’s Union (MFU) deems to be arbitrarily large ...
DFO Releases Guidelines for 2023 Stewardship Cod Fishery
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) recently released the conservation harvesting plan (CHP) for the 2023, 2J3KL cod stewardship fishery on the heels of announcing a rollover of last year’s 12,999-tonne maximum authorized cod harvest.
Within NAFO division 2J, the season is scheduled to open on Sunday, July 23 and will close on Saturday, October 14. Within 3KL, the season will open on the same date and run through to Saturday, November 4. As in previous years, harvesters will have ...
Diane Lebouthillier Assumes DFO Portfolio Following Shuffle
Following a cabinet shuffle by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on July 26, Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) Minister Joyce Murray has been replaced by Diane Lebouthillier.
Lebouthillier, who previously served as the Minister of National Revenue since 2015, was born in Newport, Québec before she moved to her parent’s hometown of Gaspé. Prior to her political career, Lebouthillier worked as a social worker before she was elected a Prefect in the Le Rocher-Percé Regional County ...
On the Waterfront – September 2023
Nova Scotia Vessel Sinks off N.L.
The Addie N’ Ainslie, a vessel based out of Sambro, N.S., sank on July 11 while fishing for halibut off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland.
After a split shaft punched a hole in the hull, the boat containing seven fish harvesters began to rapidly take on water.
The crew was able to signal first responders and cram into a lifeboat before being taken aboard a container ship. The next morning, the crew was picked up by the Canadian Coast Guard and dropped ...
Labrador Discovery – Scientists Find Something Unexpected in the Labrador Sea
Many think of Nunatsiavut, the homeland of Labrador Inuit, as a place of ice, mountains and polar bears.
A recent discovery has shown why what is going on under the waves is every bit as exciting for researchers at Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) and Labrador Inuit.
With the help of Indigenous partners and other researchers, DFO scientists have discovered a hotspot of corals and sponges near Makkovik. Together, they have found a unique area of corals, never-before seen in the ...
Important Redfish Data Collection – Experimental Fishery Key to Resumption of Commercial Harvesting
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) is gearing up again for the experimental Unit 1 redfish fishery as it works out the details to re-establish the once-diminished stock for a future commercial fishery.
While the redfish fishery was strong throughout the 1900s, the stock plummeted in the early 1990s, with a moratorium being introduced on both redfish species — Acadian redfish and deepwater redfish — in 1994.
Starting in 2011, redfish saw a major reproduction boom that lasted ...
DFO Standing Committee Undertakes Study into Foreign Ownership and Corporate Concentration of Licenses and Quota
Above: Photo by David Greening
Testimony has concluded for a study being undertaken by the House of Commons Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans on the Foreign Ownership and Corporate Concentration of Fishing Licenses and Quota.
The committee heard testimony from 37 witnesses during meetings in May and June. Written briefs were also submitted for its consideration.
Among the witnesses was Colin Sproul, President of the Bay of Fundy Inshore Fishermen’s Association, who ...
Salmon Stock in N.L. Showing Low Returns and Low Survival Rates
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has completed its bi-annual assessment of wild salmon in Newfoundland and Labrador, concluding that monitored rivers on the island are still struggling, while Labrador is seeing some growth.
Of the 15 monitored rivers in Newfoundland, nine were in the critical zone, five were in the healthy zone and one was in the cautious zone. Four rivers in Labrador were monitored in 2022, of which two were considered healthy, one was considered to be in the cautious ...
