Tag Archives: Lake Ontario
A Day on the Bay with Métis Commercial Fisherman Bernie LePage
A day in the life of Métis commercial fisherman Bernie LePage starts like any other; with a coffee, a long drive to work and a short walk into the office. For Bernie, his office is the bridge of his fishing tug, and his workplace is the deep blue waters of Georgian Bay. A citizen of the Historic Georgian Bay Métis Community, MNO Region 7, Bernie has been fishing off the coast of Lafontaine since he was a young boy. The LePage family have been fishing out of Penetanguishene Harbour for four generations, dating back to 1861. His ancestors were both blacksmiths and commercial fishermen who used wooden rowboats. “It was tough work just to catch a few fish back then,” says Bernie. Times have certainly changed and the vessel Bernie now uses, which was also used by his father, the ‘Laurie E’, is a 1955 Great Lakes “tug”. The boat was built to handle turbulent waters in Georgian Bay while also hauling tons of fish and fishing gear. more, >>click to read<< 10:00
Meet the families working to keep fisheries alive on Lake Ontario and Lake Erie
Lake Erie fisherman Tim Martin knows that his business has helped strengthen local food systems. He and his four family members harvest and process their own fish, then sell it at their retail location in Port Burwell, Ont. During the pandemic, when global supply chains buckled and grocery store shelves were wiped clean, the family was able to stay in business. They experienced a heavy rush of local customers, most of whom, Martin says, have become loyal regulars. Yet in Port Burwell, where the Martins have operated for more than 30 years, they are the only permanent commercial fishing business that remains. Deteriorating infrastructure on the waterfront and a high cost of entry into the fishery fails to support any aspiring newcomers. Here are three families still working in the Great Lakes commercial fishing industry in Ontario,,, photos, >click to read< 09:23
Working Waterfronts: Development threatens Great Lakes, St. Lawrence River fishing industry
The Great Lakes’ commercial fishery is nothing like what it was a hundred years ago. But from Lake Superior to Lake Ontario to the St. Lawrence River, there are still people who make their living catching and selling fish. However, they face increasing competition from hotels, condos and other developments for loading and docking space along the shoreline. One example,, The Minor family has been a long standing fishing family, they’re now in their third generation. And they recently had the experience of coming back from a day of fishing, and found that the place that they’ve been unloading fish for generations was suddenly unavailable, because there was new construction for a cruise ship dock going in. >click to read< 16:34
U.S., Canadian coast guards rely on each other to save lives
Snowy, dark and difficult to see from a few hundred feet in the air — U.S. Coast Guard search and rescue pilot Lieutenant Aaron Jones recalls responding to three medical emergencies on Pelee Island, in southwestern Ontario, in the span of a month. In those cases, the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Detroit was best suited to respond, highlighting the importance of the relationship between both countries’ coast guards. >click to read< 09:28
‘Worse now than it’s ever been’: Wheatley, Ont. harbour not safe, says fisherman
“This has been going on since the ’70s,” said Bobby Cabral, who took over his father’s business and has been fishing out of Wheatley Harbour since 1998. “It’s worse now than it’s ever been.” Cabral battles his fishing vessel in and out of the harbour on an almost-daily basis, fighting over a sandbar which keeps building up in his path. He’s one of about 35 commercial fishing vessels operating out of the harbour — vessels which bring about $9.7 million in annual landings. >click to read< 16:16
Jacksons Fisheries closes after three generations
Joe Jackson has been out on the boat fishing for the family business since he was 18-years-old, running the G.W. Jackson vessel, built by his grandfather George in 1963. After 32 years in the labour intensive industry of commercial fishing, Joe has decided to step away from Jackson Fisheries. His wife Tammy, who ran Jacksons Fish Market for 13 years, has also stepped away as potential buyers haven’t shown interest in keeping the market alive. The market was a reliable source for a wide variety of local, fresh fish, especially yellow perch. >click to read<18:28
American Backlash Against Big Wind: States Cut Subsidies & Ban New Wind Power Projects
If your understanding of the world is limited to what’s printed in the mainstream press, you’d be forgiven for thinking that rural folk can’t wait to nuzzle up to 300 tonne Vestas, with 70m blades towering 180m above them.,, To be sure, you won’t read about this in the New York Times.,, The backlash is happening offshore, too. In New York, the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association and a boatload of fishermen and fishmongers have filed a federal lawsuit to prevent a wind project from being built on top of one of best squid and scallop fisheries on the Eastern Seaboard.,, As Bonnie Brady, the fiery executive director of the Long Island Commercial Fishing Association told me recently, “Destroying one environment in the name of trying to protect another environment makes no sense at all.” click here to read the story 08:53
Salmon in NY waters have complex natural instincts
Chinook, or king, salmon are stocked in New York waters. These fish actually are Pacific salmon that are raised in state hatcheries, said Matt Sanderson, a regional fisheries biologist with the New York Department of Environmental Conservation. Brown trout and coho salmon also are stocked by the state. [email protected] 08:40
Cormorants – A problem on our local marshes?
Medina Journal-Register – This destruction of the environment became more evident to me in recent years when I went on a few fishing trips to the Cape Vincent area of the St Lawrence. Not only were the birds everywhere but their 
white crap covered the islands where they nested and had eliminated all vegetation. It turned my stomach to see it and you didn’t want to get down wind of these areas. continued
