Increases to the northern cod quota are being celebrated by Newfoundland and Labrador’s inshore harvesters, but the province’s processing companies feel the total allowable catch didn’t have to be as conservative as it was. Prior to the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) announcing the 2025-2026 quota of 38,000 metric tonnes on Wednesday, June 18, the union representing inshore harvesters and fish plant workers in Newfoundland and Labrador called for a quota of around 35,000 tonnes. That would have been nearly double the 18,000-tonne quota announced in 2024 as DFO lifted the moratorium on the commercial northern cod fishery that had been in place since 1992. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:29
Tag Archives: Atlantic Canada
Newfoundland and Labrador harvesters applaud northern cod quota increase, processors think it should go higher
Quota increase: DFO more than doubling total allowable catch for NL northern cod
One year after lifting the moratorium on the commercial northern cod fishery in Newfoundland and Labrador, the quota for the second season has been more than doubled. The increase from 18,000 metric tonnes to 38,000 metric tonnes, announced by the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) on Wednesday, June 18, is still a far cry from the heyday of the province’s iconic fishery. The restart of the commercial fishery one year ago also triggered Canada’s obligation to NAFO to provide foreign offshore fleets with a percentage of what was being made available to the domestic fishery. So, in addition to the 18,000 tonnes allocated to Canadian harvesters, foreign vessels were given 1,000 tonnes. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:20
Northern cod commercial fishery from Fisheries and Oceans Canada. >>CLICK TO READ<<
‘Slap in the face’: Lennox Island reacts to second seizure of moderate livelihood fishery traps
Following a second seizure of lobster traps tied to Lennox Island First Nation’s moderate livelihood fishery, the P.E.I. Mi’kmaq community continues to consider its legal options. On June 8, DFO seized 58 traps related to the community’s self-regulated fishery. That was in addition to about 300 traps seized on May 18. In a statement to the Journal Pioneer, Lennox Island Chief Darlene Bernard (who has since retired as chief as of the community’s June 14 election), said her nation is using the same number of traps as it did last year and has been voluntarily following DFO harvesting regulation since the moderate livelihood fishery started in 2022. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:24
Despite a hard season, Cape George celebrates with Lobsterpalooza
On Sunday, Cape George celebrated anyway. Poor prices ($7 a pound for market sized lobster at season’s opening), worse weather and some of the lowest landings in recent memory have plagued the 2025 lobster season for the communities along the peninsula that juts out of Nova Scotia’s north shore to divide the Northumberland Strait from St. Georges Bay. “Bittersweet,” Kim Novak said of the LFA 26a season as it winds down. Minutes later, the crowd gathered for the Ballantynes Cove Lobsterpalooza was cheering Novak and her partner Nick Vinck as they competed in the fishermen’s skills competition. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 19:24
Video: d’Entremont calls on govt. to crackdown on illegal fishing
The lobster fishery in southwestern Nova Scotia was a topic in the House of Commons. Acadie-Annapolis MP Chris d’Entremont says a crackdown is needed on unregulated and unreported fishing. d’Entremont says coastal communities are sounding the alarm about lobster stocks being down. He asked minister Joanne Thompson to listen to commercial fishers. Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:46
Nova Scotia’s offshore wind transmission line could cost $10 billion: Houston
It could cost between $5 billion and $10 billion to build a transmission line that would connect Nova Scotia’s proposed offshore wind farms with the rest of the country, Premier Tim Houston says. The rough estimate follows his announcement last week that Nova Scotia wants to license enough offshore turbines to produce 40 gigawatts of electricity — eight times more than what was originally planned. “It’s a concept,” Houston said after a cabinet meeting Thursday. “It’s a very powerful concept …. My objective, initially, was to capture the imagination of Nova Scotians.” He said he floated the idea on June 2 also to get the attention of Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has asked provincial and territorial leaders to submit bids for big infrastructure projects that could be fast-tracked to kick-start the economy — if deemed in the national interest. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:26
Right whale detection in Gulf will mean restrictions for some P.E.I. lobster boats
