Cod Stock Report Not Telling Full Biomass Tale
The graph shown here indicates the level of the cod spawning biomass at 1,600,000 metric tonnes in 1962.
Official proceedings of the International Commission for the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries (ICNAF) annual meeting in the mid-1950s showed the scientific council of ICNAF recorded the estimated biomass to be 2,000,000 metric tonnes.
I bring this to your attention in the wake of the recent report of the one-month long survey trip of the Irish research vessel chartered by the present ...
All Parts of the Cod Have Market Potential
I have read with great interest the series of articles prepared by Mr. Bob Verge, managing director of the Canadian Centre for Fisheries Innovation about the cod fisheries recovery.
I have found that he has painted an instructive portrait of the past of this fishery, of the current situation and of the conclusions to be drawn of mistakes from the past. I have appreciated his sense of synthesis and his description of the new opportunities.
I would like here to add to his reflection the ...
Did you Fish Redfish in the 1980s or Before?
I am a research scientist at DFO in Mont-Joli, Quebec working on redfish assessment primarily for the Unit 1 + 2 stock (Gulf of St Lawrence and Laurentian Channel).
I am interested in speaking with anyone who fished redfish (skippers and crew) in the 1980s and before on their experiences and impressions of the stocks and the catch back then.
Some questions I have, when looking at data and model results, concern catches and reporting. I would be interested in hearing about catch and ...
Better Management Only Hope For Future Fisheries
I recently listened to Fred Woodman, Jr., owner of an inshore fish plant in New Harbour, being interviewed on The Fisheries Broadcast, talking about cod before the moratorium and cod now and what to do with it.
While I didn’t know Fred Woodman, Jr., I certainly knew his father, Fred Woodman, Sr., who was owner of an inshore fish plant and was a member of the Newfoundland Inshore Fisheries Association, a group of concerned citizens who were trying to wake up the politicians as to what was ...
Real Leadership Needed For N.L. Fisheries Renewal
I was present on three occasions a few years ago when Prime Minister Harper was electioneering and making many commitments regarding our fisheries.
His future Minister of Fisheries, Loyola Hearn, was present. With respect to his commitment regarding extension of jurisdiction, he not only completely reneged but he systematically reduced funding to the N.L. DFO region to such an extent the region’s fishery science capability, an absolute necessity in fishery management, has been reduced to ...
Industry Organizations Rally Against Gulf of St. Lawrence Petroleum Development
This letter was addressed to the following federal cabinet ministers:
Greg Rickford, Minister of Natural Resources
Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of the Environment
As fisheries representatives active in all parts of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, we are writing to inform you that we will oppose any petroleum development in the Gulf of St. Lawrence without prior consultation and a thorough understanding of the impacts to our seafood industry.
Given ...
A Future Commercial Cod Fishery Should Not Take Place During Summer Months
I would like to provide some comments about two well-written and thought-provoking articles that appeared in the August issue of The Navigator Magazine.
The articles were entitled Prominent Cod Scientist Labels Stock Recovery as “Remarkable” and Cod — Building the Future. The first article featured Dr. George Rose and was a question and answer between the cod scientist and Navigator Managing Editor Kerry Hann. The second was a column written by Bob Verge, the Managing Director of the ...
Biodegradable Twine Regulation Helping Crab Stocks
During the spring snow crab harvest in 3K, I was pleasantly surprised by a DFO condition of license that actually worked for conservation.
A lot of harvesters were a bit skeptical about this regulation given the amount of regulations that are not working in fish harvester’s best interest and for conservation reasons.
The regulation stated: You shall install in your snow crab traps, a biodegradable twine which shall be a soft laid, untreated 96-thread cotton twine. This twine shall be ...
Over-Regulation Killing the Seal Hunt
While visiting Foxtrap, N.L. this spring, I attended, out of curiosity, a training course for people who wanted to get a personal sealers license.
A personal sealing license is a license to kill a seal to eat — limit of six per license and the hunter is not permitted to sell the pelt.
This course was put off by Department of Fisheries and Oceans. The local fisheries officer started off by listing some of the things that they were not allowed to do and make the statement that if you ...
Quebec Seeks Jurisdiction Royalties Over Old Harry Project in Gulf of St. Lawrence
If you source, harvest, or produce your seafood from the Gulf of St. Lawrence, you should be aware that the Province of Quebec has deposited law # 49 to acquire jurisdiction from the federal government over subsea resources in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
The mirrored legislation, already introduced in Quebec, would make way for the province to drill the Old Harry prospect. The legislation proposes that Quebec receive 100 per cent of the royalties and tax revenues from its petroleum activitie...
