Repeating Myself 30 Years Later
Looking back, it’s ironic the two big stories in the news the week of January 10, 2020 were the death of the Hon. John Crosbie, who was Fisheries Minister at the time of the moratorium in 1992 and now 28 years later we are told the cod stocks in the Gulf are in danger of extinction.
What have we learned in 28 years?
I think we all know the answer to that one, but for some reason the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the managers of our oceans do not seem to get it.
In the late ...
Nova Scotia Fish Farms Global Leaders in Sustainability
It is an unfortunate reality that fish farming has been the subject of sustained misinformation campaigns in recent months.
What makes this disturbing is that fish farming supports thousands of essential jobs in rural communities across Atlantic Canada — jobs that have become even more precious during these difficult economic times. For more than 40 years, Nova Scotians have supported marine fish farming and recognized that it can coexist with other fisheries on working waterfronts.
T...
Should There be a Fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador This Year?
The fishery is part of the food chain, the very essence of life.
We have a lot of people in this world who are starving to death and any interruptions in the food chain will only make things worse. Food gets scarce, prices skyrocket and the poor people will be the ones to suffer.
There is a lot of fear in this province and you hear it every day on radio and TV, all in an effort to get people to stay home.
Approximately 90 per cent of food in Newfoundland and Labrador comes from outside ...
Nova Scotia is the Gold Standard for Aquaculture
Recently there’s been a lot of talk about aquaculture and Nova Scotians deserve to have their questions answered.
But without the facts, we can’t have an honest conversation. Recent information circulating about the aquaculture industry is inaccurate and fails to recognize it for the safe, sustainable, growth-oriented industry that it is.
For more than 40 years, Nova Scotians have supported marine fish farming and recognized that it can co-exist with other fisheries on working ...
Fisheries Management Suffering from Recurring Issues
Our current approach to fishery management results in some crucial and recurring problems that are currently highlighted by three particular issues.
One is the controversy over the latest 3PS cod stock assessment and the new computer model being used there. Despite the continuing discussion and whatever the pros and cons of the two approaches, no change in the assessment method can change the amount of fish in the ocean.
Moreover, there appears to be no clear idea of how the results will ...
We Need to be Proud and Loud for Our Fisheries
I would like to commend the Navigator Magazine for its editorial, “Is Federal MPA Plan Too Aggressive and Short-Sighted,” in the February issue.
Part of the problem is that the fisheries sector has fallen short when telling its story. The resulting void has been filled by the sector’s critics. Their view of our world is that we are too aggressive and short-sighted. I say we need to be proud and loud about our sustainability practices.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada reports that 96 per ...
Mowi CEO Apology was Empty
There is little comfort in the apology by Mowi CEO Aarskog to Premier Ball and Minister Byrne in relation to the suffocation of 2.6-million salmon in their net pens in August on our south coast.
Minister Byrne held a technical briefing recently to showcase his new policies, but it was by invitation only and the public was excluded, just like the public was excluded from the Mowi apology.
This is another example of the two-way discussion between the aquaculture industry and the N.L. ...
Wrong to Compare Aquaculture to Agriculture
This is in response to a letter to the editor by Mark Lane, executive director of the N.L. Aquaculture Industry Association, where he is supporting the fish farms in the ocean, regardless of the damage they cause and I can understand why, that’s what he is getting paid for.
I too am a proud citizen of this province and grew up harvesting the ocean and the land and the two are as different as chalk and cheese, especially what has happened this year on the South Coast.
When farmers lose ...
World Fisheries Day: Highlighting the Challenges for a Sustainable Future
November 21 was World Fisheries Day.
It is a day to recognize what the fishery means to our communities, our province, our country and the world.
The fishery is what brought many settlers to Newfoundland and Labrador and over 500 years later it remains the industry that sustains much of our rural and coastal communities. Tens of thousands of people are directly and indirectly employed by the fishing industry in our province.
In rural Newfoundland and Labrador, the crew member, the ...
Murky Waters Surround MPAs
After the Deepwater Horizon disaster, I dedicated five years of my life to fighting against the development of Old Harry, a hydrocarbon reserve midway between Newfoundland and the Magdalen Islands.
Recently, I have had to re-engage on a separate, but related issue of marine protected areas or MPAs.
In being more fashionable than practical, MPAs will needlessly expropriate prime fishing grounds from our intergenerational fishermen.
Although the whole world thinks marine protected areas ...
