Tag Archives: Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization
DFO Affirms Canada’s Control Over Northern Cod Management
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans is weighing in following concerns raised about northern cod management by provincial fisheries minister Gerry Byrne. A recent EU news release suggested that North Atlantic Fishery Organization (NAFO) was making the management decisions when it came to northern cod, but DFO says there is no debate that Canada manages the stock. According to the federal department, Canada alone completes the scientific assessment of the stock and sets the annual total allowable catch. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 07:31
Fisheries Minister Taken Aback by EU Boast that NAFO Has Management of Northern Cod Fishery
The province’s fisheries minister is encouraging Newfoundlanders and Labradorians to rally for joint management of the stocks off the province’s coast after learning that NAFO has taken control of management of the northern cod fishery. A recent European Union release following Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization meetings in Halifax indicates that based on an EU-Canada proposal on northern cod, NAFO “reopened the fishery and established a revised sharing arrangement.” It goes on to say that “it was fair and necessary to increase the EU share to reflect the current composition of the EU.” The release also indicates that NAFO is increasing fishing opportunities for 3M cod outside Canada’s 200 mile limit. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 09:08
NAFO Annual Meeting 2024: Key Decisions on Cod and Redfish Stocks
A joint proposal from the EU and Canada led to the reopening of the fishery for Northern cod in Divisions 2J, 3K, and 3L, with a revised sharing arrangement. This update was necessary, as the previous provisions had been in place since 1991. The EU’s share was increased to reflect its current composition, ensuring a fairer allocation of fishing rights. Additionally, fishing opportunities for 3M cod were increased, with existing technical measures maintained to protect the stock. NAFO’s decision rewards the fishing sector’s conservation efforts by increasing opportunities while maintaining caution to safeguard stock sustainability. A joint proposal from the EU and Canada led to the reopening of the fishery for Northern cod in Divisions 2J, 3K, and 3L, with a revised sharing arrangement. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:03
Fishing group, N.S. fisherman happy with Canada-France halibut deal
Canada and France have reached a deal to try to end a long-simmering dispute over halibut fishing on Canada’s Atlantic coast. In exchange for a three per cent share of the Canadian quota, French fishing vessels will fish outside Canadian waters and agree to have their catch monitored. According to Shelburne fisherman Gary Dedrick, French fishermen have been harvesting in Canadian waters outside the designated French fishing zone surrounding St-Pierre-Miquelon, France’s eight small islands off Newfoundland’s southern coast, and not limiting their catches. “They will be allowed to fish Atlantic halibut in their own territory and also outside 200 miles, but they won’t be able to fish in Canadian waters,” said Lapointe, who is looking to federal authorities to increase monitoring and catch reporting now that there’s a formal agreement. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 14: 19
Canada announces deal with France on contentious Atlantic halibut fishery
Months of negotiations have resulted in an agreement between Canada and France allowing fishers from a tiny archipelago near Newfoundland a portion of the annual Atlantic halibut catch, officials announced Monday. Fishers from the French territory of St-Pierre-Miquelon will be allowed three per cent of the total allowable catch, which is set each year by Canada, the federal Fisheries Department said in a statement. Ihe department has been working with France to reach such an agreement since 2016, the department said. “I am confident that we’ve reached an equitable agreement that will ensure the long-term health of the Atlantic halibut stock while supporting the economies and coastal communities of both Canada and France,” Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillie said. more, CLICK TO READ<< 15:02
Federal Fisheries minister ignored DFO advice by reopening commercial cod fishery
Federal Fisheries Minister Diane Lebouthillier ignored the advice of staff within her department when she reopened the commercial cod fishery off Newfoundland and Labrador last June. A briefing note dated May 9 reveals that Fisheries and Oceans Canada recommended maintaining the long-time moratorium on northern cod based on scientific evidence, but that political advisors within the minister’s office argued reopening the commercial fishery and hiking quotas would be “politically a victory.” Senior policy advisor Paul Carrigan wrote that DFO staff were concerned about an increase to quotas and the return of offshore boats in the fishery, which would “increase the stocks’ risk of decline.” more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:47
Portuguese dragger again accused of illegal fishing on Grand Banks; NAFO can’t enforce quotas
