Category Archives: Canada
From metals to seafood: 5 N.L. industries bracing for impact of potential U.S. tariffs
Newfoundland and Labrador industries with strong ties to the U.S. are bracing for impact in the face of President Donald Trump’s 25 per cent tariff threat, but some advocates are calling for a future where companies don’t exclusively rely on a trading partner to the south. On Saturday, the U.S. could impose tariffs on incoming Canadian goods. That has left some Newfoundland and Labrador industries worried. Association of Seafood Producers executive director Jeff Loder said Newfoundland and Labrador’s fishery is at stake under the threat of tariffs. About 90 per cent of snow crab harvested in the province is shipped to the U.S. “The snow crab fishery is set to open in the middle of March. This is already impacting negotiations between ASP and the FFAW. It will be one of the first sectors that’s directly impacted,” he said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:09
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 49’x16′ Scalloper/Dragger, Cat 3406 B, NGOM Permit
To review specifications, information, with 17 photos’, >click here<. To see all the boats in this series >click here< 06:27
Indigenous fishers, co-operatives are winners in Ottawa’s shuffle of baby eel quotas
Ottawa has issued the latest version of how it is proposing to distribute licences for the lucrative baby eel fishery in the Maritimes. In a letter to stakeholders on Monday, the Fisheries Department says it is maintaining its plan to shift half the quota of close to 10,000 kilograms of elvers away from nine large licence holders to new entrants from Indigenous communities. However, Ottawa confirms it is backing away from a pilot project to redistribute 27 per cent of the catch of the nine licence holders to 120 fishers who used to work for them. That old pilot proposal, introduced in December, drew strong criticism from the potential recipients, who said they preferred to remain employees and felt safer on the rivers under the existing arrangement. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:33
N.S. premier clarifies his government stands by Georges Bank moratorium
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says his government will respect the oil and gas development moratorium for Georges Bank and he’s blaming unnamed special interest groups looking to “promote falsehoods” for a misunderstanding of his position on the matter. The premier made the comments in a letter he sent fishing industry representatives several days after saying his government would be open to revisiting the decades-old development moratorium around the valuable and productive fishing grounds. “This narrative grew because special interests aligned to promote falsehoods,” Houston wrote in the letter. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:56
Jamie Sarkonak: Feds’ racial politics have plunged Canadian fisheries into chaos
There are Indigenous fishers, and there are non-Indigenous fishers — and every year, the federal government takes more and more away from one to give to the other, citing reconciliation and an ever-expanding notion of Indigenous rights. Up until last week, the 2025 edition of this game of racial redistribution involved the Liberal government planning to take away between 75 and 90 per cent of the commercial American eel quota and giving 50 per cent to First Nations in Atlantic Canada, with another 27 per cent going to employees of those who already have eel licences. Eel fishers were only saved by a last-minute cancellation of the changes on Thursday, when Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier came to her senses and called it off. Indeed, in 2021, commercial crab fishers in one fishing zone of British Columbia had half of their trapping allocation taken by the government and redistributed to Indigenous people to assist them in earning a “moderate livelihood.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:46
Increasing Jonah crab numbers a problem for lobster fishermen in parts of Nova Scotia
A burgeoning Jonah crab population is proving a challenge for some Nova Scotia lobster fishermen. Dan Fleck, executive director of the Brazil Rock 33/34 Lobster Association, says the crabs are having a significant impact on the lobster catch in certain areas, particularly in lobster fishing area 34, which stretches from Yarmouth to the Bay of Fundy. He said fishermen in some areas are reporting a drop of 20 to 25 per cent in their lobster catches. Jonah crabs are a valuable bycatch in lobster fishing area 34 and can be kept for use as bait or for sale if they measure at least 130 millimetres, Fleck said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:14
Mi’kmaw chiefs reject DFO’s $260M funding offer for fisheries access
