Tag Archives: Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance
Federal memo estimates more than $176M of Atlantic lobster catch unreported, untaxed
The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans suspects hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of lobster is caught in Atlantic Canadian waters each year but never reported to authorities, raising both tax evasion and conservation implications in the country’s largest fishery. An internal memo in August to DFO’s deputy minister said it’s estimated that between 10 and 30 per cent of lobster landings in the region are unreported, and the department said in a statement it is working to map out criminal networks and money laundering in the sector. “It’s mind-boggling,” said Osborne Burke, the president of the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance, which represents about 150 lobster buyers and processors and has urged a crackdown on unreported cash sales. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 06:44
N.S. minister hopes changes to fish buyer, processor licences will help curb illegal activity
The Nova Scotia government is introducing new licence conditions for fish buyers and processors that officials hope will help crack down on illegal fishing. Kent Smith, the province’s fisheries minister, detailed the changes in a letter that accompanied a package sent to licence holders earlier this month. Changes include moving to two-year terms and aligning processor licences with Canadian Food Inspection Agency requirements. Processors will also be required to report the source location of fish and fish products entering the facility and the location of sales at both the provincial and country level. But the biggest changes focus on Nova Scotia’s king crustacean, lobster. Lobster buyers will be required to provide the locations and details pertaining to all holding and handling facilities they own, lease or use. Licence holders will only be allowed to store and/or handle their lobsters at facilities listed on their buyer’s licence. more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 12:15
Electric lobster boats: Bringing future resiliency to energy infrastructure
It’s called The Sea Cucumber. A prototype diesel electric hybrid fishing boat made by Glas Ocean Electric in Nova Scotia. If you plug it in, it’ll charge overnight. It has 98 kilowatt hours, so you could drive to your fishing ground on diesel, operate for six to eight hours on electric power, then head home on diesel. “You can take your eight hour day now and replace six or seven of those hours with cheap electric power instead of diesel power,” The boat, which could produce fuel savings from 50 to 70 percent, was on display as part of a Nova Scotia government announcement of a new Fisheries and Aquaculture Energy Efficiency Innovation Fund for the province. Video, photos, more, >>CLICK TO READ<< 08:25
N.L. protest cause rooted in price-setting systems for fishers and processors
The protest that erupted Wednesday outside the legislature in Newfoundland and Labrador has its roots in a complex, years-long struggle between independent fish harvesters and processors over the price-setting system, industry observers say. Sean Cadigan, a professor of history at Memorial University, said in an interview Thursday that one underlying factor in the tensions is the plunge in prices for snow crab, the province’s most valuable seafood export. From highs of over seven dollars per pound during the pandemic, the price fell to about two dollars per pound last year, creating hardships for harvesters at a time harvesters’ expenses are rising. He said that has combined with long-standing suspicions that harvesters have toward the small group of companies that dominate fish processing in the province. more, >>click to read<< 07:40
Snow crab price talks have broken off, FFAW says
Protest leader John Efford Jr. grabbed a megaphone Thursday to told the crowd that negotiations for a new crab price-setting formula had broken off ahead of the upcoming season. “There’s no agreement to be made,” he told the cheering crowd. “And how can you make an agreement when you’re trying to make an agreement with a colluded cartel that has the support of the government?” While the price-setting process has been controversial in the past, it hasn’t been at the core of the protests outside the province’s legislature this week. The Fish, Food & Allied Workers union and the Association of Seafood Processors have been working with the provincial government to establish a new formula to determine the price. more, >>click to read<< 17:12
Police don riot gear as Furey’s Liberals make 2nd attempt at budget amid protests
It’s deja vu at Confederation Building in St. John’s on Thursday morning, as police and protesters have shown up in large numbers ahead of the Newfoundland and Labrador government’s plans to introduce the 2024 budget. By 6 a.m. NT, dozens of Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officers — some in riot gear — were standing guard in front of the main entrances to the building and a growing number of fish harvesters were arriving on scene. Police were seen having a cordial conversation with protest leaders, urging them to avoid a repeat of Wednesday’s raucous events — particularly with a court-ordered injunction now in place that prohibits protesters from blocking safe access to Confederation Building, which is both home to the legislature and the main government complex. Protest leader John Efford Jr. addressed the crowd a few minutes later. Photos, Video, more, >>click to read<< 06:24
N.L. government seeks injunction against fishermen amid tense protest at Confederation Building
The Newfoundland and Labrador government has gone to the Supreme Court to seek an injunction against fish harvesters who swarmed Confederation Building on Wednesday as part of an ongoing protest over fishery regulations that has led to the postponement of the provincial budget. The government announced the postponement after protesters blocked entrances to the building, refused to let government workers inside and had physical confrontations with police officers and horses. A protester complaining of leg pain and a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary officer have been taken from the scene in an ambulance. Protest organizer John Efford Jr. called the budget cancellation historic.”And I have a feeling it may be cancelled again tomorrow, the next business day and the next business day until we get what ? Free enterprise,” he said. Video’s, Photos, more, >>click to read<< 10:53
