Tag Archives: Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
Vancouver MP Joyce Murray won’t seek re-election
Vancouver Quadra MP Joyce Murray has announced she will not run again in the next federal election. Murray is currently serving as the federal minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard. She announced her decision to not seek re-election on Twitter Tuesday. She says the decision came “after much thought and reflection,” adding this term will be her last. “My work in politics and time serving my community both federally and provincially as an elected official has been the honour of my life,” she said. >click to read< 14:42
Minister Murray Shirks Responsibility in Setting Gulf Shrimp Quotas
A group representing Indigenous shrimp harvesters as well as shrimp harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador, Quebec and New Brunswick are calling on the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to set a total allowable catch (TAC) for the 2022 gulf shrimp fishery. This coalition, which represents approximately 100 shrimp enterprises employing over 500 harvesters and thousands of plant workers in Atlantic Canada, says there is no excuse for interim quotas set by Minister Joyce Murray and the delayed decision is a financial threat to their sustainability, and in many cases, their business’s survival. >click to read< 15:25
FISH-NL asks federal Auditor General to investigate sentinel cod fisheries
“Money from the sale of cod caught in the sentinel or test fisheries goes in the pockets of the FFAW-Unifor even though the program is supposedly fully financed directly by Fisheries and Oceans,” says Ryan Cleary, President of FISH-NL. In a letter Thursday to Auditor General Michael Ferguson, Cleary said there doesn’t appear to be any formal audit or reporting process in place to calculate the amount of money raised by the sale of cod caught through the sentinel program, or to determine how the money is spent. Further, even though money from the sale of cod is used to subsidize the sentinel fisheries, the program falls outside Section 10 of the federal Fisheries Act, which seems to be a clear violation of the legislation. >click to read<12:45
Some advice for the new Fisheries and Oceans minister
I’d like to welcome Jonathan Wilkinson to his new post as Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. The fishery department, not the coast guard, he has inherited is a monstrosity of policy and regulations of which very little have to do with conservation of fish. It’s a department run amok with bureaucrats and lobbyists all juggling for control, while our inshore Newfoundland fishery, its fishing villages, its culture, is collapsing. Time for Canada to have a fisheries minister for Canada’s fish harvesters. U.S. President Donald Trump said it was time to drain the swamp and it is long overdue to drain the bureaucratic mess in fisheries and oceans. By inshore fisherman John Gillett >click to read<09:42
FISH-NL – Ottawa’s failure to include adjacency principle in Fisheries Act amendments ‘grave injustice’
The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) says Ottawa’s failure to include the principles of adjacency and historical attachment in the reformed Fisheries Act — to ensure inshore harvesters have priority access to fish off their shores — is a grave injustice. “It’s one thing for the Trudeau government to move to protect the independent commercial fishery, but that’s useless unless harvesters have fish to catch,” says Ryan Cleary, President of FISH-NL. >click to read< 15:15
Calling for a shutdown – Fish farm protestors challenge Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
Protesters calling for the shutdown of fish farms interrupted a speech by Minister of Fisheries and Oceans Dominic LeBlanc on the dock of Victoria’s inner harbour Saturday. Joined by Minster of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna,,, The two ministers were invited to speak to announce the federal government had reached its 2017 conservation goal of designating five per cent of Canada’s oceans as protected areas. But that announcement was interrupted by a peaceful protest by a group called Fish Farms Out Now. click here to read the story 15:31
FISH-NL makes formal request for Prime Minister to reopen province’s Terms of Union
The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) has formally asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to reopen the province’s Terms of Union with regards to fisheries management “The Terms of Union must be revisited so that the principles of adjacency and historical attachment are made constitutional corner stones,” Ryan Cleary, President of FISH-NL, wrote in a Sept. 28th letter to the Prime Minister. “No one minister or government should have such absolute control over Newfoundland and Labrador’s fishery fortunes.” Most commercial stocks off Newfoundland and Labrador are at or near critical levels, with inshore harvesters and their enterprises starving for fish. click here to read the press release 22:00
FISH-NL president Ryan Cleary has written a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asking for the Terms of Union to be re-opened so that inshore harvesters get a fair shake. click here to read the story 10/3/17 11:13
Salmon advocate and biologist Alexandra Morton Sues DFO for Allegedly Failing to Protect Wild Salmon
Salmon advocate and biologist Alexandra Morton is suing the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, alleging the DFO is putting wild salmon at risk by failing to inspect hatchery fish for a known virus prior to transferring them to fish farms. Morton’s lawsuit charges the department with breaking fisheries regulations that say the minister can only issue a licence allowing fish farmers to transfer fish if they “do not have any disease or disease agent that may be harmful to the protection and conservation of fish.” Regulations also require the minister to ensure the transfer won’t have an “adverse effect” on other fish stocks. Morton won a similar legal case in 2015, after suing the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and Marine Harvest for transferring Atlantic salmon infected with piscine reovirus into its ocean feedlot operations. The virus is associated with Heart and Skeletal Muscle Inflammation (HSMI), a contagious and often fatal disease that has hit Norwegian and Chilean fish farms. Read the rest here 11:12