In a news release Friday, the assembly’s 13 chiefs said they were concerned the proposal was “a rebranding of previously rejected proposals” and a threat to treaty rights. “This proposal raises serious alarms,” Chief Wilbert Marshall said in the release. “DFO’s approach reminded us of earlier initiatives from the 2000s, which failed to respect and uphold our inherent rights. Our treaty right to fish is not a commercial fishery.”Chief Gerald Toney, Marshall’s co-lead of the assembly’s fisheries portfolio, said the offer from the federal government could impose constraints on treaty rights. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 18:35
Ottawa scraps elver fishery quota redistribution plan after backlash
The federal government is no longer moving forward with its plan to redistribute the wealth of Nova Scotia’s baby eel harvest from large licence holders to individual fishers after receiving backlash from the industry. A statement from Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier’s office said the minister reached the decision after listening to feedback from stakeholders in consultations held by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) in recent weeks. A subsequent letter from the DFO in December to fishers detailing the planned redistribution said the nine commercial licensees that dominate the fishery would lose between 60 per cent and 90 per cent of their quotas, without compensation from the federal government. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:45
John Deere unveils New Engines, Expanded HP for Workboats
With the addition of these engines, John Deere will be able to offer marine customers heavier duty cycles* and a more comprehensive power range, from 298 up to 599 kW (400 up to 803 hp). Production is anticipated to begin in 2026. “The vessels powered by our marine engines are part of hardworking, relentless commercial operations that need uncompromising power and reliability,” said Pierre Guyot, senior vice president of John Deere Power Systems. “With the JD14 and JD18 marine engines, we’re able to deliver high performance and excellent fuel efficiency while providing the rugged durability our marine engines have become known for in the industry. We’re thrilled to demonstrate our commitment to the marine industry through these new engines and to serve a new power class.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:37
Federal government pitches $260M plan to increase First Nation fishing access
A nearly $260-million initiative by the federal government aimed at expanding fisheries access to First Nation communities is being met with questions from Mi’kmaw and non-Indigenous representatives alike. The three-year project by Fisheries and Oceans Canada was included in last month’s fall economic statement under the heading of Indigenous reconciliation. The aim is to “further implement the right of 34 [Mi’kmaw] and Wolastoqey Nations and the Peskotomuhkati Nation at Skutik to fish in pursuit of a moderate livelihood under the 1760-61 Peace and Friendship Treaties, as upheld in the Marshall decisions,” according to a statement from DFO spokesperson Axel Rioux. “Funding can be used towards the purchase of access, vessels and gear, and to support development and testing of governance and management structures, as well as participation in discussions with DFO at fisheries negotiation tables, with the aim of reaching long-term collaborative management agreements.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:32
St. John’s business leaders waiting to see if Trump moves on tariffs as presidency begins
As U.S. President Donald Trump begins his second term in office, the president of the FFAW says she’s playing the waiting game to see how threatened tariffs will take shape. FFAW President Dwan Street voiced concern about how a proposed 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian goods — including fish — could affect local markets. For example, she said, 90 per cent of snow crab exports from Newfoundland and Labrador go to the United States. “A 25 per cent tariff, we see it as being absolutely devastating,” Street said Monday. An official with Trump’s administration confirmed to Reuters on Monday that Trump will hold off on tariffs for now but will direct agencies to “investigate and remedy persistent trade deficits and address unfair trade and currency policies by other nations. The majority of Canada’s premiers, including Andrew Furey, have said they’ll stand against any tariffs. “Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:46
Quin-Sea takes a flamethrower to the ASP as it departs fisheries group
