Daily Archives: October 18, 2020
A terrible deal for the fishery
Sometime in the past few weeks, the minister of Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture signed off on the transfer of the processing licenses owned by Quinlan Brothers to Royal Greenland. Royal Greenland is now the largest, most dominant fish processing company in this province. The purchase of Quinlan Brothers by Royal Greenland and its subsequent approval by the provincial government was completed with little debate and almost no context. The inshore fishery in this province is extremely valuable. In 2019, the total value was approximately $1 billion, with about half going to the inshore fish harvesters. This is new money into our economy, largely into rural communities, and created with little to no provincial government support. The total value of the fishery is approximately $1 billion per year. Royal Greenland is one of the largest seafood companies in the world. But it has just one shareholder — the Government of Greenland. >click to read< 17:01
Man charged with arson after vehicle fire outside one lobster pound, man charged with assault at another location
A Yarmouth County man has been charged with arson after a vehicle was torched outside a lobster facility in New Edinburgh, N.S. Meteghan RCMP were called to a disturbance outside the lobster pound Tuesday evening, just one of two locations where several hundred commercial fishermen and their supporters raided facilities where Mi’kmaw fishermen were storing their catches. Michael Burton Nickerson, 31, has been charged with arson causing damage to property. A Digby County man was also charged in the midst of the ongoing dispute over the lobster fishery. Chris Gerald Melanson, 46, has been >charged with assault< after allegedly grabbing and shoving Sipekne’katik First Nation Chief Mike Sack on Wednesday during an altercation at the lobster pound in New Edinburgh. >click to read< 14:38
Russia, Norway to increase cod quota
Norway and Russia share the marine resources in the Barents Sea and quotes for the different spices are negotiated annually. “I’m very pleased that we also for the next year have managed to reach an agreement that both safeguards the interests of the fishing industry and is biologically sustainable. This is a bright spot in a situation where the corona pandemic naturally also affects the fishing industry,” said Norway’s Minister of Fisheries, Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen, in a statement as the 2021 agreement was signed. As part of the agreement, Norway and Russia will jointly establish a research program studying how big impact the harp seal (Greenland seal) has on the fish stocks in the Barents Sea. The parties in the commission state that the harp seal in the West Ice (the Greenland Sea) and the East Ice (eastern part of the Barents Sea and the White Sea) has “a significant impact on the commercial fish stocks.” >click to read< 12:28
R.I., feds spending $5.2 million to rebuild 3 sagging piers at Port of Galilee
The Port of Galilee is an economic engine for Rhode Island, bringing in $66 million in seafood last year and supporting 200 commercial fishermen and other businesses in the fishing industry. But Rhode Island’s largest fishing port has been looking the worse for wear for a long time now. Bulkheads are rotting, piers are sagging and asphalt is crumbling. In the latest effort to address the problems, the state is set to begin work on a $5.2-million project to rebuild three 40-year-old piers,, No matter how much is invested in dockside facilities to process and package seafood, if the piers aren’t up to par, it makes it difficult to offload the catch, said Meghan Lapp, general manager of Seafreeze Shoreside,,, “The docks are the lifeblood of the port,” she said. >click to read< 10:41
Podcast: FV-Tuna.com Capt. Dave Carraro previews Wicked Tuna Outer Banks season finale
Capt. Dave Carraro has been a mainstay and a fan favorite on National Geographic’s hit series, Wicked Tuna, which chronicles the lives of commercial bluefin tuna fishermen in America’s oldest seaport – Gloucester, Massachusettes. He is the legendary captain of the FV-Tuna.com, and has an unprecedented five wins on Wicked Tuna. Carraro’s repeated success and highly competitive nature sometimes put him at odds with the rest of the fleet, but he is notoriously more interested in catching fish than making friends. Listen to the podcast! >click to read< 10:03
French fishermen could pay to fish British waters after Brexit
According to an expert, French fishermen could be forced to pay to fish in British waters after Brexit. Prime Minister Boris Johnson could bill the French President Emmanuel Macron millions each year for fishermen who want access to our waters. A deal over fisheries could be struck between Johnson and Macron, but only if the French President backs down on his demands. “When I’ve talked to fishermen and the British fishing industry, they said they don’t want it all. The truth is, they can’t catch it all, the fleet isn’t big enough. >click to read< 08:49