Fisheries minister commits to lifting processing caps, looking for outside buyers ahead of 2024 crab season
Fisheries Minister Elvis Loveless says he’s willing to meet some of the demands tabled by fish harvesters and their union amid continued protests. In a letter written to the Fish, Food and Allied Workers union on Tuesday — and on the eve of announcing the provincial budget for 2024 — Loveless told union president Greg Pretty the province is committed to raising processing capacity “in the primary processing sector” prior to the start of the 2024 fishery. However, the extent of the increase will be informed, in part, by the total allowable catch that is yet to be announced by the federal fisheries minister. Further, Loveless said his department will issue an expression of interest for outside buyers for the 2024 snow crab fishery on Tuesday. more, >>click to read<< 15:44
Southwest Nova Scotia seafood industry on edge as wildfires surge
As many as 20 seafood processing and holding facilities along Nova Scotia’s South Shore could be at risk because they fall within the wildfire evacuation order areas in Shelburne County, a scenario one industry veteran says would be economically devastating for the region. “When you’ve got a lot of inventory, millions of dollars, it’s critical and a significant concern to our members who have these facilities,” Osborne Burke, president of the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance, said in an interview. Burke said between 15 and 20 of the alliance’s members are affected by evacuation orders. Some of the facilities have generators that kick in automatically when the power goes out, while others require a switch to be manually activated. Relying on generators to maintain operations and preserve live lobster in holding tanks presents its own set of challenges, Nova Scotia Fisheries Minister Steve Craig told reporters on Thursday, because someone has to get fuel to those generators to keep the plants operating. >click to read< 20:31
Nova Scotia will lift moratorium on seafood processing and buying licences in 2023
Nova Scotia will end its five-year moratorium on issuing new seafood processing and buying licences. The “temporary” moratorium was imposed in 2018 while the province reviewed its licensing regime. Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Steve Craig says he does not know why the freeze was imposed by the previous Liberal government. “I’ve even had people tell me that the moratorium is the policy, which is not the case. The Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance lobbied for the moratorium, which still allowed for the sale or transfer of an existing licence. >click to read< 11:40
Spring Fishing Ramping Up After Harsh Winter Weather
With two months to go before the six-month commercial lobster season closes in lobster fishing areas (LFA) 33 and 34, the fishing fleet will be back on the water in full force come April in southwestern Nova Scotia. Going into March, the fishery had slowed to a crawl with severe winter storms keeping the fleet ashore and even prompting some fishermen to land their gear. “February has been a challenge, the weather,” said Tommy Amirault, president of the Coldwater Lobster Association. “I think a lot of people are encouraged by the price, but the weather has been an issue. It’s slowed the fishery down and that’s probably a factor in the price.” >click to read< 13:03
Feds announces $4.85M to buoy Nova Scotia’s struggling fish and seafood sector
The federal government has announced funding for a dozen projects in western Nova Scotia to buoy the province’s struggling fish and seafood processing sector. Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan says the $4.85 million for 12 projects at 11 companies will help the sector retool and find new markets, positioning the industry for a strong post-pandemic recovery. She says the funding, part of the $62.5 million Canadian Seafood Stabilization Fund announced by Ottawa last spring, is expected to create 60 jobs in rural communities across western Nova Scotia. >click to read< 13:36
Global Affairs Canada takes no stance on whether lobster exporters should sign Chinese liability form
Chinese customers want Canadian shippers to sign a declaration their lobster is free of COVID-19, and assume liability if it’s detected in China. The stipulation has alarmed shippers like Osborne Burke of Victoria Co-op Fisheries, a Cape Breton company that ships frozen lobster to China. “Absolutely under no condition would we sign anything,” he said. Burke, who is also president of the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance, does not recommend members sign anything either.,, The province declined comment on the matter Monday. >click to read< 07:52
Coronavirus: Seafood association president lauds relief funding – Snow crab fishers, processors adjust to restrictions
The president of the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance is lauding a funding announcement to help Canada’s fish and seafood sector amid the COVID-19 pandemic, despite not knowing many specifics. “The devil’s in the details, which we haven’t seen yet,” he said. Saturday’s funding announcement only applies to processors, but Jordan referred to it as a “first step.” >click to read< 08:47
Northern Cape Breton snow crab fishers, processors adjust to COVID-19 restrictions – Snow crab fishers and processors in northern Cape Breton are taking steps to carry out their work safely during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dave Donovan is a snow crab fisherman who hails from New Haven, N.S. “The co-op would normally unload our boats. That has changed this year,” Donovan said. “They don’t want us to intermingle with the workers. We don’t want that either.” >click to read<
Coronavirus: Proposed lobster fishery closure thumbs down. Not all lobster dealers agree.