The P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association says the sighting of a North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence region will mean some lobster fishing crews on the North Shore will have to remove their gear. The affected boats will have to have their equipment out of the water by Sunday at 5 p.m. AT at the latest. Fisheries and Oceans Canada said the endangered whale had come close enough to the northern boundary of Lobster Fishing Area 24A, off the west end of Prince Edward Island, to mean some parts of that region would have to be closed for 15 days in order to prevent the whale from becoming entangled in gear. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14:25
LETTER: We need to straighten out NL’s fishery
The ocean is our greatest renewable resource in NL. For the last 35 years, we are down to approximately 10 per cent of what it once was, thanks to bad management and overfishing. We are surviving on crab and shrimp, although cod, which was once our lifeline, is showing signs of recovery. There are many reasons we are where we are today, but there are two main ones. We have an overpopulation of seals and a low abundance of capelin. Where once our beaches would be full at spawning time, now you have a job to get one to eat, and I love fresh capelin, so does the cod, we both glut ourselves. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:07
Cape Breton fisherman fined for catching lobster in area contaminated by tar ponds
A Cape Breton fisherman has been fined $5,000 for catching lobster in an area where the notorious Sydney tar ponds flowed into the harbour. Bernard Douglas MacIntyre, 61, of Balls Creek, pleaded guilty to fishing lobsters in a contaminated area in contravention of the Management of Contaminated Fisheries Regulations. MacIntyre, the captain of the Parker and Cole, and three crew members were charged on June 15, 2021, after Fisheries and Oceans Canada officers saw his vessel enter Sydney harbour in a prohibited area and set traps. Officers then observed the boat steam to an area of the harbour open to fishing to remove the lobsters, then return to the prohibited area and reset the traps. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:47
IN PHOTOS: Six-month commercial lobster season ends in southwestern N.S.
The six-month commercial lobster fishery in southwestern Nova Scotia, and along the province’s south shore, drew to a close on May 31. As had been the case for much of the season, the weather didn’t cooperate with the fishery on the final day of the season, leaving crews who still had traps and gear to haul up and bring back to shore on the last day having to contend with rain and wind. But not everyone fished to the very end. Many boats had started landing gear days in advance of the season’s final day – either because of the forecasted weather or because they felt the catches weren’t worth going after straight through to the final day. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 19:06
Atlantic Canada’s lobster industry faces economic pinch as global turmoil bites
Atlantic Canada’s lobster industry is grappling with a perfect storm of economic challenges, as low prices, shifting global trade dynamics, and geopolitical tensions converge to unsettle one of the region’s most vital industries. Lobster harvesters across Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island are expressing deep concern over this year’s prices, which are reportedly among the lowest in recent memory. Some fishers are even opting to forgo the season entirely, citing unsustainable economics. The lobster industry in Atlantic Canada is facing a perfect storm of challenges, amplified by escalating international trade tensions and rising operational costs. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:28
Carney government offers DFO no new direction on First Nations fishery enforcement
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has not received new direction from Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government on how to respond to unlicensed fishing. At the Maritime Region Lobster Advisory Committee meeting in Bedford on Wednesday, DFO’s area director of conservation and protection, Noel d’Entremont, told fishery representatives that nothing new has come from Ottawa. Commercial fishery representatives walked out of the last committee meeting last fall after DFO refused to put the illegal fishery on the agenda. Wednesday was DFO’s attempt to rehost the meeting, which brings together science, enforcement, commercial and First Nations fishery representatives from across the Maritimes. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:30
Nadine Robinson: Claws up, Canada! Shell out for lobster
