Taking a Page from the American Playbook
An often-unspoken cornerstone of Canadian culture is our tendency to distance ourselves on the world stage from our American neighbours when it comes to culture, lifestyle and a litany of other minute details.
What even less of us are likely to talk about, however, is just how much we can learn from our southern brethren. For example, Americans have a penchant for resisting governments that overstep their boundaries, a characteristic that we seem to be sorely lacking.
In an effort to ...
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 ...
Chalk One Up for the Underdogs
Who says you can’t take on the federal government and win?
Lobster fishermen in nearby Maine have proven that it is still possible to take on regulators and come out on top — even if it involves something as contentious and controversial as North Atlantic right whales.
Fishermen in this region are no strangers to ever-increasing regulations surrounding endangered right whales. Over the last few years, snow crab and lobster harvesters have endured numerous fishing closures due to the ...
2023 Right Whale Regulations Released
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has released its 2023 fisheries regulations to protect the endangered North Atlantic right whale from entanglements in gear.
The hotspots for closure protocols are the Bay of Fundy, the Roseway and Grand Manan Basins and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. In these zones, any right whale that is detected — whether acoustically or visually — will result in a 15-day closure for all non-tended fixed gear within 2,000 square kilometres of the detection.
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North Atlantic Right Whale Entanglement off North Carolina Linked to LFA 33
Above: An aerial survey team located an entangled adult male right whale (#1218) “Argo” off of Surf City, North Carolina. The rectangle behind the flukes is the trailing entangling gear. The survey was conducted by Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute with funding from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Credit: Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, taken under NOAA permit #24359
For the first time in more than five years, a North Atlantic right whale ...
Whale Worries: Could AIS Tags be the Answer?
If there was ever any debate before, the question is now unequivocally answered, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is officially off Atlantic Canada’s Christmas card list.
As if the lobster and snow crab industries in this region were not already having a challenging enough season, in early September, the California-based Monterey Bay Aquarium really stepped up to add insult to injury.
As part of its Seafood Watch Program, the organization arbitrarily added American lobster and Canadian snow ...
Whale Worries are Top of Mind
The lobster season is now well underway in Southwest Nova Scotia and from all accounts, everything looks positive, especially the all-important price per pound.
However, if you head south, crossing the border into the Gulf of Maine, there is much more worry, anxiety and uncertainty and it’s all related to whales, North Atlantic right whales to be specific.
According to the Portland Press Herald, on December 3, the U.S. Supreme Court denied a request to lift fishing restrictions in the ...
Îles-de-la-Madeleine Lobster, Crab Fisheries Most Impacted by Spring Gulf Whale Closures
As of May 27, there were approximately 39 temporary grids (7,448 km2) and 43 season-long grids (9,670 km2) closed in the Gulf of St. Lawrence to protect the North Atlantic right whales.
“These closures have had the most impact on the lobster and crab fisheries around the Îles-de-la-Madeleine. To help accommodate snow crab harvesters in crab fishing areas 12 E and 12 F, harvesters were able to finish their fishing season in area 12,” said Barre Campbell, media relations spokesperson for ...
Species on the Edge of Extinction… But the Media is on the Wrong Track
The North Atlantic right whale is endangered.
According to the latest International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) report, this population has even been classified as critically endangered. Unfortunately, this means that the causes of whale mortalities are beyond the whales’ ability to reproduce and survive.
In the case of the right whale, almost all deaths are due to human activities. It is not easy to see this population of giants of the sea become extinct and yes, it is sad. ...
On the Waterfront – August 2020
N.L. Capelin Price Up 20 Per Cent
In mid-June, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Standing Fish Price-Setting Panel sided with harvesters and increased the 2020 price of capelin by 20 per cent over 2019 prices.
Fishermen will now receive $0.42/pound for Grade A capelin. Last year they received $0.35/pound.
The FFAW, which negotiated on behalf of the harvesters, stated that over the past two years, capelin collective bargaining has increased prices by 68 per cent over 2018 levels.
The ...
Taking a Page from the American Playbook
An often-unspoken cornerstone of Canadian culture is our tendency to distance ourselves on the world stage from our American neighbours when it comes to culture, lifestyle and a litany of other minute details. What even less of us are likely to talk about, however, is just how much we can learn from our southern brethren. For example, Americans have a penchant for resisting governments that overstep their boundaries, a characteristic that we seem to be sorely lacking. In an effort to ...