Tag Archives: Hubert Saulnier
Cocaine use a growing problem on fishing vessels, says industry rep
“It’s everywhere — in all the ports,” said Hubert Saulnier, who fishes out of Meteghan, N.S., and is on the drugs and alcohol committee of the Fisheries Safety Association of Nova Scotia. “You hear about it a lot … It’s an ongoing issue and it’s getting to be a little bit worse.” Saulnier said he hears of cocaine use at sea from fishermen themselves, as well as from the RCMP and the federal Fisheries and Oceans Department. He believes some fishermen may use hard drugs in part to increase their endurance and productivity during long trips, which can last 48 hours or more. >click to read<11:44
No wonder there’s a problem! – Deep sea fishermen pull in big catch of cocaine, worth nearly $1M, off Charleston coast >click to read<
Commentary on Controling Agreements: DFO meddling destabilizes fishermen
I’ve held my own lobster licence since 1973 and it is nonsense to suggest I am anything but an “independent” fisherman. Yet the Department of Fisheries and Oceans is reviewing my licence under the “owner-operator policy.” Under this policy, the owner of a lobster licence is supposed to be independent (as I am) and to benefit most from his licence (as I do). DFO seems to suspect that I am in a so-called “controlling agreement” with Yarmouth Sea Products Ltd. click here to read the story 08:43
Lobster fisherman defends maligned practice of ‘controlling agreements’
The federal government’s attempt to stop corporate control of the lucrative lobster fishery is facing another challenge, and the Nova Scotia fisherman at the centre of the case has taken the rare step of speaking out about it. Hubert Saulnier, 63, is a familiar face on the Meteghan wharf in southwestern Nova Scotia. He has been fishing for more than four decades and has held many positions with the local fishermen’s association. Saulnier is also one of 14 fishermen in a so-called controlling agreement with Yarmouth Sea Products, one of southwest Nova Scotia’s largest lobster buyers. click here to read the story 09:36
‘Dumping Day’ docked by blustery forecasts in effort to make lobster hunt safer
Safety is of the utmost importance to today’s lobster fishers. And safety holds special significance for old-timers to whom the precautionary measures are a mournful reminder of sailors who paid the ultimate price in pursuit of Canada’s most valuable sea-dwelling commodity. “We try to make Dumping Day safe as we can,” says longtime lobsterman Ashton Spinney. “Still, there’s danger … Unforeseen accidents happen. “Spinney is a member of the body that oversees Lobster Fishing Area 34 (LFA 34) in southwestern Nova Scotia — an approximately New Jersey-sized body of water that has the largest catches of Canada’s 41 lobster fishing districts. Canada’s billion-dollar lobster business remains the most lucrative fishery the country and a crucial economic engine on the East Coast, employing about 30,000 harvesters in the Atlantic provinces. Spinney, who is coming up on his 60th Dumping Day, says in his early years, fishers would set out to sea in up to 130 kilometre per hour winds, restricted only by time and nautical nerve. He says the rules have since changed to only allow boats to set sail if the weather permits safe travel. Contingencies like this have likely spared lives in recent years, Spinney says, but still today, every angler risks life and limb upon exiting the harbour. – Read the rest here 11:21
Nova Scotia fisherman concerned about recent thefts of live lobster
A Nova Scotia lobster fisherman says he is troubled by the recent thefts of roughly 2,700 kilograms of live lobster in the province. Hubert Saulnier, a former president of the Maritime Fishermen’s Union Local 9, says the valuable crustaceans were someone’s livelihood and a lot of work and money went into catching them. The RCMP say 48 crates of live lobster, more than 2,100 kilograms, were stolen from an outdoor pound at a business on Cape Sable Island early Wednesday. Read the rest here 18:45
