Tag Archives: Memorial University of Newfoundland
The cod delusion – A moratorium on cod fishing that was supposed to last two years has now lasted 30.
Three decades on, the latest DFO science still puts Atlantic cod in the critical zone. “I hope politicians and bureaucrats in Ottawa have learned something, because I’ve learned something: the moratorium was the biggest catastrophe ever heaped on the people in this province, ever. Nothing has been as bad as this,” says Captain Saunders, an 80-year-old Inuk. Seated in the wheelhouse of his longliner, docked in Pinsent’s Arm in late September 2021, Saunders speaks with the authority of someone with six decades of fishing experience, backed by centuries of hindsight. “Newfoundland and Labrador people fished for 500 years and didn’t damage the stocks. What Canada done was an atrocity in my opinion. It ruined a way of life. It ruined culture. All the stages, stage heads, they’re all falling apart, they’re all deteriorated — that’s the government did that.” >click to read< 17:40
Canadian researchers denied samples of oil spill dispersant Corexit 9500, Corexit 9580 by Nalco Environmental Solutions
Canada’s Department of Fisheries and Oceans says it will try again to secure samples of an oil spill dispersant for testing by government-funded researchers after the American manufacturer refused two requests in 2016. The impasse surrounds research by fish biologist Craig Purchase of Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s. Purchase was working on a $75,000 project funded by DFO comparing two types of oil dispersant products called Corexit on beach-spawning capelin. But he never got the chance to compare Corexit 9500 — an open ocean oil spill dispersant — with Corexit 9580, a surface agent used to clean beaches. He was able to get a sample of the oil spill dispersant from DFO but the manufacturer, Nalco Environmental Solutions, refused to provide Purchase with a sample of the beach cleaning agent Corexit 9580 last April. Nalco refused again when DFO asked for a sample on his behalf. Read the story here 09:24 Read this Corexit’s Deadly Legacy
Ontario needs fishing boat captains — and thus has called Newfoundland
Lake Erie needs boat captains. The fishery, one of Ontario’s relatively quiet but successful businesses, is facing the same problem as fisheries around North America: its labourers are ageing into retirement and too few young people are interested in replacing them. “We have boats right now that aren’t able to fish because there’s no one to captain the boat,” says Jane Graham of the Ontario Commercial Fisheries Association (OCFA). “People on the fishing tugs require specialized training, and we’re having a hard time finding them.” So who do you call when you need more fishing boat captains? Newfoundland and Labrador, it turns out. Read the story here 15:11
Fogo Island fish harvesters trained to deploy oil boom
A group of fish harvesters on Fogo Island is now trained to deploy an oil containment boom if a spill were to happen in local fishing areas. The harvesters practiced deploying and recovering a containment boom by the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland. “A lot of fisherman are not big on academics and courses,” said Glen Best, a local fisherman. “But this is something they can enjoy because it’s hands on, applies to them and they can use it. It can be a real benefit.” Best and the other fish harvesters started the day with a classroom session and wrapped up on the water in Seldom harbour, deploying the orange boom and its yellow anchors beside a wharf. “We have a long coastline, lots of isolated, rural communities and resources are not always available for a spill.” “It’s in our best interest to be trained and have this equipment and to be able to take care of the problem when it arises,” said Best. Read the story here 11:12
Low-Powered LED Lights Can Improve Snow Crab Catchability
The Atlantic Canada snow crab (Chionoecetes opilio) fishery may have started out as a bycatch fishery over 60 years ago, but today it has become the second most valuable export fishery in Canada. In 2013, The Newfoundland and Labrador snow crab fishery had the honour (rolls eyes) of becoming the 200th fishery to receive Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification. Improving the catchability of snow crab, as for any fishery, has garnered significant interest, though can be challenging to achieve. At the fourth International Marine Conservation Congress, PHD candidate Khanh Nguyen, who is based at Marine Institute, Memorial University of Newfoundland, described one way snow crab fisheries can increase catchability – and without spending vast amounts of money redesigning gear. Mr Nguyen’s research has focused on exploiting the snow crab’s biology – specifically its ability to detect and react to lights. A number of marine species are known to be attracted to lights, with some commercial fisheries, such as squid jigging, using lights to lure their prey. Whereas some fisheries use relatively powerful lights, Mr Nguyen’s interest was in the use of low powered, coloured LED lights. Read the article here 09:24
