Tag Archives: Prince Edward Island
‘They need to come to the table’, Lennox Island chief rejects PEIFA’s calls for July lobster fishery ban
The P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association is requesting a ban be implemented by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans on lobster fishing for part of the summer. The association is supporting the idea of a ban on all lobster fishing in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence during midsummer, mainly July.,,, Chief Darlene Bernard of the Lennox Island First Nation said they have a ceremonial fishery in the month of July for the annual St. Anne’s Sunday celebration and she has no plans to stop it. >click to read< 18:21
UPDATED: Blockage removed from Skinners Pond harbour entrance
An excavator spent most of the day Saturday on the south block of the Skinners Pond Harbour breakwater, scooping seaweed out of the port’s entrance. That’s after about a half dozen boats got caught up in the seaweed while returning to port on low tide Friday afternoon.,,, “We did it as quickly as we could for the safety of all the fishermen,” Doyle said of Saturday’s cleanup. Sixty-one lobster boats fish out of Skinners Pond. >click to read< 21:07
‘This is a big deal:’ Hurricane Dorian set to make landfall in N.S. today, do its dance in Newfoundland on Sunday
Some Maritimers woke up to a light breeze and the odd raindrop on Saturday morning, but residents are bracing for the impact of what is now a strong Category 1 hurricane. Hurricane Dorian is barrelling toward the region with winds of 140 km/h and gusts of up to 165 km/h. Most of the Maritimes is under a combination of weather warnings, including hurricane, tropical storm and rainfall warnings for much of Nova Scotia, rainfall warnings for New Brunswick and rainfall, wind, storm surge and tropical storm warnings for P.E.I. >click to read< 07:24
Dorian to do its dance in Newfoundland on Sunday – >click to read< 07:55
Prince Edward Island: With no size increase, fishermen optimistic of good catch rates
Prince Edward Island fall lobster fishermen set out from ports from Tignish to Victoria on Thursday morning as their fall season officially got underway at 6 a.m The fishery takes in the western half of the Northumberland Strait and also involves mainland fishermen from Chatham, N.B., to Amherst, N.S. Video, >click to read< 11:29
Search for missing fisherman ‘a needle in a haystack’ say P.E.I. RCMP
RCMP and P.E.I. Ground Search and Rescue wrapped up its search for the day for Jordan Hicken late Thursday afternoon with no sign of the missing P.E.I. fisherman. Hicken went overboard from his fishing boat off Naufrage, on the Island’s North Shore, early Tuesday morning. RCMP Staff Sgt. Howard Fitzpatrick said search and rescue teams are done for the day Thursday, and they are still figuring out how to proceed. >click to read<16:58
An early start to a late setting day for P.E.I.’s lobster fishermen
The lobster boats are off and heading to a staging area outside the North Rustico harbour on the North Shore of Prince Edward Island Friday morning, waiting for the 6 a.m. start time. According to federal fisheries rules, the boats can’t go until the appointed hour.,,, The wharf and breakwater of North Rustico was crowded with spectators as the boats set out into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This year was a bit unusual in that setting day was supposed to be April 29, but because of bad weather it was delayed until May 3. Brian McInnis is a Charlottetown-based freelance photographer. >Excellent photo’s, click to read<11:52
Canada and Prince Edward Island fund projects to boost innovation and productivity in the seafood processing sector
With the longest coastline in the world, Canada’s coastal communities rely on the fish and seafood industry as an integral contributor to local and regional economies. This is why the Government of Canada and the Province of Prince Edward Island today announced funding support to three regional businesses through the Atlantic Fisheries Fund. The funding—a total contribution of more than $365,000—will see the implementation of innovative projects and new technologies in the fishing industry. >click to read<14:50
How a small change in scallop gear could make a big difference on P.E.I.
