Daily Archives: April 3, 2025
Lobster industry breathes sigh of relief as tariff threat walked back for now
The ongoing threat of U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods and exports has been unpredictable. While lobster fishers are used to navigating rough waters, some say this level of uncertainty is becoming hard to navigate. “We’re definitely watching the bottom-line more,” said Tommy Amirault, a lobster and halibut fisherman from Lower East Pubnico, N.S. “We’re watching what we’re spending on bait, what we’re spending on traps and some of those are baked in.” Fishers like Amirault have been keeping a close eye on Canada-U.S. trade relations. The threat of a 25 per cent U.S. tariffs on seafood exports would be devastating, he said. “I don’t know any part of the industry that can handle a 25 per cent loss,” said Amirault. When U.S. President Donald Trump held back on imposing tariffs on the seafood industry yesterday it came as a huge relief. Video, more, >>Click TO READ<< 19:05
DFO releases ‘optimistic’ northern cod stock assessment
The latest northern cod stock assessment from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is more optimistic than last year’s, according to scientists. The stock is currently about twice the limit reference point, and the department says there’s a greater than 99 per cent probability it’s still above the critical zone in Newfoundland and Labrador. The limit reference point marks the boundary between what’s considered critical and cautious. Cautious and healthy zones were not specified in the assessment’s release on Thursday because an upper stock reference has not been established yet. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 16:03
U.S. Shrimp Industry Hails New Tariffs as Crucial Lifeline
In a move aimed at protecting American jobs and ensuring food security, the Trump Administration has announced new tariffs on major shrimp-supplying countries, a decision praised by the Southern Shrimp Alliance. “We’ve watched as multigenerational family businesses tie up their boats, unable to compete with foreign producers who play by a completely different set of rules,” said John Williams, executive director of the Southern Shrimp Alliance. “We are grateful for the Trump Administration’s actions today, which will preserve American jobs, food security, and our commitment to ethical production.“ Unfair trade policies that disadvantage American shrimpers include billions of dollars in subsidies from international financial institutions to develop foreign shrimp aquaculture, along with widespread use of forced labor, banned antibiotics, and environmental destruction that reduce the cost of shrimp production in major supplying countries. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:39
First Nations convoy targeting N.S. elver rivers to protest DFO as lawlessness returns to fishery
A convoy of dozens of vehicles has been showing up at rivers along the Eastern and South shores, where its occupants have fished elvers en masse without licences. Commercial elver licence holders and sources within DFO have said the fishers originate from the Sipekne’katik First Nation. The convoy appears to be targeting rivers assigned to commercial licence holders, including the Fitzroy River in Hubbards, the Medway River near Liverpool and the Meteghan River in Southwest Nova Scotia. Stanley King of Atlantic Elver said that his fishers were met by a convoy of 40 vehicles when they showed up to fish the Fitzroy River on Sunday. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:42
Seafood producers confident in court challenge against N.L. government, fisheries union
The Association of Seafood Producers had its first day in court on Wednesday, challenging the Newfoundland and Labrador government and fisheries union over what it calls “political interference” during price setting negotiations ahead of the snow crab season. The court challenge was prompted when Fisheries Minister Gerry Byrne moved the price setting deadline to April 13, following a request from the Fish, Food and Allied Workers union. The ASP says Byrne acted contrary to the Fishing Industry Collective Bargaining Act and turned to the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador to quash the date change. “If the minister’s decision is quashed, and we expect it to be because he broke the law, then we’re in the situation where we don’t have a minister’s date,” ASP executive director Jeff Loder told reporters outside of the courthouse on Wednesday. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:40
Rebuilding, Maine-Style
Last winter, after more than 40 years of selling lobster out of the red-trimmed shack right by the ferry terminal at Lincolnville Beach, Rick McLaughlin was moving his business into a full-blown restaurant space. The Maine Department of Transportation had agreed to buy his shack — a frequent hub for no-nonsense Islesboro commuters and meandering tourists alike — to make room for more ferry terminal parking. Rick was moving just up and over Route 1 to take over the old Chez Michele building, where an upstairs dining room, seasoned with years of service, offered a view of the water and plenty of small-town charm. But days after the sale closed, the first of last winter’s massive storms tore through, flooding the restaurant. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:14
Anti-offshore wind fishing group backed by right-wing money eyes support from Maine towns
Since its founding three years ago, the New England Fishermen’s Stewardship Association has been a vocal opponent of offshore wind and relied on funding from a right-wing advocacy group connected to one of the most influential conservative activists in the U.S. Now, the fishermen’s organization known as NEFSA is looking to diversify its revenue sources by asking coastal communities in Maine for financial support. Jerry Leeman is the founder and CEO of NEFSA. And for the past three years he’s been the star of an advocacy campaign that’s led him up and down the northeast coast to preach against offshore wind. Leeman and NEFSA have been making some noise. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:23