Are your elbows still up? How about your crusher and pincer claws? Atlantic Canada’s fishermen need our help, and this is a cause I can get cracking on immediately. Atlantic Canada’s lobster industry is in hot water (well, cold actually). Between global tariffs, plummeting prices, and colder-than-usual seas, our iconic crustacean and the hard-working folks who catch it are facing a pinch. As Canadians, it’s time we show some shellfish solidarity and support this vital industry by shelling out for more lobster—preferably with both hands and a bib. You may think lobster is a luxury item best saved for special occasions, but with wharf prices dropping dramatically, it’s never been more affordable—or more needed. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:39
Atlantic Canada’s lobster industry stung by low prices and global economic turmoil
Lobster harvesters in Atlantic Canada aren’t thrilled with the prices they’re getting for their catches, but experts say the recent downturn comes as no surprise due to uncertainty looming over the industry. Prices typically dip in May as the spring lobster season swings into high gear and buyers anticipate a boost in supply. But this season is different, says Bernie Berry, senior fisheries adviser for the Nova Scotia-based Coldwater Lobster Association. “The big thing right now is the confusion around tariffs, whether they’re on or off,” he said in an interview. “Everybody is very nervous.” The association represents lobster fishers, most of them in southwestern Nova Scotia. That area is home to Canada’s most lucrative lobster fishing areas, which typically open for fishing in November and close in June. As the latest season started winding down a month ago, live lobsters at the wharf were being sold at a healthy $15 a pound. Since then, the price has dropped to $8 a pound along Nova Scotia’s Atlantic shore, and as low as $6.50 a pound in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and Newfoundland, which has left many fishers fuming. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 15:48
Good faith gesture: Company says it offloaded NL crab at its NS dock so it wouldn’t spoil
The company accused of not allowing a harvester from NL to offload his catch in Nova Scotia says the harvester’s account of what happened is not true. On May 9, 2025, FFAW-Unifor, the union representing fish harvesters and plant workers in Newfoundland and Labrador, issued a press release, alleging that fish processing companies were using intimidation tactics. It accused Association of Seafood Producers (ASP) members of blocking Newfoundland and Labrador harvesters from offloading snow crab in other Atlantic Canadian provinces. The Labrador Fishermen’s Union Shrimp Company issued its own statement after the union released its account of what happened. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:04
Province wants intervenor status in case against Maine lobster fisher
A lawyer for the province is asking to be included in a constitutional challenge being brought by a Maine lobster fisher accused of fishing illegally in Passamaquoddy Bay. Erik D. Francis, 55, of Perry, Maine, faces two charges under the Coastal Fisheries Protection Act related to allegations that he illegally fished for lobster off the coast of Deer Island on Nov. 15, 2022. Francis, who is self-represented, has claimed Indigenous fishing rights as a part of the Peskotomuhkati (Passamaquoddy) Nation, which has communities on both sides of the border but is not federally recognized in Canada. In February, Peskotomuhkati Nation at Skutik lawyer Paul Williams was granted status to intervene on behalf of the nation’s three chiefs. The nation argued that it needed to take part in order to protect and promote their treaty rights. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 13:59
MEDIA RELEASE: ASP Cartel Resorts to Intimidation & Bad Faith as Industry Control Slips
FFAW-Unifor, representing over 13,000 professional fish harvesters and processing workers in Newfoundland and Labrador, is condemning the actions of the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP) and its member companies for escalating intimidation tactics. In recent days, ASP has blocked Newfoundland and Labrador harvesters from offloading snow crab in other Maritime provinces and pressured a non-member buyer to disclose private business information and comply with baseless demands. “ASP’s recent actions expose a desperate cartel struggling to maintain its grip on an industry opening to competition,” says FFAW-Unifor President Dwan Street. “Their attempts to undermine an independent buyer and their blatant threats to companies against purchasing from Newfoundland and Labrador harvesters reveal a corrupt system fighting to suppress fair market practices.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:20
DON’T TAKE THE BAIT: FFAW CRITICIZES DFO MACKEREL PLAN, CALLS FOR REOPENING OF COMMERICAL FISHERY
