Mismanaged Since 1949! – A primer on fishing failures
Both the federal and municipal elections heighten our interest in whether or not fishery issues will, at last, be tackled in this province. Perhaps those running for elected positions need a primer on how our fishery was decimated over the past 70 years since Canada took over management of this resource following Newfoundland and Labrador’s Confederation entry in 1949. Hopefully, it will counter the current PR that is being disseminated by DFO, which wants Canadians to believe that it is not the department that has failed our province and our communities, but that the destruction has come from climate change, changes in water temperatures and other uncontrollable factors accounting for the demise of our once great fishery resource. There are still many, including myself, who have worked in the industry all these decades and witnessed first-hand and know full well that DFO has mismanaged our fishery since 1949. >click to read<, By Gus Etchegary, St. John’s 13:30
We in Haida Gwaii once had abundant stocks of Herring and they were long and fat herrings, we enjoyed our herring. Then Fisheries threw wide open for all fishing boats to load up. From Skidegate to 6 miles away to Sandspit, all seiners sent their respective packers loaded to the waterline with our herring, cleaned out our stocks back in early 1950 era. Still never recovered, how is that for mismanagement and for climate changes, etc….?
And the illegal off shore boats from other countries are wiping out our salmon stocks and the government is just watching it happen.. they aren’t doing fuck all about it!