Unsung Hero of the N.L. Inshore Fishery
I am aware and many others have spoken of Cabot Martin’s campaign to make sure that our offshore oil would be of great benefit for the people of this province.
Everywhere you go on the Avalon Peninsula there is proof of what was accomplished.
My story is the little-known fight for our most valuable renewable resource, the inshore fishery, although we were worlds apart prior to our first meeting, him being a St. John’s lawyer and me being a humble fisherman.
I met Cabot in the ...
Scientific Processes and Excellence in the Newfoundland and Labrador Region Being Undermined
A Perspective from the Professional Institute of Public Service Canada’s Members From the Newfoundland and Labrador Region
Editor’s note: The following letter was sent to Timothy Sargent, Deputy Minister, Fisheries and Oceans Canada in Ottawa by the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada.
The provision of unbiased scientific advice is a cornerstone of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO); the Department has used science advice for decades and it is the ...
Hello from the Other Side
On the far east of our country lies one of Canada’s most unforgettable provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador.
And yet, to our very own federal government in Ottawa, we are easily forgotten, especially when it comes to our fishery resource.
Our nation only joined Confederation in 1949. What most Canadians do not realize is that we brought into Canada one of the world’s richest fish resources — so much so, that Canada was propelled from 14th to 6th place as a fishing producing nation...
Significant Gaps Remain in Canada’s Fisheries Management Regime
The Navigator managing editor’s overview of the Oceana Fishery Audit in the January issue was welcome and invites comment.
I agree with the Audit’s assessment that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans’ (DFO) management of our fisheries leaves much to be desired and I support Oceana’s goal of improving it. However, I would challenge certain basic elements of its approach that reflect the same mistaken assumptions that DFO’s management itself is shaped by.
First, “rebuilding...
Fight for the Fishery or Flee the Province
If you could save and safeguard hundreds of communities in Newfoundland and Labrador, would you make that effort?
Would you make the attempt, especially, if it involved immersing yourself in understanding our fishery, past, present and future and perhaps even engaging in a fish fight?
That’s the question the Fishery Community Alliance (FCA) has been posing to endless politicians, both provincially, federally and most recently to the municipalities of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The ...
When Someone Shows You Who They Really Are, Believe Them
In this federal election, more than ever before, everyone in our coastal communities need to get out and vote.
Especially fishers and all those that depend on a vibrant, prosperous and safe fishing industry, principally in the South Shore St. Margaret’s electoral district.
Given some of their poll locations, especially in Shelburne County (from Barrington, Cape Sable Island, Shag Harbour, Bear Point, Woods Harbour to Forbes Point), the lobster fishing capital of Canada, they barely had ...
Will Seals Decide the Future of Rural N.L.?
The recorded number of harp seals in the North Atlantic, up to 1982, was 2.2 million.
At that time, with the implementation of the 200-mile-limit, the inshore fishery had rebounded somewhat and fishermen were making a living, rural Newfoundland and Labrador was doing very well. Many fishermen were making a living off lobster, herring, squid and salmon, fishing out of an 18-foot boat.
Enter the bleeding hearts and movie stars who decided to make a name for themselves by interfering with ...
A Very Sordid Fish Tale
Grab a seat and I will share with you a fishy tale that haunts our shores.
To begin with, Newfoundland and Labrador was once a major fish exporting nation. In fact, when we joined Confederation in 1949, our abundant fish resource elevated Canada from 14th place in the world as a fish-exporting nation to 6th.
Today, we have hit rock bottom when it comes to the fishery. Canada has not rebuilt our fish resource, despite approaching 30 years after a devastating groundfish moratorium.
We ...
SFA 6 Shrimp TAC Needs to be Revisited
Editor’s note: The following letter was sent to Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Bernadette Jordan on May 25, 2021.
I write regarding the recent decision by Fisheries and Oceans Canada to institute a year-over-year limit of 15 per cent on increases to the total allowable catch (TAC) in shrimp fishing area (SFA) 6 off southern Labrador and northeastern Newfoundland.
There is no mention in DFO’s Integrated Fisheries Management Plan (IFMP) for Northern shrimp of such a year-ove...
Put the Fishery on the Political Agenda
There hasn’t been much talk during the Newfoundland and Labrador provincial election about expanding jobs in the fishery.
Including such topics as limiting the concentration of enterprises and quotas in corporate or individual fishers’ hands, while making it so difficult for aspiring entrants to take over an existing enterprise, thus adding nail after nail to the coffin of fishing villages.
As far as I know, in Prince Edward Island, there is no equivalent of the Professional Fish ...