The Fish, Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW-Unifor), representing over 13,000 inshore fish harvesters and plant workers in Newfoundland and Labrador, is urging the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) to establish a modest directed commercial mackerel fishery for the 2025 season. The Union has expressed strong concerns that the current 470-tonne personal-use bait fishery, announced for Atlantic Canada and Quebec yesterday evening, fails to meet the needs of Newfoundland and Labrador’s harvesters and coastal communities. FFAW-Unifor President Dwan Street emphasizes the critical need for a commercial fishery, stating, “The bait mackerel fishery is useless to the province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Our harvesters have a long history of a fully monitored, high-quality directed fishery that supported livelihoods and provided top-tier product, especially in the fall. A small commercial fishery is not just necessary—it’s essential to sustain our rural communities and ensure the economic viability of our inshore fishery.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 11:54
P.E.I. lobster fishers face low prices early in 2025
Low lobster prices are plaguing P.E.I. lobster fishers in the early days of this season. Chris Wall, who fishes out of Malpeque, said Island fishers are receiving $6 to $6.50 per pound right now since the season began April 25. “I was talking to my cousin (April 30) and we had got that price 25 years ago,” Wall said in a telephone interview on May 1. “For a period of time we were at $5 and $5.50 (per pound) 25 years ago.” To add some perspective, Wall paid $30 a pan 25 years ago and now pays $200. His fuel was 35 cents a litre 25 years ago and now it is $1.65. His hired help is $1,500 per week to $2,000. McGeoghegan said Maine fishers are getting $7 per pound, which, with the exchange rate, is the equivalent of about $10 Canadian. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:14
Lobster fishers raise alarm about low Canadian prices, some giving up on season
Lobster fishers around Atlantic Canada are speaking out about this year’s prices, with some saying it’s unfairly low this season. Prices haven’t officially been announced yet, but some fishers are saying they’ve heard it could be “dollars” lower than 2024’s figures. “I would say the prices have never been lower than this, when you recognize the extreme upswing in costs to harvest lobster,” said Colin Sproul with the Bay of Fundy Inshore Fishermen’s Association. “I hear reports of our membership in southwest Nova Scotia giving up on the season and landing their traps, because they can’t fish at the prices that are being offered to them.” Video, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:52
ASP says union’s allegations of undercutting NL crab prices unfounded
While he considers it an anomaly worth inquiring about, Jeff Loder warned against reading too much into the early discrepancy in market prices between snow crab caught in the Gulf of St. Lawrence fishery versus what’s been landed in Newfoundland and Labrador. Loder is executive director of the Association of Seafood Producers (ASP), the entity that represents fish processing companies in Newfoundland and Labrador and was responding to accusations that companies are deliberately undercutting the price they’re asking for snow crab in the early going of the season. That allegation was levelled by FFAW-Unifor, the union that represents fish harvesters and plant workers, in a Wednesday, April 23, news release. Photos, links, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:09
Something fishy? Harvesters’ union raises concern over discrepancy between prices for NL and Gulf snow crab
The union representing fish harvesters and plant workers in Newfoundland and Labrador is raising an alarm bell over early reports of the price of snow crab in the marketplace. In a Wednesday, April 23, press release, FFAW-Unifor drew attention to the first Urner Barry quote for the 2025 production of Newfoundland and Labrador snow crab. It has recorded five- to eight-ounce sections at $11.05 per pound — $2.07 below the quote of $13.12 for Gulf crab landed in the Gulf of St. Lawrence fishery. That, according to the union, is a far cry from the usual price spread seen in previous years. Larger-sized crab from Newfoundland and Labrador had yet to be quoted as of Wednesday. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:41
Three Liberal fisheries ministers, senior DFO staff sued by elver licence holder
The company that bought Donald Marshall Jr.’s eels is suing three Liberal fisheries ministers, along with a host of the federal fisheries department’s top brass. South Shore Trading Company, a commercial elver licence holder based in Wentworth and led by President Mitchell Feigenbaum, filed the suit in the Court of King’s Bench of New Brunswick on Monday. The suit’s statement of claim accuses Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) staff and political leaders of fraudulent misrepresentation and making false and misleading statements to commercial elver licence holders, along with the intentional neglect of duties in their management of the lucrative fishery for juvenile American eels. It comes after a March 28 Federal Court decision found DFO’s taking quota from commercial licence holders and transferring it to First Nations without consultation of the former was “procedurally unfair.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:24
