Tag Archives: Nova Scotia
Condolences pour in for N.S. fisherman lost at sea: ‘It’s heart-wrenching’
A Nova Scotian community, along with people and fishers across the province and beyond, are mourning a fisherman who was lost at sea after what has been described as a “freak accident.” The man, whom RCMP have identified as 27-year-old Christian Atwood of Barrington, is presumed to have drowned after he went overboard Boxing Day morning about 11 kilometres south of Cape Sable Island, just off the province’s southernmost tip. Halifax’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre received a mayday about a man overboard at 8:21 a.m. that day. The statement also wished a speedy recovery to the vessel’s captain, who suffered a heart attack and was recently transferred to Halifax. “Christian’s family wishes to thank everyone for their prayers at this time and ask for continued prayer to bring him home,” the statement said. The association also shared a trust account for Atwood’s son. Donations can be made at [email protected]. >click to read< 18:55
Lost fisherman: Hearts are heavy as lobster fishery sees tragedy in southwestern NS
Hearts are heavy once again in fishing communities in southwestern Nova Scotia – and throughout the province – as people grieve another tragedy to befall the lobster and fishing industry. A Monday, Dec. 26, fishing trip resulted in the loss of a young fisherman who went overboard that morning off Cape Sable Island. Family members put up posts about their missing loved one as did community members, expressing their heartache and sadness. “Yesterday, Dec. 26th, 2022, the lobster industry lost one of their own. Christian Lee Atwood aged 27 years was lost,” read one post on Tuesday morning. >click to read< 13:45
Search suspended for fisherman who went overboard off Cape Sable Island
The search for a fisherman who went overboard Boxing Day morning off Cape Sable Island in Nova Scotia has been suspended. The search effort was called off at noon AT Tuesday, according to spokesperson Lt.-Cmdr. Len Hickey of the Halifax’s Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre. It will be handed off to the RCMP as a missing persons case, said Lt.-Cmdr. Len Hickey, spokesperson for Halifax’s Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre. The man went overboard from a 12-metre fishing vessel — the Little Weasel Too — while fishing for lobster in the Cape Sable Island area. There were three people on board the boat. >click to read< 12:00
Search underway off Cape Sable Island, N.S. for fisherman who went overboard
A search is underway in the waters off Nova Scotia for a missing fisherman who went overboard on Boxing Day morning. A Facebook post from the Atlantic Canada Fishermen’s Association said the fisherman on the vessel “Little Weasel” went overboard in the early morning hours off Cape Sable Island, and that local crews have been “searching tirelessly for hours in hopes of locating him safely.” >click to read<
Fisherman missing off Cape Sable Island – A search is underway for a fisherman who went overboard on Monday off Cape Sable Island. The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax received a mayday at 8:21 a.m. on Boxing Day from a 39-foot fishing vessel six miles southeast of Cape Sable Island. >click to read< 15:51
Mi’kmaq drop civil lawsuit, shift legal tactics in moderate livelihood fishing battle
The decision represents a shift in legal tactics, not an end in their battle with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. In a news release issued Monday, the assembly said it will put its resources into the defence of a Potlotek harvester fishing under a plan approved by the community. The lawsuit was seeking an injunction to prevent the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) from interfering with Potlotek’s self-regulated moderate livelihood lobster fishery. The release said the assembly and Mi’kmaw communities have limited resources and cannot afford to be involved in a civil action while also defending against fisheries prosecutions. >click to read< 07:52
Conflict over new Indigenous lobster fishery continues to smolder amid some progress
Federal conservation officers have seized more than 7,000 lobster traps in the two years since violence flared in Nova Scotia when a First Nation tried to assert a treaty right by fishing out of season. Earlier this month, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans confirmed it had confiscated almost 2,000 traps this year alone, a figure that shows the dispute between Ottawa and some Indigenous fishers has not gone away, despite DFO’s best efforts to keep a lid on tensions. Tim Kerr, DFO’s director of conservation and protection in the Maritimes, said the department has stepped up patrols in the region to ensure safety and compliance with the rules. >click to read< 12:00
Transport Canada must be ‘more vigilant,’ relatives say two years after N.S. sinking
“My father said, ‘After this trip, this was it,’ because it was quite dangerous,” Michael Francis said during a recent interview at his home in Milton, N.S., a few weeks before the second anniversary of the sinking of the Chief William Saulis. The bodies of Eugene (Geno)Michael Francis, Aaron Cogswell, Leonard Gabriel, Dan Forbes and captain Charles Roberts were never recovered after the 17-metre vessel capsized on Dec. 15, 2020, just off Delaps 