A Portuguese offshore factory-freezer dragger has been accused for the fifth time in six years of illegal fishing on/near the Grand Banks, hammering home, yet again, that the enforcement regime that oversees foreign fleets outside Canada’s 200-mile limit is a joke (on Newfoundland and Labrador). The latest accusation (not actual court charge) against the F/V Nova Virgem Da Barca was issued on March 28th when enforcement officers from the Canadian Coast Guard ship Cygnus boarded the dragger on the tail of the Banks (fishing zone 3N) where she was fishing redfish. The officers issued a “notice of infringement” against the captain for misreporting catches, with “supporting documentation from the inspection and infringement forwarded to the European Union for investigation and follow-up.” Canada cannot charge a foreign dragger with illegal fishing. >NAFO<, >click to read< 15:42
F/V Villa De Pitano: ‘Please keep looking’, families beg as hunt for Spanish shipwreck crew ends
“We have to keep looking for the bodies, we can’t leave 12 people stranded in the sea,” said John Okutu, uncle of Edemon Okutu, one of the crew members from Ghana who is among the missing. “If Canada can’t keep on looking, the Spanish must go, that’s what the families want,” he told journalists in Marín in the northwestern region of Galicia where the vessel was based. Standing at his side, Kevin Franco, the son of Regelio Franco, one of the missing Peruvians, agreed. >click to read< 09:15
Newfoundland: Search suspended for missing crew members of F/V Villa De Pitano
After a 36-hour search of the frigid North Atlantic waters, the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre and the Canadian Armed Forces have suspended their search for the missing crew members who were onboard the sunken Spanish fishing vessel. “This is the end of an active search,” said Lt.-Cmdr. Brian Owens, a spokesman for the Halifax Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre via Zoom. “All vessels, all aircraft that were participating in this search and rescue have been returned to home base. The 24-member crew included 16 members from Spain, five from Peru, and three from Ghan. They were fishing in international waters, some 460 kilometres east of St. John’s, N.L. >click to read< 19:01
NOAA Sets 2019 Management Measures for Northeast Groundfish, includes jointly managed stocks with Canada
We are approving Framework 58 and implementing new catch limits for seven groundfish stocks for the 2019 fishing year (May 1, 2019 – April 30, 2020), including the three stocks managed jointly with Canada. These revised catch limits are based upon the results of stock assessments conducted in 2018. >click to read< 14:37
Annual NAFO meeting adopts measures for Greenland halibut, Flemish Cap cod
The 40th annual week-long meeting of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) ended on Friday in Tallinn, Estonia, where there were a number of measures accepted by Canada and other NAFO member contracting parties aimed at improving the monitoring and management of international fish stocks outside Canada’s 200-mile limit in the Northwest Atlantic. In addition to the traditional total allowable catch (TAC) and quota decisions made, other decisions included: >click to read<20:01
FISH-NL questions quiet reopening of Canadian ports to banned Faroese and Greenland trawlers
The Federation of Independent Sea Harvesters of Newfoundland and Labrador (FISH-NL) is calling on Ottawa to explain its decision almost a year ago to quietly reopen Canadian ports to trawlers from the Faroe Islands and Greenland that had been banned for overfishing northern shrimp. “Why exactly was the ban lifted, and why didn’t the federal government make the news public when the decision was made?” questions Ryan Cleary, President of FISH-NL. click here to read the press release 11:48
NOAA Seeking U.S. Commissioner to the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization
NOAA Fisheries is seeking a U.S. citizen to serve a four-year term as a Commissioner representing the commercial fishing industry to the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO). NAFO is a regional fisheries management organization with 12 Contracting Parties that coordinates scientific study and cooperative management of the fisheries resources of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, excluding salmon, tunas/marlins, whales, and sedentary species (e.g., shellfish). click here to read the press release 16:26
How Newfoundland is grappling with the return of cod fishing
Tony Cobb is seated at his usual table at the Chester Fried Superstop, a roadside gas station and convenience store that serves some of the best fish and chips on Fogo Island.,, His ritual is interrupted every few bites by the coverall-clad fishermen who approach the table after paying for their gas. In baymen’s accents and with hands held chest high, they tell Mr. Cobb, whose new fish business offers the best price for top-quality northern cod in Newfoundland, about the huge, gleaming fish they’ve been catching. The late fall yields the best cod of the year, from “foxy” reddish ones to black-backed hulks. These are not fish tales, and Mr. Cobb is happy to banter. But when the fishermen turn away, his eyes darken: His mind has wandered out of the diner and into the bleak murk of fishery politics. click here to read the story 14:06
Greenland halibut quota increase to boost fishing jobs in N.L.