Some Island scallop harvesters are adjusting the way they do their work this year, in the hopes that it’ll help make the fishery more sustainable. The idea is that by increasing the size of the holes, or rings, in the trawler used to fish scallops, only larger ones will be caught, leaving younger ones to grow and multiply. With this in mind, Fisheries and Oceans Canada has changed the minimum ring size for one of the scallop fishing areas surrounding Prince Edward Island, Zone 22.,It was aboard Island scallop harvester Richard Gallant’s boat that this research took place last spring — with assistance from the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association. Gallant has been harvesting scallops for more than two decades, and said he’s been advocating for changes like these for a while.,, >click to read<14:11
Survey results released- Majority of P.E.I. fall lobster fishermen favour fishing curfew
Prince Edward Island’s fall lobster fishermen have voted in favour of supporting the Maritime Fishermen’s Union proposal to have the Department of Fisheries and Oceans enforce a curfew in the Lobster Fishing Area the two organizations share. The result of the mail-in vote was announced at the Prince County Fishermen Association’s annual meeting Tuesday, Jan. 22 in O’Leary. Of the 149 fishermen who returned surveys, 78 of them, or,,, >click to read<13:17
P.E.I. fisherman prepare for fall lobster season
Lee Knox is hoping the forecast for this Thursday’s setting day of relatively light wind of up to 15 knots holds, as it will allow for good conditions for fishermen to unload their traps.,, The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has a conference call with port representatives set for this morning to assess setting day weather conditions and make the decision on whether the season opens Thursday, as scheduled, or gets delayed. Knox is anticipating it will get started on time. Approximately 218 western P.E.I. fall fishermen share Lobster Fishing Area 25 in the Northumberland Strait with mainland fishermen from Chatham, N.B., nearly to Amherst, N.S. >click to read<
Halibut catches light so far
As of Wednesday, 27.7 per cent of Prince Edward Island’s 2018 halibut quota had been landed. The fishery has been open on Wednesday and Thursday s for the last three weeks. It closes after today and will reopen in three weeks’ time, again running on three consecutive Wednesday and Thursdays.Michel MacDonald, co-chair of the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association’s Groundfish Advisory committee describes the fishery in the eastern end of the Island as being slow, so far. >click to read<20:30
DFO closes more fishing zones after right whale sighting
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has closed portions of four fishery grids after right whales were spotted in the area. The affected grids are in the extreme south of the speed reduction zone and will begin at 10 a.m. on Friday. The closure marks the 20th fishery closure this year related to the North Atlantic right whale. No right whales have been found dead in Canadian waters since last year but a right whale was spotted last week off Miscou Island partially entangled. It has not been spotted since. >click to read<18:33
Setting Day: ‘One of my busiest days, stressful days, my exciting days of the year,’ says 22-year fishing veteran
Lobster fishermen at many Prince Edward Island harbours were busy getting their boats, traps and crew ready for the start of the spring season Monday. The tradition of the 6 a.m. start and the busy day of getting all the traps in the water for the first time each year is known as setting day. At Malpeque Harbour, on the northern part of the Island, it was a hive of activity Sunday as fishermen worked to get ready. >click to read<18:44
Booming Maritime lobster industry means long waits for new boats
Some boat builders in the Maritimes are reporting wait-lists for new boats of up to seven years. Good catches and prices the last few years have caused demand that far outstrips builders’ ability to supply — they don’t have space to build more, nor the staff. “The orders are just piling up,” said Roger Hutt at Hutt Brothers Boat Shop in Alberton, P.E.I. “We don’t have the capacity.” Hutt’s has 51 boats on order — the last ones on the list won’t be finished until 2025. >click to read<
Norm Peters, the bearded skipper of North Rustico, dies
One of Prince Edward Island’s best known fishermen has died. Norm Peters, known as the bearded skipper, fished lobster out of North Rustico, and ran tours when the lobster season was done. Peters was a common sight on the Island’s tourism promotions. In 2012, he represented the Island at the China Fisheries and Seafood Expo, where he attracted a lot of attention, even appearing on the front page of a Beijing newspaper. >click to read<19:12
Prince Edward Island fisherman sails Arctic as modern-day explorer
Few have logged more nautical miles in Canada’s Arctic over the past six years than David MacIsaac. But the northward course of the modern-day Arctic exploring captain has been a wandering one. MacIsaac was supposed to be an accountant. At least, that’s what he was studying at university 30 years ago when his dad called. David MacIsaac Sr., long a crewman, had bought a lobster licence and gear and was offering his son a job. Like his father, David found physical satisfaction in working on the water. >click to read< The series, Our Changing Arctic: Part 1>click to read<12:06
P.E.I’s spring lobster fishermen in favour of size increase
The president of the Western Gulf Fishermen’s Association says he’s confident Prince Edward Island’s spring lobster fisheries will have a one-millimeter increase in the minimum carapace length in 2018. Francis Morrissey, who is also a member of the Lobster Fishery Area 24 Lobster Advisory Committee was basing his optimism on the results of surveys the LFA 24 and LFA 26A Lobster Advisory Committees mailed out to their members this fall.,,, Morrissey said the decision to go with a size increase is the fishermen’s. “We feel very strongly about this,, click here to read the story 18:07
Prince Edward Island’s 2017 tuna fishery is down to its final 11 fish
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans reports that, as of Monday, there were 10 tags still remaining for Prince Edward Island’s share of the Canadian allocation, and one tag remaining for Mexican quota which was transferred to the P.E.I. fishery. Tag-holders have until December 31 to catch their fish, but they might have to sail a distance to get them on the hook. Doug Fraser, a western P.E.I. representative on the tuna advisory committee said there hasn’t been a tuna landed off North Cape since late last week. click here to read the story 17:54