DFO claims it’s not offering Sipekne’katik new fishing licences, wharves, lobster pounds, exclusive fishing zones
The Sipekne’katik chief and council have been presented an offer, allegedly from the federal government, that would drastically increase the First Nation’s fisheries access. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO), which has been in confidential negotiations with Sipekne’katik, claims no offer has been made. An internal summary of the offer, along with a letter by band lawyer Michael McDonald stating that the offer would need to go to the community for consultation and a vote, was posted to Facebook on Sunday. “When I look at this offer, I envision us having a wharf in LFA 32 with a lobster pound right there and a fish plant on the site. Reserve land all around it,” reads the letter by MacDonald to the chief and council. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:21
For some N.S. fishers, grievances with Liberals outweigh U.S. tariff worries
For some fishers in Nova Scotia this federal election, a lingering sense of grievance toward the Liberals outweighs questions on who can take on U.S. President Donald Trump. Aboard his fishing boat at the wharf in Riverport, N.S., Jason Conrad joined with fellow lobster harvesters Geordy Bennett and Troy Tanner in describing how their loyalties have shifted to the Conservatives over the past decade. “The future doesn’t look great. You’re not sure about investing in the fishery because you don’t where it’s going to be in 10 years,” said Conrad, a 36-year-old captain. Tanner, 51, doesn’t see the new Liberal Leader Mark Carney as an agent of change. “It seems like everyone thinks Carney is the better guy because of Trump. But Trump isn’t the problem. We have our own problems,” he said. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 10:35
Ready to fish: Harvesters, plant workers and processors await panel decision on NL snow crab pricing
Crab harvesters in most areas of Newfoundland and Labrador were able to start heading to their respective fishing grounds as of Monday, April 7, even though the price they’ll be getting for their catches has yet to be settled. The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans announced the 2025 snow crab season will open on Thursday, April 10 in parts of fishing zones 3LNO, 3Ps, 3K and 4R3Pn, which collectively take in the waters off the coast of the island of Newfoundland. Harvesters in some areas within those zones could begin heading to the fishing grounds on Monday, though no pots could be set and no crab possessed until 6 a.m. Thursday. more, >>CLICK TO READ<<07:43
More fish, for now: Offshore welcomes latest NL northern cod assessment, union questions DFO science
The latest scientific assessment of northern cod is being touted as good news by companies with stakes in the offshore fishery but is being met with condemnation from the union representing inshore harvesters. The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) announced its findings during a Thursday, April 3, technical briefing. One year ago, DFO’s stock assessment moved northern cod out of what’s known as the critical zone — a level where serious harm is occurring to the stock — to the cautious zone, a designation in which the stock can sustain some fishing pressure. That led to the lifting of the moratorium on commercially fishing for northern cod — the stock of the species found in the waters off Newfoundland’s eastern coast and as far north as the southern shores of Labrador. Photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:49
To be determined: Tariffs threat gone, but NL crab price still a contentious issue
The immediate threat of tariffs has dissipated, but there is no word that the fish processors and harvesters might head back to the negotiating table to hammer out a new price for crab to get the season going. The sides have been caught up in a legal drama since Fisheries, Forestry and Agriculture Minister Gerry Byrne approved a delay in the date the parties involved were to have a pricing arrangement in place. The Association of Seafood Producers (ASP), which represents most of the processing companies in Newfoundland and Labrador, took exception to the minister’s decision because it was not a joint request to change the date. Byrne changed the date from April 1 to April 13 due to the extenuating and unforeseen circumstances when FFAW-Unifor, the union that represents most fish harvesters and plant workers, had to change its lead negotiator. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:58
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
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
