Fishermen in need of new image, fisheries news

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Fishermen in need of new image

Overfishing, bad press have affected public perception, researcher says

By KRISTEN LIPSCOMBE Staff Reporter

Once upon a time, fishermen decked out in yellow and orange
slickers, slinging seafood aboard old smelly boats, were a major
tourist attraction for port towns. In its own way, there was glamour
to the fisherman's job, an American marine science consultant said
Wednesday in Dartmouth.

"Now you can barely pick up the media without seeing, basically,
public opinion that's negative about fisheries," Michael Sissenwine,
president of the International Council for Exploration of the Sea,
told about 100 listeners gathered in the auditorium at the Bedford
Institute of Oceanography.

Public perception of the fisheries must change, he said, in order to
ensure a sustainable industry for the future.

"So who's to blame?" Mr. Sissenwine said. "Clearly, the fishing
industry and fisheries managers share in the blame, perhaps a huge
portion of the blame — they've overfished," he said. "They've been
opaque, not transparent, and haven't been inclusive."

But he didn't stop pointing fingers there.

Mr. Sissenwine, a retired chief scientist for the U.S. Marine
Fisheries Service, also said the media are to blame for
sensationalizing stories, while environmental organizations sometimes
overreact and overdramatize their concerns.

He even singled out "the science enterprise itself — that's us,"
referring to his audience, mostly including university students and
researchers.

"Basically, to publish a paper in some journal, someone has to
decide that it's not only significant in terms of its scientific
relevance . . . but that it's newsworthy; it's accompanied by a press
release," Mr. Sissenwine pointed out, adding a trend toward the
scientist celebrity ultimately influences the messages that get to the
public.

Mr. Sissenwine, who has been a researcher for more than 30 years and
has written more than 100 reports, said the difference between
environmental science and environmentalism must be understood.

"Environmental science informs people about what the situation is
with the environment," he said. "Environmentalism is an ideology that
advocates a particular condition of the environment."

"We are involved in environmental issues, there's no question. But
we need to be involved as objective people informing the process, not
as advocates."

Ransom Myers, a biology professor and former Killam Chair of Ocean
Studies at Dalhousie University, challenged the speaker's argument
during a question-and-answer period.

Mr. Myers said that if a researcher has uncovered important
information about a species that is threatened or endangered, the
media and the public should be informed and educated on the subject in
order to make a difference eventually.

"If you know something that's important for conservation or policy,
whether it's improving the lives of fishermen or saving the lives of
sharks . . . you say it clearly and carefully," Mr. Myers said in an
interview after the session.

"You're irresponsible not to," he said, pointing to the collapse of
the northern cod stocks as a dangerous example of what happens when
people aren't properly informed. "There was virtually no one from the
universities or government speaking up. It's important to speak up."

( klipscombe@herald.ca)

May 23, 2006 Globe & Mail

the following article from globeandmail.com, Canada's leading source for
online news:

"New setbacks cripple Newfoundland and Labrador fisheries"
Not since the devastating collapse of cod stocks nearly 15 years ago
has Newfoundland and Labrador's fishing industry fallen on such hard
times.In the latest setback for the fisheries, about 700 seafood processing
workers were laid off last week after Sea Treat Ltd. shut down plants
in three rural Newfoundland communities and one in Cape Breton, N.S.
<http://www.theglobean...