Cove, about 50 kilometres north of Digby, N.S. The body of crew member Michael Drake was swept up on the rocky shoreline. Two years later, Francis and Lori Phillips, the mother of Cogswell, say Dec. 15 is a date that provokes painful memories, unanswered questions and frustration over a Transportation Safety Board investigation that still hasn’t officially delivered its findings. >click to read< 08:43 >Search Results for Chief William Saulis<
Lobster season opens with lower catches, $7 shore price
Lobster landings are estimated to be down by as much as up to 40 per cent in some areas of Lobster Fishing Area (LFA) 34 after the first week of the six-month commercial lobster fishery in southwestern Nova Scotia. “Catches are down in our area (LFA 33) 20 to 30 percent, and in LFA 34, I’m hearing they are down as low as 40 percent in some areas,” said Lockeport lobster buyer Mike Cotter, owner of Cotters Seafood Products. “Catches seem to be a little bit stronger the further you go east compared to catches in the west,” he said. The opening shore price was set at $7 a pound compared to a record-setting opening shore price last season of $11 a pound in LFAs 33 and 34 Photos, >click to read< 06:33
Tagging along on the secret life of the lobster – tagging them to find out where they go
To the average consumer, a lobster is just a meal sitting on a plate waiting to be eaten. Most have no idea that that meal has wandered hundreds of kilometres on the ocean floor before winding up on the menu. But researchers who have been tagging the crustaceans know the average lobster in the Bay of Fundy can crisscross that bay several times over the course of a year. A lobster caught on Grand Manan can easily make its way to Nova Scotia in a month or two. Many go hundreds of kilometers further. “Some of them go south to George’s bank, some of them go over to Maine, and some of them go up the bay,” said Heather Koopman, Photos, Video, >click to read< 08:52
Fishers struggling to get lobsters to take the bait
Most fishers have their own bait recipe for what catches lobster. The season opened last week in Lobster Fishing Area (LFA) 33, which runs from Shelburne County, N.S., to Eastern Passage, and according to Brett Young, the lobsters have not been taking the bait. “We were doing a little better last year. I think the catches are down a little bit from last year,” said Young. Fishers in Eastern Passage have a few theories on why their catch might be down and one is because of post-tropical storm Fiona. Video, >click to read< 06:59
IN PHOTOS: Dec. 5 opening to LFA 34 lobster season after weeklong weather delay
Following a weeklong delay, the LFA 34 commercial lobster fishery in southwestern Nova Scotia got underway on Dec. 5. Instead of opening on the last Monday of November, the season opened on the first Monday of December as forecasted winds last week pushed the opening back. Fishing crews were greeted on dumping day with light winds and calm seas The neighbouring LFA 33 district opened its season on Nov. 29. >click to read< and view 23 photos! 12:54
Finally! Lobster season kicks off in southwestern Nova Scotia
One the country’s most profitable lobster fishing areas opened for the season Monday after being held back by weather-related delays. The Coldwater Lobster Association says opening day, referred to as dumping day, for Nova Scotia’s lobster fishing area 34 officially began at 6 a.m. The area was slated to open for the season this past Monday, but it was postponed due to storm and wind conditions. >click to read< 07:33
Mi’kmaq First Nation, environmental group work on creating electric lobster boat
An environmental charity and the Membertou First Nation in Cape Breton are partnering to create electric lobster boats on the East Coast, saying it’s the way of the future if Canada is to meet its zero-emission targets. Hubert Nicholas, the director of fisheries at Membertou, said in an interview the new boats will likely be costlier than diesel-powered vessels at first, but he said it’s expected there will be savings in maintenance and fuel costs. Nicholas estimated the cost of lobster boats is about $600,000 to $700,000, adding that an electrical boat would have higher, yet-to-be-determined costs for its engine and other components.>click to read< 13:11
Low prices, high costs face southwest Nova Scotia lobster fishermen
As captains and crews wait for an opening in the weather to drop their gear off southwest Nova Scotia, they’ve also got other big worries: low prices for their catch and historically high costs. The price at the wharf is expected to be somewhere around $6 to $6.25 a pound, down nearly half from $11.25 on opening day for Lobster Fishing Area 34 last season. The neighbouring LFA 33, which runs from about Halifax to Cape Sable Island, opened earlier this week but weather has meant most captains there have only had the opportunity to haul their traps once. >click to read< 16:08
Atlantic ChiCan investment in Nova Scotia lobster business tops $45M