A dispute that’s smoldered for weeks in the Newfoundland and Labrador fishing industry has erupted into an inferno, with Quin-Sea Fisheries dropping a metaphorical hand grenade as it cuts ties with the trade association that represents most seafood producers in the province. In a strongly worded news release issued Monday morning, the St. John’s-based company said it was withdrawing from the Association of Seafood Producers, saying it could no longer tolerate the ASP’s “internal strong-arming and mistreatment” of members. The decision comes after many months of strained relations between Quin-Sea and the ASP and is more fallout from a contentious period in the fishery dating back to last winter, when harvesters protested in a bid to bring more free enterprise to the industry. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:38
Multiple agencies are searching for two fishermen who went missing in Northern Maine
Maine Marine Patrol and the U.S. Coast Guard are searching for two commercial fishermen who were reported missing after they did not return to port. Chester Barret and his son Aaron Barrett were on board their fishing vessel F/V Sudden Impact. They planned to travel from Edmunds to South Addition. The 34-foot scallop vessel left Cobscook Bay State Park around 5 a.m. EST Saturday. After encountering rough conditions, they planned to seek refuge in Cutler but became unreachable, according to authorities. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:51
‘The only winner here is China.’ How DFO invested in and then killed Canadian eel aquaculture
An aquaculture project that would have seen elvers grown to adulthood in Atlantic Canada rather than China has been thrown into disarray by DFO’s quota reallocation. Despite millions in investment, over a decade of research and the potential to increase profits for all involved ten-fold, federal Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier won’t even respond to NovaEel’s letters. “The undermining of NovaEel means for the foreseeable future, or forever, there will be no domestic capacity to exploit our natural resource, and we will be 100 per cent beholden to foreign entities to realize value,” said Mitchell Feigenbaum, a commercial elver licence holder and investor in NovaEel. “Those entities are not going to invest in eel farms in North America and they have demonstrated the willingness and ability to support the trade of unlawfully caught eels without any hesitation.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:07
Trump’s tariff threats loom large over Newfoundland’s crab fishery
Even though Newfoundland and Labrador’s snow crab season at least eight weeks away, Doug Trainor is hard at work getting ready for this year’s fishery. His boat, D.R.A Enterprises, is hoisted up on dry ground in Petty Harbour, where he’s replacing the engine and working with his son on other upgrades. It’s a big investment – tens of thousands of dollars – but after last year’s unrest in the crab fishery, which saw big protests at the Confederation Building in St. John’s, he says he felt like this season would be more predictable, safer and profitable. “We figured it would be good this year, this was going to be the year,” he said. “Then, all of a sudden, Trump came out.” U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s threats of steep tariffs on Canadian products entering the United States has stirred a lot of industries in the country, but Newfoundland’s fishery is particularly susceptible. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:43
Canada’s largest fishing vessel arrives home
Inuksuk II didn’t get off to an easy start. Handed over to its owners at the end of September, it sailed from Yalova in Turkey in October but suffered a main engine malfunction a few days into its delivery trip. The new trawler was towed to port in Greece, before a second tow took it back to the yard in Turkey for the main engine problems to be addressed. Now it has made a belated landfall in Canada and is being prepared to start fishing operations a few months later than had originally been planned. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:47
Video: Take a look inside Canada’s newest — and largest — fishing vessel – >>CLICK TO WATCH<<
NEFSA defeats menace to iconic Maine lobster
Lobstermen in Maine are breathing a sigh of relief after regulators walked back a plan that would have put many fishermen out of business. The state of Maine will not cooperate with a dangerous regulatory proposal to raise minimum allowable catch size for lobster after a spirited hearing on January 9th. The size increase would have deprived lobstermen of their most popular products, further straining their multi-generational businesses and historic communities. “Lobstermen everywhere are relieved that the Maine Department of Resources stepped back from the brink,” said NEFSA COO Dustin Delano, a fourth generation lobsterman. “Raising the minimum catch size would have driven countless lobstermen off the water and opened our market to foreign competitors.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:10
NH and Maine lobstermen push back against new size rule amid economic fears