Press Release: Minister LeBlanc Accepts Key Recommendation of Advisory Panel on LIFO
Today, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, issued the following statement: “After a thorough review of the Ministerial Advisory Panel Report on the Northern Shrimp fishery’s Last in, First Out (LIFO) policy, I wish to confirm acceptance of its fundamental recommendation. The panel determined that after being in place for about 20 years, “LIFO is not a sustainable instrument of public policy,” and should be replaced by a system of proportional sharing for the future. Proportional Sharing is consistent with the approach used in most other Canadian fisheries with respect to stock and allocation management. Applying this principled approach of Proportional Sharing means that the inshore and offshore fleets as well as Indigenous Peoples will continue to share in the economic benefits of this precious resource. Sharing arrangements must also respect land claims agreements and the interests of Indigenous groups as well as the interests of adjacent coastal communities. Read the Press Release here 16:51
Opinion: Herring fishery needs integrated management plan
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his diverse, representative cabinet on Nov. 4, with Nunavut MP Hunter Tootoo appointed as the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans. Will Minister Tootoo create fisheries policies “by looking at evidence and listening to scientists,” as Trudeau promised at a rally of supporters on that euphoric day after the federal election? It certainly would be a refreshing change from the ways of Tootoo’s predecessor, Gail Shea, in the Harper-led cabinet. Read the rest here 12:46
Harper Government Helps Make BC Fishing Industry Safer
Wai Young, Member of Parliament for Vancouver South, on behalf of the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, announced today that the Government of Canada is investing $262,000 in Fish SAFE, a BC fishing industry driven program that works to improve safety on board commercial fishing vessels. Read the rest here 14:12
Canada Invests in Newfoundland and Labrador’s Small Craft Harbours
Senator Fabian Manning, on behalf of the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, today announced an $18.4 million investment in improvement projects at small craft harbours in Newfoundland and Labrador. This investment is supporting the following major projects: Read the rest here 11:38
$34.2 Million of Funding for Major Upgrades of Salmon Hatcheries and Spawning Channels
The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, joined by Andrew Saxton, MP for North Vancouver and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance, and John Weston, MP for West Vancouver-Sunshine Coast-Sea to Sky Country, today announced that the Government of Canada is providing $34.2 million over five years to upgrade and renew salmon hatcheries and spawning channels operated by the federal government under the Salmonid Enhancement Program (SEP). Read the rest here 14:12
The Government of Canada Invests in Mission Harbour
Randy Kamp, Parliamentary Secretary to the Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and Member of Parliament for Pitt Meadows-Maple Ridge-Mission, announced today that the Government of Canada is investing in a harbour improvement project at Mission Harbour, British Columbia. Read the rest here 17:02
Shea turns her back on NL; no ice compensation for fishermen
OTTAWA – New Democrat MP Ryan Cleary (St. John’s South-Mount Pearl) is outraged that the federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans has ruled out ice compensation on Newfoundland’s northeast coast. Read more here 17:36
Minister Shea announces that Canadian seafood exports continued to grow in 2013
March 16, 2014 – Boston, Massachussets The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, today released the 2013 trade figures for Canada’s exports of fish and seafood products. Once again, Canada’s seafood exports continued an upward trend, with an overall increase of $268 million or 6.5 percent over the previous year, with total sales reaching $4.42 billion. Read more here gc.ca 10:29
Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans – Response to the Report of the Maritime Lobster Panel
OTTAWA, ONTARIO–(Marketwired – March 13, 2014) – The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, today issued the following statement: As a Maritimer, I know how important the lobster fishery is to our coastal communities. It is an important pillar in our rural economy and when times are tough I know, Read more here 00:24
The facts on library consolidation at Fisheries and Oceans – The Honourable Gail Shea, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
Serious misinformation was spread recently about the consolidation of Department of Fisheries and Oceans libraries. Let me correct the record. DFO owns one of the world’s most comprehensive collections of information on fisheries, aquatic sciences and nautical sciences. Our Government values these collections and will continue to strongly support it by continuing to add new material on an ongoing basis. Read more@dfo 19:05
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
Funding for Additional Small Craft Harbours Projects to Benefit Fishermen
OTTAWA, ONTARIO–(Marketwired – April 2, 2013) – The Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, announced today that the federal government is investing approximately $2.3 million for additional repair and improvement projects at small craft harbours across Canada. The Government of Canada remains focused on four priorities, as outlined by the Prime Minister, that Canadians care most about: their families, the safety of our streets and communities, their pride in being a citizen of this country, and of course, their personal financial security. continued
Canada Announces Strong Fish and Seafood Exports Data in 2012
“Fish and seafood is one of the largest single food commodities exported by Canada. The strong exports in 2012 demonstrate the trust consumers place in our fish and seafood products worldwide,” said Minister Ashfield. “The sector currently employs approximately 80,000 Canadians who are involved in commercial fishing, aquaculture and processing activities. We are proud of this industry and will continue to support it.” Read more
