Tag Archives: DFO
Canada considers quota cut on commercial elver eel fishery to increase Mi’kmaw access
The federal government is considering cutting the commercial elver quota by 14 per cent this year to increase Mi’kmaw access to the lucrative Maritime fishery for baby eels. Ottawa has cancelled negotiations to buy out commercial licence holders. The bargaining was an attempt to make room for Indigenous participation without increasing fishing effort. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans notified the industry of its intentions late last month. In recent years, Mi’kmaw bands have been demanding a piece of the action. That has led to numerous riverside confrontations between Mik’maw, claiming a treaty right, and DFO officers. >click to read< 09:34 Nova
DFO tracking project has tagged 3,000 lobsters over multiple N.S. fishing areas
Department of Fisheries and Oceans is hoping Nova Scotia lobster fishermen can be persuaded to throw back some of their catch this spring. Specifically, any lobsters decorated with a blue ribbon. The ribbons are part of a large-scale tagging project launched last summer that aims to track movement patterns amid changing ocean conditions. While previous tagging studies have focused on smaller areas, this one covers a large stretch of Nova Scotia’s Atlantic coast, from the northern tip of Cape Breton to an area around Halifax, said Ben Zisserson, a lobster biologist with DFO. >click to read< 07:48
Overwhelming support for extending length of inshore fishing boats – SEA-NL
The province’s inshore owner-operator fish harvesters overwhelmingly support extending the maximum length of fishing boats in their fleet for safety reasons, and to fall in line with the rest of Atlantic Canada. “The message from the inshore fleet is clear that the days of chopping off boats are over,” says Jason Sullivan, President of Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador, the distinct voice of the province’s licensed, owner-operators. “Fisheries and Oceans has gotten the message loud and clear that the policy must change.” >click to read< 10:32
Demand is going to be strong! Remarkable snow crab season ahead for Gulf of St. Lawrence crabbers
The snow crab industry in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence can expect an excellent 2022 fishing season, both in terms of catches and prices. The preliminary report of the most recent scientific assessment of the stock, carried out by Fisheries and Oceans Canada, shows a growth of 4% in the commercial biomass made up of males of 95 mm and over, compared to last year. It is now valued at close to 81,000 metric tons (MT). “We consider that we have a good breeding stock and that the stock is healthy,” >click to read< 09:14
Canadian lobster exports have biggest year ever, topping $3.2B last year
The value of Canadian lobster exports topped $3.2 billion last year, the highest ever and more than $700 million higher than pre-pandemic levels, according to new trade data. Soaring sales of Canadian frozen and processed lobster in the United States during 2021 accounted for most of the increase. “We had a very strong bounce back from the pandemic as people ate premium protein that they bought in grocery stores. They wanted healthy food, they wanted safe food and they wanted a treat. So they buy lobster,” said Geoff Irvine, executive director of the Lobster Council of Canada, an industry trade group. >click to read< 07:57
Northern Shrimp Assessment Fails to Capture True Picture of Stock Health
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) science department delivered a technical briefing to industry this morning detailing the most recent stock assessment for northern shrimp. FFAW-Unifor continues to call on the Department to reassess the Limit Reference Point (LRP) for northern shrimp and incorporate harvesters’ observations in science assessments. “The LRP is set at a time when cod and other groundfish were at very low levels. Expecting the species to rebound to that level when the marine environment is now completely different is short-sighted. We need to consider the entire marine ecosystem when establishing rebuilding plans,” says FFAW-Unifor President Keith Sullivan. >click to read< 18:27
Harvesters Warn of ‘Dire Effects’ as Minister Aims to Protect Fish Stocks from Climate Disruption
A recent appearance by Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray at an industry annual meeting has set off a sea squall of controversy, with harvesters and unions warning of the “dire social and economic effects” of federal catch limits and Murray stressing her interest in keeping fish stocks sustainable in an era of climate disruption. The unions representing fish harvesters on Canada’s east and west coasts claim her remarks to the annual general meeting of the Canadian Independent Fish Harvesters Federation (CIFHF) reflected a “singular focus on ocean conservation” at the cost of workers whose livelihoods rely on the fishery industry. >click to read< 15:38
DFO to Release Latest Assessment of Northern Shrimp Stocks
DFO will provide an update this morning on its latest assessment of northern shrimp stocks in the waters surrounding Newfoundland and Labrador and the FFAW will be watching very closely Fisheries Union President Keith Sullivan says they’ll be interested in seeing whether the information and concerns provided by harvesters, particularly as it relates to the Sustainable Fisheries Framework are reflected in today’s announcement. >click to read< 10:27
