14 Bluefin Landed During 19th Annual Wedgeport Tuna Tournament and Festival
Above: The Aqua-Haulic III idles into place at the Wedgeport Breakwater wharf for the weigh-in. Kathy Johnson photo
It was the year for bluefin tuna at the 19th annual Wedgeport Tuna Tournament and Festival, with the highest recorded weight in the tournament’s history for the 14 fish landed.
“This year, the bluefin were by far the highest average weight per fish,” said Brandon Doucette, president of the Wedgeport Tuna Tournament Association. “We had four ...
4VWX Herring Fishery TAC Set at 21,000 Tonnes
The total allowable catch (TAC) for the 4VWX herring fishery has been cut by 11 per cent this year to 21,000 metric tonnes, down 50 per cent from the 42,500-tonne quota in 2018.
With the Southwest Nova Scotia/Bay of Fundy Atlantic herring stock in the critical zone for the fifth year in a row, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has been decreasing the TAC to promote recovery, says Lauren Sankey, DFO communications advisor for the Maritimes Region.
“DFO reduced the TAC from ...
Climate Change: What DFO is Seeing in Atlantic Canada Waters
Above: Lonnie Snow photo
“Waters in Atlantic Canada have seen varying degrees of warming over the past 10 years,” says Kathryn Hallett, Fisheries and Oceans Canada media relations.
Hallett said there is an important distinction between sea surface temperatures (SSTs) that are highly influenced by air temperature, and temperatures at depth. “The warming trend observed in air temperature since the 1870s of about 1°C per century is expected to have occurred in ...
Fishing Industry on the Front Lines of Climate Change
Above: Tracey Wallace photo
The temperature is rising in the Atlantic Ocean, both on the sea surface and in deep waters, giving the fishing industry a front row seat to the impact of climate change.
“We find it’s impacting virtually every day. That’s an exaggeration, but we’ve seen frequency of storms and severity of storms we’ve never seen before over the past three years in particular,” says Stewart Lamont, managing director of the Tangier Lobster Company Limited...
Fishermen Impacted by Barrington Lake Wildfire Being Helped by Fellow Harvesters
Gearing up for this fall’s LFA 33/34 lobster fishery is going to be a little more challenging for 17 fishermen in Shelburne County who lost thousands of dollars in uninsurable fishing gear during the Barrington Lake wildfire last spring.
Called the largest wildfire in Nova Scotia’s history, the wildfire burned out-of-control for two weeks in late May/early June, leaving a path of destruction in its wake, including 60 primary residences, some 150 buildings, vehicles and fishing gear.
...
Development of SmartNet Fishing Trawl System by Katchi Technologies Continuing
A SmartNet fishing trawl system that eliminates contact with the ocean floor, reduces greenhouse emissions and the loss of gear is expected to be ready for commercial sales in 2024.
Katchi Technologies Inc. of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia has been developing the system for several years now. Founded by Marc d’Entremont, the idea behind the SmartNet system is to eliminate the use of traditional trawl doors by using a set of hydrodynamic blocks to open and fly the net in the water column, enabling ...
Whale Entangled in LFA 33 Gear Found in N.L. Waters
A humpback whale, found entangled in rope in Newfoundland waters from lobster fishing area (LFA) 33 fishing gear, was successfully freed from its extra baggage by Newfoundland and Labrador’s Whale Release and Strandings group in July.
“Fishermen saw it over several days and kept telling us about it,” said Julie Huntington co-director of the group. “We went out for one day and couldn’t find it but we did the next.”
Huntington said the whale was entangled in rope from lobster ...
Implementation of Treaty-Based Fishing Rights Continuing
The implementation of Treaty-based fishing rights for First Nations in the Maritimes and Québec is continuing through Moderate Livelihood Understandings and Rights Reconciliation Agreements with Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO).
“Second only to conservation is our responsibility to work with First Nations to further implement right-related fisheries,” said Michael Leonard, DFO’s Director of Indigenous Fisheries Management, Maritimes Region, during a technical briefing this summer on ...
Wedgeport Tuna Tournament and Festival Set for Aug. 19 to 26
Above: Samples of bluefin tuna are graded before being shipped to market at the 2021 Wedgeport Tuna Festival and Tournament weigh-in. Kathy Johnson photo
All systems are a go for the 19th annual Wedgeport Tuna Tournament and Festival, scheduled for Aug. 19 to 26.
A total of 16 boats are expected to compete in the tournament. They will set sail for the 12-hour voyage to the fishing grounds on Aug. 22 at 7 p.m. from the Wedgeport Breakwater Wharf in Lower Wedgeport. “They have ...
Yarmouth Shark Scramble Cancelled for This Year
Above: Kathy Johnson photo
The popular Yarmouth Shark Scramble is a no-go this year, due to changes in scientific requirements for sampling by Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
“In previous years, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has authorized shark tournaments through the issuance of scientific licences under section 52 of the Fishery General Regulations as a way to support the Department’s science requirements,” said Lauren Sankey, DFO spokesperson. “However, the Depart...