The regulation involves an increase in the size of the gauge used by fishermen to measure lobster length to determine if they can be caught or must be released. The new rule, however, has received blowback from local lobstermen. Maine has opted not to implement the change in response to concerns from the lobster industry, while lawmakers in New Hampshire are advocating for their leaders to make a similar decision. State Rep. Aboul Khan, R-Seabrook, warns that the new rule could lead to a loss of a third of lobstermen’s catch this year, adding to the challenges already posed by existing regulations. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:06
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 45′ Peter Kass Lobster Boat, 700HP CAT C-18
To review specifications, information, and 16 photos’, >click here<. To see all the boats in this series >click here< 06:03
Maine Reverses Course on Regulation Increasing Minimum Legal Lobster Size
Following a meeting in Augusta this past Thursday where dozens of lobstermen voiced strong opposition to the rule change, Maine Department of Marine Resources (MDMR) Commissioner Patrick Keliher issued a statement announcing the decision. “Last night, after hearing loud and clear from Maine lobster industry members that they are unified in their opposition to a proposed rule change that would increase the minimum gauge size starting in July of this year, with approval from Governor Mills I decided to pull the regulation,” Commissioner Keliher wrote. “I called up the governor on the way in. I explained to her what the risks were associated with compliance with the ASMFC,” Keliher said later during the meeting. “She agreed with me that we should withdraw the rule.” Short clip, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:44
Electric lobster boat nears launch by Indigenous fishery in Cape Breton
Sydney, Nova Scotia is the province’s northernmost port, situated on the rocky shores of eastern Cape Breton Island. The Membertou First Nation, located in Sydney, operates a licensed fishery. Now, it is on the cusp of a technology breakthrough. The First Nation is leading the development and build-out of an all-electric lobster fishing vessel, Lektrike’l Walipotl. Membertou partnered with Allswater, ship designers in Bedford, N.S.; Halifax-based vessel-to-grid company, BlueGrid Energy; and Oceans North Conservation Society in Ottawa to develop the electric lobster fishing vessel. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:59
FFAW Calls for Transparency and Accountability in Fish Harvesters’ Resource Centre
FFAW-Unifor President Dwan Street is calling for the Fish Harvesters’ Resource Centre (FRC) to operate with transparency and accountability. The FRC, a nonprofit governed by a board of directors providing dockside monitoring services to fish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador, has refused to call a board meeting and provide members with important information regarding the organization’s operations. “Our elected Inshore Council has been calling for increased transparency and accountability regarding the boards our Union participates on,” says President Dwan Street. “Specifically, they’ve asked us to ensure board seats are representative of the current industry and elected leadership. Despite repeated attempts to engage the FRC over the last year, Executive Director Velma Pike and Chair Bill Broderick refuse to be transparent about their operations,” Street explains. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:02
US YouTuber bought an old lobster boat and it’s taking up a lot of his money restoring it, there’s not even any living space
An American YouTuber best-known for his eccentric videos, engineering anything from mini houses to flying leaf blowers, is now trying his hand at a spot of fishing by restoring a lobster boat. In May 2023, he announced via a YouTube video that he had purchased a 31 BHM Downeast Lobster Boat. He has been renovating it with a new purpose: to become a ‘Science Boat’ for his YouTube channel. Despite many challenges, the boat is now seaworthy, even if it doesn’t have any living space. The Downeast lobster boat, described by YouTuber Peter Sripol as ‘crusty’, was in bad shape, including having several large holes in the stern which were worryingly close to the waterline. Includes the Maiden Voyage of the Lobster Boat video. links, more, CLICK TO READ<<. 11:50
Lobstermen relieved after officials scrap proposed change to harvest
Maine lobstermen are breathing a sigh of relief after a contentious proposal to increase the minimum lobster size was withdrawn Thursday night in Augusta. The decision came after a heated public meeting hosted by the Maine Department of Marine Resources, during which lobstermen voiced concerns about the rule’s potential impact on their livelihoods. Some lobstermen argued change from the current minimum size of 3.25 inches would reduce their catch by 20 percent, targeting the smaller lobsters that are the most marketable and crucial to their business. Lobstermen also argued that increasing the minimum size wouldn’t conserve the lobster population. Many stated that lobsters thrown back into the ocean would likely fall prey to other predators rather than grow to legal size. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:45