Facebook to begin laying cable through fishing grounds off Nova Scotia
Installation of a transatlantic submarine telecommunications cable for tech giant Facebook on the seabed off southern Nova Scotia is set to begin as soon as this week. The Canadian portion of the route will take the cable through fishing grounds and the Fundian Channel, an area being considered for designation as a Marine Protected Area because of its deepsea corals and sponges. Fishing groups in Nova Scotia say their feedback was ignored, including a suggested routing that would avoid key fishing grounds. “The consultation here was largely non-existent,” said Kris Vascotto with the Atlantic Groundfish Council, which represents large fishing companies in the region. >click to read< 09:06
Meta to install controversial sea-floor cable – Canadian fishermen say Mark Zuckerberg’s company has gone over their heads It’s not clear who besides Meta will have access to the 3.8cm-wide (1.5-inches) fiber optic cable, or what they will have to pay the multi-billion-dollar company for the privilege of using it. >click to read<
DFO scientists’ union says members’ work in N.L. undermined by industry and political interference
Judith Leblanc of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) wrote to the deputy minister of Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Timothy Sargent, in November, expressing the “hurt” scientists have felt. “A pattern of decisions and events has emerged in the department that is causing scientists in the Newfoundland and Labrador region to have grave concerns about the current status and future direction in the department’s science advice, scientific independence, scientific excellence and integrity,” Leblanc’s letter notes that in 2019, DFO began using a new model to assess the health of the cod stock off Newfoundland’s south coast, in an area known as 3Ps. The new model, incorporating new data, led to the cod stock being moved from the cautious zone to the critical zone. >click to read< 08:45
B.C. fishers celebrate DFO announcement allowing spot prawn ‘tubbing’ to continue
The announcement Monday by Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray is an about face from an announcement less than a year ago when DFO served notice it was making tubbing illegal. “This is huge,” said Mike Atkins, executive director of the Pacific Prawn Fishermen’s Association. For decades, the celebrated B.C. fishery has relied on small boat fishers freezing just-caught spot prawns in tubs to preserve them for transport to local markets. Instead of outlawing the practice, the new 2023 regulations will limit the packaged volume of tubbed prawns to 710 millilitres or less. It will also require that all packaging material be transparent. >click to read< 08:26
SEA-NL says bottom-trawling must be banned from all three adjacent cod stocks (not just two)
Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (SEA-NL) has recommended that Fisheries and Oceans expand its ban on bottom-trawling to include all three cod stocks off the province’s shores. “Fisheries and Oceans cannot scientifically justify banning bottom-trawling for cod in two adjacent stocks when all three are in the critical zone,” says Ryan Cleary, SEA-NL’s interim Executive Director. DFO allows for bottom-trawling of the cod stock off southern Newfoundland in fishing zone 3Ps. However, bottom-trawling is banned in the northern cod fishery off eastern Newfoundland and Labrador, and for cod in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. All three cod stocks have been designated by DFO science as in the critical zone, meaning fishing must be kept to a minimum. >click to read< 12:06
NOAA/DFO Officials on Risk Reduction and Protections for North Atlantic Right Whales
In December, NOAA Fisheries held another productive biannual engagement with officials from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada to discuss ongoing efforts by both countries to protect and recover North Atlantic right whales,,, While this was the last of the 2021 biannual meetings with Canada on this topic, it was my first as the Assistant Administrator for Fisheries. Both of our countries face the same challenge >click to read<,-Read about her background, >click here< 10:53
DFO says it is considering request from P.E.I. fishermen to change lobster setting dates
The federal government is considering allowing P.E.I. lobster fishermen to start the spring season earlier than normal. Krista Petersen, a spokeswoman with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Gulf Region,,, “Before DFO makes any decisions on requests for season date changes, proposals need to be discussed with all groups who fish in a particular lobster fishing area,’’ Petersen said in an email. “Issues related to safety, weather, ice conditions and harbour dredging will be taken into consideration.’’ >click to read< 10:48
DFO responds to Ryan Cleary’s allegations of a ‘backroom’ plan