Clark’s Harbour Seafood is set to open a new $15-million lobster processing facility this month as the China-focused exporter brings its investment on Cape Sable Island in southwest Nova Scotia to more than $45 million. The new plant, located in Clark’s Harbour, will be capable of processing up to four million pounds of cooked lobster a year allowing the company to make money from lobster not hardy enough for lengthy live shipments, says chief operating officer John Crandle Nickerson. The He family, which operates seafood processing companies in China, owns the business. Owner Jim He is a Canadian citizen who splits his time between Vancouver and Nova Scotia. >click to read< 13:54
IN PHOTOS: Lobster boats head out from Eastern Passage as fishery opens
It was dumping day Tuesday for lobster fishers in Nova Scotia’s zone 33, which runs along the province’s south shore between Halifax and Shelburne. Vessels heavy with gear and their crews’ hopes for a lucrative season set out before daybreak to set their traps. Zone 34, the larger area with about 980 licences compared to 635 in zone 33, has had its opening delayed by bad weather. Photos, >click to read< 07:47
N.S. lobster season kicks off in one fishing area after one-day delay
The lobster season kicked off in one of Nova Scotia’s most lucrative fisheries Tuesday morning after a one-day delay. Opening day, referred to as dumping day, was delayed Monday in Lobster Fishing Area 33 due to bad weather. LFA 33 extends from Cow Bay in Halifax County south to Port La Tour, in Shelburne County. Lobster boats were finally able to leave Eastern Passage, N.S., and Sambro, N.S., before sunrise Tuesday. Lobster season is still delayed for at least another day in Lobster Fishing Area 34 due to weather conditions. >click to read< 08:51
Opening days delayed for Canada’s largest and most lucrative lobster fisheries
The opening days for two of Canada’s largest and most profitable lobster fisheries have been delayed because of bad weather. The federal Fisheries Department says it is delaying by one day — to Tuesday — the opening of Lobster Fishing Area 33, which extends from Cow Bay in Halifax County south to Port La Tour, in Shelburne County. Meanwhile, the department has yet to announce the opening day for Lobster Fishing Area 34, which extends from Shelburne County around to the southwest coast of the province, because Environment Canada is forecasting gale conditions into Tuesday. Video, >click to read< 14:10
Nova Scotia: Government Urges Safety as Southwestern Lobster Season Starts
Lobster fishing season begins Monday, November 28, in Southwestern Nova Scotia. Dumping Day, as it is known in lobster fishing areas 33 and 34, brings excitement and opportunity – but also great risk. Boats are often loaded with traps and gear, and crews must be prepared for a wide range of weather conditions. “Boarding boats in the cold and dark, at the mercy of the weather and the sea, makes fishing dangerous work. Safety is a crucial priority,” said Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Steve Craig. “One tragedy is one too many, so we urge fishing captains and crews to make sure they follow their safety training and take every precaution, so they are able to come home safely to their loved ones.” >click to read< 08:07
Mi’kmaw fisher hopes his treaty rights will prevail at trial
Matt Cope has already told the court that he was harvesting lobster in August 2020 when he was charged. While the fisher from Millbrook First Nation admits to that – Cope, 36, says his treaty rights should protect him from a conviction. Cope appeared at the provincial court in Digby, Nova Scotia where the Crown proved he violated the fisheries act. Officials with the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, also known as DFO, testified that on Aug. 28 and 29, 2020, they seized 90 lobster traps from the Bay of Fundy. Video, >click to read< 11:09
Fish Safe NS Encouraging PFD Use Ahead of Dumping Day
Executive Director Matthew Duffy says they’ve been on wharves from Tiverton, Digby County to Eastern Passage over the last few weeks. He says the biggest topic of conversation are PFD’s. “I strongly encourage everyone going out to sea this season, that they always wear one. The Department of Labour is enforcing that, it’s the law to wear a personal floatation device in Nova Scotia,” says Duffy. >click to read< 09:10
Smooth sailing not expected during lobster season off southwestern Nova Scotia
Southwestern Nova Scotia’s largest employer is gearing up for another season, however, this upcoming commercial lobster fishery comes with much uncertainty over what lies ahead for harvesters and the industry. Lobster shore prices have been down in other fishing districts ahead of the opening of this next commercial season and the cost of diesel and fuel prices, along with other expenses, is up. Lower prices for the catch, coupled with higher expenses to catch it, is not a great combination to be on the minds of fish harvesters as a new season gets underway. Photos, >click to read< 12:14
A Tribute to the Coast Guard
The F/V Atlantic Destiny, a 143-foot offshore scallop trawler, was 130 nautical miles south of Nova Scotia in March of 2021 when fire broke out on board. As a Mayday call went out just after 7 p.m., 30-knot winds and freezing spray made conditions unforgiving. Even after the fire was out, the vessel was in grave danger. It had lost power while adrift in 15-foot seas and was taking on water. The 31 crew members on the ship were at the mercy of the violent ocean. In Halifax, the Joint Rescue Coordination Center immediately sent help. Fortunately, Canadian forces had some back up: the U.S. Coast Guard. >click to read< 08:31
