Tag Archives: Department of Fisheries and Oceans
Oil and gas wins, fish lose with changes to Fisheries Act, say environmentalists
Changes to Canada’s fisheries legislation that came into force November 25 could help speed up resource development at the expense of fragile ocean and freshwater ecosystems, environmental groups and scientists are warning. [email protected] 17:52
Feds accused of ignoring Cohen’s steps to save sockeye
“What was hailed by many as a blueprint to sustain sockeye into the future is starting to look a lot more like a government retreat.” Cohen focused in large part on the potential risk to wild salmon from net pen fish farms and urged transparent sharing of disease data by the farms. more@surryleader 23:15
CF/V Gale Force grounded by storm leaking fuel onto Comox beach
“All of us, as hospital employees, have been watching oil and gas leak into the ocean on high tide every day, a big rainbow,” he says. “It’s quite a bit of oil and gas that’s been coming out of that thing at high tide … It’s devastating to watch.” more@cmoxvalleyrecord 22:24
Green Party Leader Elizabeth May claims leaked documents show Department of Fisheries and Oceans used tax money to assist Northern Gateway Project
The documents — in condensed form — were to be released at 10 a.m. today at a press conference with Oak Bay-Gordon Head Green MLA Andrew Weaver at the Hotel Grand Pacific in Victoria. They are a “smoking gun” and will show that the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is running a so-called Northern Gateway Project for the purpose of researching what diluted bitumen does in an oil spill, essentially subsidizing research Enbridge failed to do to satisfy the province, said May. more@firstperspective 22:58
BC Native fisherman Nathan Chickite is of the traditional sector or otherwise known as Native fishery – wasn’t breaking the law
From a pure Fisheries perspective, Native fisherman Nathan Chickite was not breaking the law when he took his gillnetter through the Tyee Pool on Monday night. That’s the word from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Field Supervisor Greg Askey who said there are two laws at play here. Following this event, social media lit up with threats and insults to Chickite, including threats to ram, block or damage his boat. [email protected] 17:27
More nets seized as Fisheries’ patrols enforce Fraser fishing ban – 10 nets pulled up; one person under investigation after weekend patrols
Fishery officers pulled up 10 more illegal nets in a weekend of patrolling on the Fraser River, where a total ban on fishing for summer sockeye remains in effect. Another person is being investigated for Fisheries Act violations, bringing the total to 28, along with nine vessels and 60 nets seized since the ban was ordered earlier this month. more@vancouversun 23:20
For the first time in half a century, commercial fishing vessels were scooping salmon out of Howe Sound this week.
Starting on Thursday (Aug. 22), the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) opened up an exploratory fishery for the area, said Herb Redekopp, DFO’s chief of conservation and protection for the Lower Fraser. The goal of the three-day opening is to assess the strength of the pink salmon run travelling to the Squamish River. “They felt like the runs were quite abundant,” he said. more@thechief 11:00
Bleeding herring in Johnstone Strait tested for disease
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has confirmed a report by independent researcher Alexandra Morton that there are diseased herring in Johnstone Strait, near the north end of Vancouver Island. Ms. Tompkins said a DFO crew was sent out after Ms. Morton, who has raised concerns before about diseases in salmon, reported catching herring that were bleeding heavily. more@globeandmail 22:29
Gang Green Canada Starts Fire – Say Federal Investigation is Scapegoating Fishermen
Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) has announced they are investigating the fishermen shown in a controversial video released last week that documents serious violations of fishing regulations and no enforcement in this year’s largest Canadian salmon fishery. DFO has asked SkeenaWild Conservation Trust, Watershed Watch Salmon Society, and Raincoast Conservation Foundation to hand over their raw footage, taken in the Area 6 seine fishery west of Kitimat, BC. more@digitaljournal 09:57
Wild salmon fishery discard video sparks probe
The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans says it has launched a formal investigation after a video showing allegedly harmful salmon release practices was posted online last week. more@cbcnews 20:15
Revised Columbia River Treaty could restore British Columbia salmon runs
A growing movement on both sides of the Canada-U.S. border wants to make the restoration of salmon runs in southeast British Columbia a key issue in negotiations over the Columbia River Treaty. continued@globeandmail
Unprecedented ocean acidification from greenhouse gases putting Canadian waters at risk, says report
OTTAWA – Canada’s Atlantic waters may be “particularly vulnerable” to increased carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere that are causing “unprecedented” acidification of the planet’s oceans, says a report by scientists at the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. @theprovince