A small increase in the total allowable catch (TAC) of Greenland halibut will pay big dividends for fishing communities in Newfoundland and Labrador, according to the Groundfish Enterprise Allocation Council (GEAC). At the annual meeting of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) in Montreal this week, all contracting nations agreed to an 11 per cent TAC increase of the species, raising it to 16,500 metric tonnes. “Canada’s 36 per cent share of this TAC translates into 6,000 mt for 2018.” click here to read the story 14:55
Amendments to the NAFO Convention to come in to force today
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA, 18 MAY 2017- Significant amendments to the Convention establishing the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), that were agreed in 2007, will come into force today, 18 May 2017. These amendments are intended to modernize NAFO, particularly by incorporating an ecosystem approach to fisheries management. This approach includes safeguarding the marine environment, conserving marine biodiversity and minimizing the risk of long term adverse effects of fishing activities on the marine ecosystem. The amendments will also streamline NAFO’s decision-making process, strengthen the obligations of Contracting Parties, Flag States and Port States, and institute a formal dispute settlement mechanism. Click here to read the press release 13:48
Canada Plays Leadership Role in Protecting Key Fish Stocks and Ecosystems in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean
Canada expressed its strong support for science advice and strict management measures that protect straddling fish stocks in the Northwest Atlantic at the 38th annual meeting of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) in Varadero, Cuba last week. Quick Facts – The Canadian quota for 2+3KLMNO Greenland halibut in waters off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador was set at 5,478 tonnes for 2017, which is a rollover from 2016. – The Canadian quota for 3LN redfish in waters off the east coast of the island portion of Newfoundland and Labrador was increased by 1,619 tonnes to 6,049 tonnes for both 2017 and 2018. – The Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) is an international regional fisheries management organization (RFMO) founded in 1979. NAFO’s overall purpose is to help its members work together and share knowledge to effectively manage and conserve the straddling fishery resources of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. Read the press release here 16:56
Objections registered to 3PS MSC cod certification will be heard by adjudicator
A hearing on whether the Canadian southern Newfoundland cod fishery in 3 PS will get MSC certification was held on Feb. 10. The Southern Newfoundland cod fishery, in the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization, has completed its MSC assessment, and the certifier has recommended certification for the major fishery gear types for both inshore and offshore cod. This certification has been in process since 2013, and is being strongly supported by WWF and the clients, Icewater Fisheries and Ocean Choice International. The certification is a requirement for sales of this cod into the European market. Read the rest here 13:55
Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO): Tougher penalties still needed in the offshore: MP
While the number of foreign offshore fishing vessels dropping gear outside Canada’s 200-mile limit has declined significantly since the 1990s, what remains the same is the criticism of the penalties given to vessels that break the rules. Under the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), which manages the area, vessels cited for have to be dealt with by their home countries — the NAFO contracting parties. Read the rest here 09:48
Angry MP holds news conference on cuts to shrimp quotas – First In, First Out ain’t sitting right.
“I don’t even want to sit in front of this Canadian flag,” Watkins said. “It’s disgraceful. We, as Newfoundlanders are down here. They don’t care about us.” New Democrat MP Ryan Cleary didn’t miss a beat. “Let me move that flag out of the way, how’s that?” Read more here 11:27