New setbacks cripple Newfoundland and Labrador fisheries
Not since the devastating collapse of cod stocks nearly 15 years ago has Newfoundland and Labrador's fishing industry fallen on such hard times.
In the latest setback for the fisheries, about 700 seafood processing workers were laid off last week after Sea Treat Ltd. shut down plants in three rural Newfoundland communities and one in Cape Breton, N.S.
The recent string of plant closings, coupled with falling prices and restructuring plans that call for even more layoffs, prompted Premier Danny Williams to stage a meeting set for tomorrow between fishery workers and government officials, including federal Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn.
"We could be heading towards a crisis," Mr. Williams said. "A lot of these things that are happening here are things that are completely out of our control."
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The union representing nearly 20,000 Newfoundlanders employed by the fishing industry paints an equally bleak picture. Plunging shellfish prices have been the major force behind the sagging state of the fisheries this season, said Earle McCurdy, president of the Fish, Food and Allied Workers union. "We're probably going to be down in export value $300-million or $400-million or more from where we were two years ago."
The Sea Treat closings are part of a wider malaise plaguing the fisheries, said George Rose, professor and chairman of fisheries conservation with Memorial University's Marine Institute.
"It starts with just a lack of valuable fish," Prof. Rose said. An excess of crab and shrimp, which the province has increasingly turned to since the 1992 ban on most cod fishing, has caused their prices to plummet.
The province's fishing business, heavily dependent on exports, has been hammered by a rebound in Alaska's crabbing industry, the escalating loonie, European tariffs and the rise in China's international fishing.
"It's almost impossible for Newfoundland processors to compete with Chinese processors," Prof. Rose said.
Fishery Products International Ltd., considered the vanguard of the fishing business in Newfoundland and Labrador and crucial to the economic livelihood of the province's south coast, lost $10.5-million last year. Created by the federal and provincial governments from the bankrupt shells of previously collapsed firms, FPI has temporarily closed its Marystown operation, putting 650 employees out of work for the first five months of this year. The company also plans to permanently close its Fortune plant, eliminating 345 jobs, in July. Former employees in Harbour Breton haven't worked for more than two years, except for top-up projects to extend their employment insurance claims.
The Williams government plans to introduce legislation this week that would reinforce rules limiting ownership of FPI and require approval of the province to sell off assets such as fish plants. FPL (TSX) closed Friday at $5.75. CP

Strait fishery teetering on the edge: report
Last updated Jun 7 2006 09:32 AM ADT
CBC News
The Northumberland Strait lobster fishery is on the verge of collapse without government intervention, an independent review released Tuesday suggests.

The report recommends the federal government buy back 15 per cent of the region's Northumberland Strait lobster licences, covering New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. It also recommends that an additional 10 per cent of the Island's portion of that fishery be retired.

There are questions about the conclusions of the report, however, because of how few fishermen participated.

Of 625 Island fishermen licenced to work the Strait, only 30 agreed to have their books reviewed by an independent accountant.

"That's a concern that I have that we have to look at," said Fisheries Minister Jim Bagnall.

"You know, 30 licences out of the [625] is not a lot. Is the industry really in that bad a debt?"

In December, the government asked all licence holders to participate in the study, which was designed to precisely determine the financial state of the industry.

In the end, however, fewer than five per cent agreed to take part.

Nonetheless, Bagnall said he believes financial conditions in the industry are probably as bad as the government-commissioned report suggests.

Bagnall agrees with the licence-buyout strategy, but said his federal counterpart, Loyola Hearn, has no interest in that proposal.

"He has indicated that right at this present time that would not be an option," said Bagnall, "but we're prepared to go and lobby the federal government on this issue."

The report says taking licences out of the system, ultimately reducing the number of lobster taken out of the Strait, is the only option to bring long-term sustainability to the industry.

East Coast fishery will hinder cod stocks, experts say
TARA BRAUTIGAM

ST. JOHN'S -- The resumption of Newfoundland's inshore northern cod fishery will stunt the growth of future populations of the fish, leading fisheries experts said yesterday.

While the federal Fisheries Minister says the decision was based on sound science, recent federal research indicates such a move could hinder recovery of offshore stocks.

In a report in November, 2005, the federal government says there is a strong possibility that cod swimming beyond the province's 12-mile nautical limit routinely migrate inshore to feed during the spring and summer.

"At current offshore population levels, any offshore fish exploited in an inshore fishery may further impede recovery in the offshore," the 69-page report states. "Furthermore, many of the fish historically caught in the inshore were immature, so inshore removals may capture some offshore fish before they have a chance to spawn."

Ottawa's decision to reopen a small-scale commercial fishery and a limited recreational fishery off Newfoundland's east coast was announced by Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn on Thursday. Mr. Hearn was unavailable for comment yesterday.

Enforcement of catch limits -- expected to total 2,300 tonnes for commercial fishermen -- will be up to the fishermen themselves.

But using such an honour system is a bad idea because there's no way to check for abuse, said George Rose, chairman of fisheries conservation at Memorial University's Marine Institute in St. John's.