A proposal by the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance to temporarily close the lobster fishery in Lobster Fishing Areas (LFA) 33 and 34 is not getting industry support. An Industry conference call involving about a dozen industry representatives resulted a consensus by the majority that there be no variation order to close the lobster fishery in LFAs 33 and 34.,, Not all lobster dealers agree closing the fishery is the best way to deal with the situation. “The answer is not shutting down the industry,” said Erica Smith, president of Fishermen’s Premium Atlantic Lobster Inc. on Cape Sable Island. more, >click to read< 08:07
Nova Scotia upping its game on lobster quality
An internationally recognized quality standard for holding lobsters will be among the new regulations for the recently amended provincial Fisheries and Coastal Resources Act. “Nova Scotia will be the only place in the world that has it,” said Minister Keith Colwell in an interview. “We have companies in Europe and Asia that are gearing up to our standard now and they will be buying only from Nova Scotia or anywhere else in the world that meets our standard, so that’s really positive. >click to read< 21:45
Opinion: Alliance defends prices paid to lobster fishermen
I am writing on behalf of the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance, in response to the editorial reprinted from the Charlottetown Guardian in Friday’s Chronicle Herald complaining about the price Prince Edward Island lobster fishermen are getting in 2018 for their lobster. The Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance represents many Nova Scotia lobster buyers and processors, some of whom buy lobsters in P.E.I.,,, The suggestion of collusion among buyers to increase profit at the expense of fishermen is ridiculous and quite honestly insulting. >click to read<09:01
‘We want limited entry’ – Nova Scotia Seafood processors lobby for permanent ban on new entrants
A group representing seafood buyers and processors in Nova Scotia is defending a new temporary provincial government moratorium that blocks new entrants into the shore side of the business.,, On the other side of the issue are lobster fishermen like James Brow of Havre Boucher, N.S., who sees the freeze as an attempt to stifle competition at the wharf as prices rise from lows of $3 a pound several years ago to over $7 today. >click here to read< 09:31
Stewart Lamont: ‘We’re in the relationship business – we sell lobster on the side’
Stewart Lamont, 62, managing director of Tangier Lobster Co. and founder of the Lobster Council of Canada, represents the lobster sector in the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance.,,, My cousin, a friend and my mentor, had a lobster export business. He recruited me in 1981 saying we’d work six months with six months off; I could do the two things I wanted – travel and write. It sounded superb. I didn’t want to go into the real world anyway. We’d operate six months, shut down, come back six months later. Increasingly, clients would give us a blast – “where were you in February when we needed a good lobster?” We decided we had to run year-round. click here to read the story 11:59
From wide open to closed: Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance seeks moratorium on new Nova Scotia plants
Nova Scotia’s seafood industry is seeking a moratorium on new plants and lobster pounds and wants the province to stop issuing new buyer and processor licences. Under the industry proposal, licences would also be transferable and could be sold. That would offer a windfall for current licence holders who at the moment must give them up when they exit the business. “We would like to see in the buying/processing sector a limited-entry system with transferability attached to it,” said Leo Muise of the Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance, an industry association that recently changed its name from Nova Scotia Fish Packers Association. The request was recently submitted to the Nova Scotia government as it reviews its seafood licensing regime. “We strongly feel there is enough capacity in the province right now and the commercial fish supply is limited to what’s in the ocean. We feel there is a nice balance right now and we would like to keep it at that level.” Read the story here 15:47