The interim executive director of Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador accused the Department of Fisheries and Oceans of orchestrating a “backroom” plan to rebuild the cod stock off southern Newfoundland and exclude the voice of inshore harvesters. According to Cleary, DFO has assembled a working group, made up of DFO and FFAW union officials, fish processors, indigenous interests and the offshore, sector to develop a rebuilding plan for cod in the 3Ps fishing zone. An official for DFO, however, says when DFO established the working group they invited members of the 3Ps Groundfish Advisory Committee to participate. >click to read< 13:32
SEA-NL condemns DFO’s backroom plans for rebuilding south coast cod stock
Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (SEA-NL) accuses Fisheries and Oceans of orchestrating a “backroom” plan to rebuild the cod stock off southern Newfoundland and exclude the voice of inshore harvesters. “Any rebuilding attempt that does not include the input of the inshore fleet is doomed,” says Ryan Cleary, SEA-NL’s interim Executive Director. “When DFO leaves inshore harvesters out of the equation they get the math and science wrong, and the department is doing it again.” >click to read< 10:37
Fisheries Minister Discards Science in Pacific Herring in the Strait of Georgia Decision
“Shocked and devastated,” says the Herring Conservation and Research Society’s Rob Morley of Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray’s decision to reduce the harvest rate on Pacific herring in the Strait of Georgia to 10% from the long-standing, science-validated 20%. “Fisheries management decisions should be based on solid peer-reviewed science not the number of signatures on a petition.” To make matters worse, he added, “DFO will take 85% of the likely landed value in seine licence fees that were set in the 1970s. How are harvesters supposed to make a living?” >click to read< 11:38
DFO puts B.C.’s prized spot prawn fishery in peril again
A swell of outrage is rising again as the Department of Fisheries and Oceans revisits regulation changes that independent harvesters say will sink B.C.’s local spot prawn industry. Last spring, DFO put its previously proposed regulations concerning the freezing and packaging of prawns in saltwater while at sea, called “tubbing”, on hold due to backlash by a number of critics and small-scale fishers just prior to the opening of the season. But half a year later, and without any meaningful consultation with stakeholders, DFO is imposing new regulations,,, “It’s like they’re hitting a fly with a sledgehammer,” >click to read< 18:58
Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray sticking to plan to shut down open-net fish farms
Ms. Murray, a long-time Liberal MP known for her interest in environmental issues, was named Fisheries Minister in October after the former minister, Nova Scotia MP Bernadette Jordan, lost her seat in the October federal election. Ms. Murray’s appointment comes as some West Coast wild salmon species are teetering on the edge of extinction and the impacts of November storms on fish and habitat are just beginning to be tallied. Ms. Murray said her priorities as minister will include following through on strategies begun under Ms. Jordan’s tenure, including dealing with the controversial issue of fish farms. >click to read< 07:50
Investigation leads to 66 halibut fishing charges in Nova Scotia
As a result of a 24-month major case investigation in the Sambro area of Nova Scotia, Fisheries and Oceans Canada has laid 66 charges related to the illegal possession and sale of harvested halibut. On December 13, a total of 41 charges were laid at the Halifax Provincial Court for offences under the Fisheries Act and the Atlantic Fishery Regulations, 1985. This is in addition to a total of 25 charges which were laid on January 7, 2021. In total, eight individuals and five companies have been charged in relation to this investigation. >click to read< 16:42
DFO’s vessel length restrictions are hurting business and putting fish harvesters’ lives at risk
Patey’s Venture has the look of a well-designed fishing boat, with smooth flanks meeting a nicely-curved bow. Yet there’s something amiss, an anomaly that’s as impossible to ignore as a missing tooth in an open-mouthed smile. For the Pateys, who needed a boat with some extra deck space to handle crab pots, it was more economical to buy and reconfigure a used boat than invest in a new boat. The Pateys had a licence that put them in the under-40 LOA class. Patey spent several thousand dollars to eliminate those two feet, “Our boat was an excellent boat. And when we … followed the regulations set by DFO we made her worse than she was,” photos, >click to read< 11:10
DFO forces fishermen to shorten boats, Transport Canada fines them for it
Seaward Enterprises Association of Newfoundland and Labrador (SEA-NL) takes issue with the sudden move by Transport Canada to come down like a hammer on inshore fishermen who’ve had fishing vessels modified or cut in length without advance approval. “Fishermen have been told for years by officials with Transport Canada, Fisheries and Oceans, and their own union that they didn’t need architectural drawings or advance approval to modify or cut a vessel to fish in the under 40’ fleet,” says Ryan Cleary, Interim Executive Director of SEA-NL. “Now the same fishermen are being told they will be locked up, and/or slapped with million-dollar fines if they didn’t do what they were told they didn’t have to do,” added Cleary. “Sounds to me like grounds for a class-action lawsuit.” >click to read< 13:19