"I'm not confident at all that this can be done," Dr. Rose said.

Efforts to restore the fish on a long-term basis are being traded off in favour of a short-lived fishery, said Howard Powles, an expert with the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada.

In May, 2003, the group listed the Atlantic cod as a species at risk.

"I don't think a whole lot has changed in terms of the status of that population. It's still at an extremely low level," said Dr. Powles, who used to lead a program for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans examining species at risk.

Newfoundland's cod fishery has been a source of contention in the province for nearly 15 years. The industry was pulling in an average of 260,000 tonnes per season in the 1980s. But the species was nearly decimated and in 1992, Ottawa closed the northern fishery.

A year later, the province's south-coast fishery was closed along with most of the cod fisheries in the rest of Atlantic Canada. More than 30,000 people lost their jobs -- the single-largest mass layoff in Canada's history.

Commercial cod fishing was allowed to resume years ago off Newfoundland's south coast, but the once mighty northern fishery was shut down in 2003 after a four-year stint amid numerous reports that stocks had not recovered enough to sustain commercial or recreational fishing.

Canadian Press

<http://www.theglobean... il.com/servlet/story/LAC.20060610.COD10/ EmailTPStory/TPNational>

Resource management
Illegal unreported and unregulated fishing
Illegal unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU fishing) is one of the most serious problems facing the management of marine fish stocks at present. If IUU fishing reaches a critical level, marine fish stocks might become depleted or even cease to exist as a resource for humans and marine species. Thus, both human resource extractions as well as marine ecosystems are threatened.

09/06/2006 ::
IUU fishing activity generates harmful effects on the economic and social welfare of those involved in legal fishing. It consequently threatens the sustainability of marine regions dependent on marine resources for employment. IUU activities result in lower income and lower employment for those who obey by the rules. The United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organization reports that overall, IUU fishing accounts for up to 30 per cent of total catches in some important fisheries. Furthermore catches of particular species could be up to three times the permitted amount.

The Norwegian Government is deeply concerned about the immediate risk to the fish stocks in The Barents Sea by the threat from IUU-fishing. Estimates from the Barents Sea North Atlantic is that around 137 000 metric tonnes at a first hand value of approximately 1.5 billion NOK (Norwegian kroner) are subject to IUU fishing. By comparison the total allowable catch for the same stocks is 567000 metric tonnes. These figures represent a conservative estimate based upon new and improved methods of recording IUU fishing.

Scientist says PSP may be killing oysters
Last Updated: Friday, June 23, 2006 | 10:39 AM AT
CBC News
Federal scientists say a toxin previously thought to be harmless to mollusks could be killing large numbers of oysters along the northeastern New Brunswick shoreline.

During the past 10 days, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans has received several reports of dead and dying oysters on farms in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.

Federal fisheries biologist Thomas Landry says the problems seem to coincide with the arrival of high levels of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) in the water.

"The shells were starting to open and the animals didn't look like they were closing their shells quickly enough. So that's a sign of an unhealthy oyster," he said.

Scientists had believed the toxin did not harm mollusks, but Landry says new research suggests that's not the case.

He says new studies from the National Research Council in Halifax suggest that in some conditions, mollusks can be affected by the toxins.

"The research that was done in Halifax was done on clams, but we assume that similar symptoms could be explained by the presence of the toxins," Landry said.

The toxin can kill anything or anyone that consumes a poisoned fish, and its presence on the coast has forced the Fisheries Department to close all mollusk harvesting along the northeastern shore until the area is free of PSP. The toxin is common in the Bay of Fundy, but it's extremely rare in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

That means digging for oysters, soft shell clams, bar clams, razor clams, quahaugs and mussels is strictly prohibited.

The toxin has also shown up on the western shore of Prince Edward Island, where harvesting is also banned until the water tests come back negative.

FROM JUNE 23, 2006: PSP closes fishery
Symptoms of paralytic shellfish poisoning normally appear within an hour of eating toxic shellfish. They include tingling and numbness of the mouth, lips and fingers, abdominal pain, and muscular weakness.

In the most severe cases, it can lead to respiratory paralysis and death.