Are microplastics ending up in Atlantic lobster? This researcher hopes to find out
An assistant professor in Nova Scotia has been awarded a five-year grant to study the double impact of microplastics and climate change on aquatic organisms. Jordan Park will conduct the research at Université Sainte-Anne using lobster larvae and zooplankton. Park hopes to trace whether microplastics end up in lobster found in Atlantic waters. The grant for his research is through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Microplastics are tiny bits of plastic, many smaller than the diameter of a strand of hair. But they don’t start out that small, said Park — plastic wares like food packages end up in the ocean and get broken down over time. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:48
Notorious B.C. poacher who led authorities on boat chase found guilty of illegal sea cucumber harvest
B.C.’s most notorious poacher has been found guilty again, this time of illegally harvesting and selling sea cucumbers, and breaching previous bans against owning a fishing vessel and fishing gear. Scott Stanley Matthew Steer was found guilty Wednesday of eight counts of contravening the federal Fisheries Act, based in part on information seized from his cellphone wallet that was tossed overboard after a boat chase in Vancouver harbour. Steer had already spent time in jail for illegally fishing, and had been slapped with a lifetime ban against fishing or even being on board a fishing vessel until 2038 — the first such ban in the Pacific region in over a decade. more, >>CICK TO READ<< 10:49
Judge fully dismisses U.S. lawsuit against N.B.’s Cooke Inc.
A federal judge in New York has found the arguments made in a lawsuit against a large New Brunswick seafood company to be false and ordered the case closed. Saint John-based Cooke Inc. was sued last July for its involvement in the menhaden fishery in Virginia. The lawsuit alleged Cooke knowingly defrauded the U.S. government by creating shell companies to operate the fishery of a small baitfish used to make fishmeal, fish oil and other products. U.S. District Court Judge Jesse M. Furman dismissed the case because he found that not only did the plaintiffs not prove foreign ownership beyond a doubt, but also that the fish and fishing licences that Cooke was allegedly defrauding the government of cannot legally be considered property. “Cooke Inc. is pleased that the court has dismissed this baseless lawsuit, which we have always maintained was without merit,” Joel Richardson, company spokesperson, wrote in an emailed statement on behalf of Cooke Inc. and Omega Protein. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:50
Woman from Sachs Harbour, N.W.T., hopes journey from bartender to fish hauler will inspire others
The journey started when Frances Esau, who wanted a change from the life she was living in Inuvik, messaged a friend living in northern B.C. She said she didn’t expect that message to lead to such a big shift in her life. Esau spent four months working with the crew and fishing for crab off the coast of British Columbia. She returned to the North after that, but a few years later got a call from the captain of the fishing crew she’d worked with before, asking if she could help them close out another crab season on short notice. That made Esau feel like she’d made a good impression. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:29
Athearn Marine Agency Boat of the Week: 38′ H&H Lobster/Scalloper, 425HP John Deere 6090 Diesel
To review specifications, information, with 10 photos’, >click here<. Includes 4′ aluminum extension and 400 traps, including scallop gear with winch, mast, boom, 2 drags. To see all the boats in this series >click here<. 06:28
COMMENTARY: Bringing peace to Atlantic lobster fisheries, By Geoffrey V. Hurly
The ongoing controversy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous fishing interests is centred over equity in fishing rights. Indigenous groups claim that their treaty rights (signed in the 18th century) allow them to fish lobster (or any other species for that matter) anytime of the year, including outside the regulated fishing seasons imposed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO). Non-Indigenous harvesters argue that Indigenous people should not have the right to catch and sell lobsters at a time of year when commercial fishermen don’t. They worry about their own livelihood if lobsters are fished out of season during their moulting breeding time. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:39