Gang Green Canada Cry’s Foul. Controversial changes to Fisheries Act guided by industry demands
The federal Conservative government consulted with both environmental organizations and industry associations before making controversial changes to the Fisheries Act last year, but listened primarily to industry. When a section of one of the government’s massive 2012 omnibus budget bills limited the scope of the legislation governing the protection of fish and their habitats, some ecologists said it was the biggest setback to conservation law in more than 50 years. @globeandmail
Warm is the new normal, say Atlantic oceanographers
The trend is being traced from the Florida coast up to Newfoundland, affecting native flora and fauna and causing concern among fishermen. continued@cbcnews
Northern Peninsula Fishermen – union is trying to shut them out of halibut fishery – FFAW rep Jason Spingle “union is just trying to give everyone a fair crack”
Part of the anger is that fishermen file their applications through the FFAW, and they say they feel like the union is working with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans to get people out of the fishery. continued@thetelegram
COMMENT: Bill C-45 Continues Gutting of the Fisheries Act by Alex Atamanenko on 12 Jul 2013
The federal Fisheries Act was designed to protect aquatic species, including preventing the dumping of harmful materials into fish-bearing waters. continued@thecastlegarsource
Vancouver: Area A Crab Association upset as fishery suddenly closed
Crab fishermen were told on Friday afternoon that the fishery would be halted, and Area A Crab Association executive director Dan Edwards is at a loss as to why. continued@northernview
Paralytic shellfish poison prompts harvesting closure – Affected areas include Mahone Bay, St. Margarets Bay, Terence Bay and Cole Harbour
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has closed part of Nova Scotia’s southern coast to shellfish harvesting after measuring high counts of Paralytic Shellfish Poison (PSP).continued@cbcnews
The flight of the grey seal and the plight of science
Some will argue that grey seals contribute to marine productivity through the recycling of their feces. Converting fish to seal feces is not an economical venture, having a downside: the very avenue by which eggs of seal-worm are spread, further devaluing commercial species. continued @ Chronicle Herald
Positive reaction to Senate’s lobster report
THE VANGUARD – The executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada is happy to see that a Senate committee studying the lobster industry has recognized the importance of the lobster council and its work. Now Geoff Irvine hopes to see a recommendation included in the Standing Senate Committee on Fisheries and Oceans’ report, released on May 28, translate to ongoing support for the council – as the recommendation calls for – and also ongoing mechanisms for funding, which the council needs. continued
Fishermen in Prince Rupert say new monitoring requirements are too costly, DFO has a hidden agenda of ridding the coast of the commercial fishery
northernview.com – Fishermen from Prince Rupert and as far away as the Nass Valley claim they are being unfairly targeted by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, claiming the DFO has a hidden agenda of ridding the coast of Fishermen from Prince Rupert. continued
Fisheries policy will destroy the industry it set out to protect – Preserving the Independence of the Inshore Fleet in Canada’s Atlantic Fisheries
The plan was to prevent “corporations” from owning harvesting licences. Much to the surprise of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Canada Revenue Agency, most of the individual fishermen holding licences had already incorporated and took the revenue through a business while the licence was held by an individual. A blind eye here, a pen stroke there and the past was forgotten and the first concessions made — some corporations could hold licences. “One boat, one licence” is an idealistic perspective of fairness and independence. Fleet separation was to establish the rule that fishermen fish, and processors process. It is also one blurred by more concessions. continued
Department of Fisheries and Oceans gets F in free expression from journalism group
Although the federal government as a whole received a C-, Fisheries and Oceans Canada was singled out “for its zeal in muzzling scientists and keeping critical research findings from Canadians,” said a news release from Canadian Journalists for Free Expression Thursday. continued
Fukushima’s Radiation: BC Health Risk, or Fish Tale?
The debate should be well over in the view of the person entrusted with overseeing public health in British Columbia: public health officer Dr. Perry Kendall. Time and again Kendall has tried to explain that there is, to quote the headline on one of his press releases, “Nothing to fear from radiation in B.C.” continued
Money for aquaculture, but not wild salmon, critics note – MPs say federal budget fails to respond to Cohen report on B.C. salmon decline
Money in this year’s federal budget for aquaculture has c
ritics wondering when Ottawa plans to speak up for wild salmon on the west coast. continue reading