P.E.I. scallop fishermen propose temporary exclusion zone compensation go to rationalization
Prince Edward Island scallop fishermen are proposing the money Maritime Electric is promising as compensation be applied towards rationalization. The utility is offering $500,000 as compensation for keeping scallop fishermen out of part of their zone this year. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans has agreed to a request from Maritime Electric to impose a fishing exclusion zone across the Northumberland Strait off Borden where the utility is currently laying new submarine power cables. The area, which includes some of the best scallop fishing beds in Scallop Fishing Area 22, is expected to be in place for most of the month of May. The five-week scallop fishery opens May 1 and involves fishermen from both sides of the strait. Of the 130 license-holders in New Brunswick and 60 in P.E.I., about 60 to 70 of them are active each year. click here to read the rest. 21:23
Lobster fishermen optimistic about catch, worried about price as season begins
As lobster fishing season begins in parts of the Maritimes, many fishermen are expressing both optimism and worry.The season is now open in lobster fishing areas 23, 24 and 26 A and B, which cover northern New Brunswick, the north coast of Prince Edward Island and the eastern portion of the Northumberland Strait, including western Cape Breton Island. Fishermen set their pots Saturday and will begin hauling them Monday. While they are confident the lobsters are plentiful, they’re not certain whether they will get a fair price for their catch. If they don’t, they say their boats could remain tied up at the wharf. Video, read the rest here 11:30
Prince Edward Island fishermen want dedicated cabinet minister
A dedicated minister and department of fisheries should be created to tackle the issues and challenges facing the second most important primary industry in the province, say Island fishermen. The call for separating the provincial Department of Agriculture and Fisheries was delivered during the annual meeting of the Friday in the P.E.I Convention Centre in Charlottetown. “We definitely need our own minister because things move too fast in this industry and there are too many issues to deal with for a department that has two portfolios,” said president Craig Avery. “We have no problem with the current minister or deputy who are great people, but we need our own.” Read the rest here 10:17
Approval of GM salmon eggs will be challenged in Canadian court
The Ecology Action Centre and Living Oceans Society have partnered together in challenging Environment Canada’s decision to approve genetically modified Atlantic salmon eggs. The case will be heard in Ottawa’s Federal Court on Tuesday. The environmental groups contend the government agency did not follow its own legislative rules and conduct a full risk assessment before allowing Massachusetts-based biotech firm, AquaBounty Technologies, to produce GM-salmon eggs on Prince Edward Island. Read the rest here 20:19
Canadian Fishermen See Red in Fight Over Lobster Size – At issue: About 10 Millimeters
Fishermen in the provinces of Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick are at loggerheads over how big a lobster’s carapace must be for a lobster to be harvested. Fishermen in Prince Edward Island are fighting to keep the minimum carapace at 72 millimeters, or about 2.8 inches, while their counterparts in would like to see fishing restricted to lobsters with larger shell sizes—as much as 10 millimeters longer. That is .39 inch. Read the rest here, Video 11:38
EDITORIAL: A different kettle of …lobster
We’ve supported the idea of a two-cent-per-pound lobster levy since an independent panel recommended it last fall in a report on the fickle Maritime lobster fishery. We even suggested that the Nova Scotia government, in particular, should legislate the levy, even if it couldn’t reach a consensus with lobster fishermen across the province. Read more here 22:57
PEI: Oyster company receives $205K to fund expansion
An expansion at the. is expected to increase its annual sales of oysters by one million — or about 22 per cent. The federal and provincial governments are giving the company $205,000 to help fund the expansion. The money will be used to purchase new oyster grading and aquaculture equipment. Read more here 08:34
Fishermen on Prince Edward Island are still fuming at last year’s low lobster prices and some want a firm $5 a pound rate set before the spring season begins.
At the annual meeting of the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association Friday, there was support for a marketing levy, but continued frustration at prices that dropped as low as $3 a pound last year. “If any seafood processor cannot pay $5 a pound for lobster, they should not get a goddamn lobster,” fisherman Roger O’Neill said. Read more here 16:27
Prince Edward Island Lobster price protest could spread
CBCNews – Most P.E.I. lobster fishermen remained tied up today in protest over low lobster prices, and the P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association says the protest could spread across the Maritimes. P.E.I.F.A. executive director Ian MacPherson said this morning most fishermen are not on the water. A few sailed out of North Rustico Harbour, Savage Harbour, and a couple of ports in West Prince. continued
Lobster prices come in about $3: government continued P.E.I. fishermen tie up boats in lobster price protest continued
Three lobster articles from Prince Edward Island
A pilot project next year will study the impact of moving the start of the fall lobster fishery in the Northumberland Strait between P.E.I. and New Brunswick. continued
The P.E.I. Fishermen’s Association is upset about a New Brunswick consultant’s doom-and-gloom comments about this year’s fall lobster fishery. continued
The Progressive Conservatives accused P.E.I.’s fisheries minister of wasting taxpayer money and failing to improve lobster prices during an intense session of the legislature Tuesday. continued
Prince Edward Island: Malpeque fishermen worry sandbar will block boats
CBCNews – Lobster fishermen in Malpeque are worried their season could get off to a dangerous start Monday because of a large sandbar that is blocking the entrance to Malpeque Harbour. continued