Repeated Failures: DFO ship woes hampering East Coast science surveys
DFO has missed multiple surveys as it struggles to bring new offshore fishery science vessels into service, and aging ships near retirement. Sailing restrictions imposed early in the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to the problem, but so too have breakdowns on older ships and part replacements needed on the two new ships stationed on the East Coast. The science surveys are used to assess the health of major fish stocks and are critical in determining quotas for commercial fisheries worth hundreds of millions of dollars in Atlantic Canada. “There’s huge consequences. We want to know what’s going on. We need the data,” said Carey Bonnell, vice-president of sustainability and engagement at St. John’s-based Ocean Choice International, which is a seafood company. >click to read< 08:13
Nova Scotia lobster fishery braces for a downturn as inflation hits
Fishermen are seeing the downside of a cyclical industry at a time when inflation has sent their input costs skyrocketing. Geordy Bennett, a lobster boat captain in Riverport on Nova Scotia’s south shore, said he just spent $2,900 to fill his boat, Ava Brianne, with diesel at $2.03 per litre. “And it will probably be more next time,” Bennett said. Interest rates and the cost of bait and traps are also up. “It’s phenomenal. It’s doubled and we haven’t left the wharf,” Bennett said on a blustery day preparing traps for the upcoming season. >click to read< 18:10
Fishermen take federal government to court over right to sell Class B licences again
A law firm representing a little over half of the 75 remaining fishermen in the Maritimes with Class B licences is taking the federal government to court for a second time. Class B licences were created in 1976 by the federal government with the goal of reducing fishing in the name of conservation. They were assigned to fishermen who had another primary source of income and can’t be reassigned or sold. Class B licences only allow for 30 per cent of the fishing that Class A licences allow. Donald Publicover, 71, of Nova Scotia wants the ability to sell or transfer his licence to ensure financial stability for his family, which includes two adult children with cerebral palsy. >click to read< 11:04
‘We tried it your way, it didn’t work’: First Nation calls on Ottawa to end fisheries dispute
Catching and selling lobster during the fall season is how some Mi’kmaw fishermen of Potlotek First Nation make a living. Craig Doucette and a few others from Potlotek have been fishing in the St. Peter’s Bay area of Nova Scotia since the beginning of October. Doucette says he is fishing under his inherent Treaty Right to fish, hunt and gather in pursuit of a moderate livelihood, with those rights upheld by a Supreme Court ruling. Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) sees what Doucette is doing as illegal because he is fishing out of season and will affect lobster conservation. >click to read< 09:51
N.S. lobster pound guilty of ‘egregious’ handling of egg-bearing female lobsters
One of Nova Scotia’s largest lobster pounds has been convicted for holding undersized and egg-bearing female lobsters at its facility on Cape Sable Island. Atlantic ChiCan pleaded guilty in provincial court Thursday on two Fisheries Act charges and was fined $25,000 and ordered to pay another $50,000 into an environmental damages fund. “This was an egregious amount” of egg-bearing, or berried, female lobster that were located and seized by fishery officers, federal Crown lawyer Derek Schnare said in Shelburne provincial court. >click to read< 08:56
Mi’kmaw lobster harvesters tell judge ‘they shouldn’t have charged us’
Three Mi’kmaw lobster harvesters wrapped up their defence Tuesday before a Digby, N.S., judge on charges they were fishing illegally in traditional waters. James Nevin, Logan Pierro-Howe and Leon Knockwood of Sipekne’Katik First Nation all pleaded not guilty. They were harvesting lobster to earn a moderate livelihood when they were charged four years ago for fishing without tags by officers of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Tags are issued by the federal government to keep track of the number of traps that go into the water. They also legislate how many lobsters can be caught. Mi’kmaw communities, including Sipekne’Katik, issue their own tags under their treaty fishery management plans. Video, >click to read< 08:08
Lobster and snow crab markets fall by as much as 65 per cent
While lobster and snow crab have long been two of the Maritimes’ most popular exports, new data suggests the markets are now falling short. At the wharf in Glace Bay, N.S., fishermen were getting about $7 a pound for lobster by season’s end and about $6 for snow crab. “It wasn’t a good year, lobster-wise or crab-wise for us,” said fishermen’s representative Herb Nash. At Louisbourg Seafoods, where lobster and snow crab have long been their biggest sellers, a record year last year gave way to a difficult 2022. “We were very optimistic coming into 2022 that we would see a replica of 2021, and that couldn’t have been further from what happened,” said Allan MacLean, a senior operations manager at the seafood business. Video, >click to read< 11:38