FFAW Calling on DFO to Cease Plans with Weak-Rope Policy
The FFAW is once again calling on DFO to immediately cease its plans to implement a weak-rope policy for harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador. The policy is being introduced across Atlantic Canada to help save rare and endangered North Atlantic right whales from entanglement. The whales are surface feeders and are prone to ship strikes and drowning after becoming entangled in fishing gear. The weak-rope policy is being brought in to allow the creatures to break free. >click to read< 10:55
From DFO: Routine fishery inspection leads to significant penalties for a North Coast commercial salmon harvester
On July 2, 2021, Garry Dean Stoner was sentenced in Terrace Provincial Court after pleading guilty to 12 counts under the Fisheries Act for violations that occurred between June and September 2017, and in July and August 2018, in waters north of Haida Gwaii. The Honourable Justice Calvin Struyk ordered the commercial salmon harvester to pay $1,200 in court fines, plus $42,800 in penalties,,, Justice Struyk included an additional $44,644 penalty to recover revenue obtained through the sales of the illegally caught Chinook salmon. Mr. Stoner was also prohibited from commercial salmon fishing for 18 months. >click to read< 15:39
It’s a Go! Dumping Day On For Tomorrow In LFA 33/34
Dumping Day is a go for tomorrow, with LFA 34 beginning at 6 a.m. A weather call with port reps and DFO was held this morning, and Environment Canada says the marine forecast is looking favourable, as fishers will set the traps to begin the commercial lobster fishing season. LFA 33 will go one hour later, at 7 a.m. >click to read< 08:02
Focus is on safety as lobster season opening nears in southwestern NS
Wharves are full of lobster fishing gear waiting to be loaded aboard the more than 1,600 vessels in Lobster Fishing Areas 33 and 34, which will head to sea on dumping day to set their gear. The season is scheduled to open on Nov. 29 in both LFAs, but an early two-day weather window flexibility agreement granted to the industry this year by DFO would allow for the season to open as early as Nov. 27 if the forecast is calling for strong winds on Monday. Saturday, Nov. 27 has already been called as a no-go due to the weather. The next conference call to discuss the weather is set for Friday morning, Nov. 25. >click to read< 11:52
NLGIDC provides commentary on the latest scientific assessment for 3Ps Cod
The stock is currently at a low level and growth of this important resource is being impeded by high natural mortality. Jim Baird, The Chairman of the NLGIDC said, “The level of natural mortality has been at the highest levels ever recorded for this stock in the most recent time period.” Baird continued, “Having a better understanding of the processes related to natural mortality is important to provide scientists the ability to make accurate projections related to stock growth.” It is clear that seals eat substantial quantities of cod and many industry representatives believe that seal consumption is likely contributing to this high natural mortality, however DFO scientists are not convinced this is the case. >click to read< 19:56
Minister reaffirms DFO’s authority to regulate Mi’kmaw fishery, while also addressing other issues
Joyce Murray reaffirmed the federal government has the authority to regulate M’ikmaw moderate livelihood fishing as she made her first visit to Atlantic Canada this week as the minister of fisheries and oceans. The Vancouver MP used her time on the East Coast to meet with provincial governments, industry, Indigenous leaders and environmentalists. Murray also touched on the reopening of the commercial redfish fishery, the fish harvester benefit repayment, and also discusses MPA’s. >click to read< 18:18
Non-Fishing Mortality Remains Key Concern in South Coast Cod Update
Today’s 3Ps cod stock assessment update delivered some good news for harvesters on the province’s south coast, but significant concerns regarding natural mortality and the untold impact of seal predation remain. “Fish harvesters on the south coast are looking for better science on this cod stock,” says FFAW-Unifor President Keith Sullivan. “Natural mortality has been driving the stock for many years. We already know that seals are eating a large amount of cod, but DFO needs their scientists to prove it first. Yet several years into this and we’ve made very little headway,” >click to read< 16:39
Southern Newfoundland cod stocks expected to be in ‘critical zone’ until early 2024
In a presentation of the assessment’s findings on Friday, stock assessment biologist Karen Dwyer said cod born in 2011 have been supporting the 3PS stock, between southern Newfoundland and St-Pierre-Miquelon, and the fishery over the last few years. She said “recruitment”, fish younger than two years old, have dropped to historically low levels. Very few fish have been born in any one year since 2011,,, Some factors affecting the health of the cod stock could be the changes in the ecosystem, said Dwyer. Meanwhile, the debate over whether seals are among the biggest reasons for the deterioration of the cod stock in 3Ps is far from over. >click to read< 15:50