The Department doesn't have any solid numbers about how many farmed oysters are dying. At first, officials believed approximately 30 per cent of the oysters were dead or dying, but Landry says when they were removed from the water, they revived themselves.

The oyster-farming industry is relatively new in New Brunswick, but is worth approximately $2.4 million to the regional economy. Federal and provincial officials are trying to encourage the industry, and believe it could eventually contribute $10 million to New Brunswick every year.

Northern boats squabble over lobster grounds
Last Updated: Friday, June 30, 2006 | 12:38 PM AT
CBC News
A dispute over traditional lobster zones has erupted off the Acadian Peninsula, with one group of New Brunswick fishermen accusing the other of cutting approximately 1,000 traps.

Pigeon Hill lobster fishermen say crews from Miscou Island vandalized the traps Wednesday night.

Lobster season on the north shore ends Friday.

Ronald Ward from the Miscou Fishermen's Association says the accusation is false.


The two sides are at odds over where each group traditionally fishes. A lobster licence entitles a boat to fish anywhere in Zone 23 — from Campbellton to Escuminac — but in the past, groups have unofficially divided the zone. Now, not all fishermen are willing to respect the traditional divisions.

Ward says all 130 fishermen can't fish the same areas, and the federal Fisheries Department must rule on where each group can fish within the zone.

"The stocks can't take that amount of fishermen on the fishing ground. It can't," he said. "Even the biologist told us it's going to be a mess in a few years."

Whale shot in front of tourists
Eager Norwegian whalers didn't do much to boost the image of their country's tourism industry this week, when they gunned down a whale before the eyes of tourists out on a whale-watching expedition.
http://www.aftenposte...

Activist hopes to drive home anti-sealing message
By Katie Schneider
The Eagle

Anthony Marr wants your attention — and the attention of everyone on the western side of the Rogers Pass.

On July 15, the wildlife preservationist and founder of Heal Our Planet Earth (HOPE) will conduct a “funeral motorcade for the seals” between Banff and Calgary, stopping in Canmore and Cochrane, to protest Canada’s seal hunt and demonstrate how far 325,000 dead seals would stretch if lined up in single file.

He said at one metre per seal, 325,000 seals would stretch 325 kilometres along the Trans-Canada Highway from Calgary to the Rogers Pass.

“The next time (people) drive to Banff I want them to think of a line of dead seals on the highway,” he said from Vancouver.

“I want to convert a dry number into a horrendous vision that will hit people on the gut level,” he said. “Anyone with compassion will probably take action given that vision.”

Marr will leave Vancouver on July 13 and arrive in Banff on July 15 where he will be joined by 10 cars of members of the Sea Shepherd Calgary Chapter (SSCC), a non-profit group who helped organize the motorcade.

The groups will arrive in Cochrane at around 10:30 a.m. and meet in a parking lot on Highway 1A.
At 11 a.m. they will depart for Calgary where Marr will give three lectures between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. at the Central Library, sponsored by SSCC.

This motorcade will be the second one of many Marr will conduct with local animal rights groups in the next five months. He is scheduled to cover 40,000 kilometres and travel to 35 states and six provinces on his fourth Compassion for Animals Road Expedition (CARE).

His main argument against what he calls the seal “massacre” is that some seals are supposedly skinned alive.

“If people don’t think being skinned alive isn’t excruciating, ask them to peel back a loose hangnail . . . ,” he said.

Marr added the Canadian government claims only two per cent are killed by being skinned alive, but he said even so, that is a large amount equating to about 7,000 seals — about seven kilometres or about 35 city blocks.

Marr said people who support the hunt argue that killing seals protects the supply of cod, but he suggests seals eat about three per cent of the cod.

Karen Orr, member of the SSCC, said the group is taking part in promoting awareness about the seal hunt because they share Marr’s philosophy.

“We want to keep it on the new government’s mind to stop it before it starts again in March.”


Anthony Marr, founder
Heal Our Planet Earth (HOPE)
Compassion for Animals Road Expeditions (CARE)
http://www.HOPE-CARE....
Anthony-Marr@HOPE-CARE.org
604-222-1169, cell (after July 19) 415-686-8789