Latest news with #lobsterfishing
CBC
28-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
North Rustico charter boats say low tides in silted-in harbour will cost them big this season
With spring lobster fishing crews already navigating extremely low tides in North Rustico's harbour, the problems may just be starting for tourism boats in the community on P.E.I.'s North Shore. Getting vessels in and out of the harbour is always a tricky challenge — it's narrow and has lots of twists and turns. But back on April 29, a combination of very low tides, gusty winds and sand accumulation on the sea bed left more than a dozen lobster boats stranded in the harbour. It was well into the evening before the tides rose enough for them to get back to the wharf without bottoming out in the sandy channel. Julie Ann Gauthier was on one of those stranded lobster boats, but her concerns about water depth go beyond the end of the commercial fishery on June 25. She's also the co-owner of Joey's Deep Sea Fishing, a charter service that begins operating for the summer as the spring lobster season comes to an end. Gauthier said the tide forecast is forcing the business to cancel at least a full week of sailing in both July and August. "That also means the wages for all those employees, the tax dollars that go back into this island to help it run — it's just taking money off the table," she said. "It's also disappointing so many visitors who are… waiting for so long to come and get their first experience deep-sea fishing." Gauthier said the problem could be solved if Fisheries and Oceans Canada dredged the channel again, and has been calling Malpeque MP Heath MacDonald daily to try to make that happen. She's also drafting a letter on behalf of all the deep sea fishers in the area, calling on DFO to take immediate action. Dredging needed more than in past More P.E.I. harbours have needed dredging in recent years, in part because there's less sea ice to keep the shifting sand in check. DFO is responsible for maintaining P.E.I.'s network of fishing harbours. It routinely dredges to deepen the channels, which helps prevent boats from running aground when they enter or leave a harbour. Michelle Boyce of the charter company Atlantic Sailing P.E.I. said she needs three and a half feet to safely navigate the North Rustico channel. Currently, she said, there's less than three feet of depth. Her company's sailing season begins Sunday, but she said they've already cancelled 70 tours this season based on what the tide charts say about the expected water depth at low tide. Users may consider navigating the channel by adjusting their plans for periods of low tides. There are no plans to carry out additional dredging at this time. "We need a safe harbour so that we can get in and out safely with those guests on board," Boyce said. "It's not being provided to us at this point, and the loss of revenue is one thing, but loss of equipment, damage to equipment and passenger safety are huge concerns of ours." Boyce bought a new boat with a shallower hull depth ahead of this season, hoping to have to cancel fewer tours. But even lobster fishing boats, which can navigate in less water than her boat and have more engine power to help push them through, had to come in early on Tuesday to avoid getting stuck. Having just recovered from the loss of customers during the COVID-19 pandemic, Boyce doesn't know how much more of a financial hit the business can take before it's not viable to sail out of North Rustico anymore. "There's nothing worse than calling somebody and disappointing them and telling them that their vacation plans have changed and they can't do what they wanted," she said. "My livelihood starts on Sunday. I make my annual income in three months, and if I lose that income, I don't know where I'm going." No more dredging planned 'at this time': DFO CBC News reached out to DFO about dredging and received a short statement "Fisheries and Oceans Canada carries out dredging in support of the commercial fishery when required and subject to available funding," it said. "Dredging at North Rustico took place ahead of the lobster season, which opened on April 25. "Users may consider navigating the channel by adjusting their plans for periods of low tides. There are no plans to carry out additional dredging at this time."
CBC
20-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Lennox Island chief says moderate-livelihood lobster fishers will replace traps seized by DFO
Social Sharing The chief of the P.E.I.-based Lennox Island First Nation says the area's moderate-livelihood lobster fishermen will replace the traps that federal officials seized over the weekend. On Sunday, Fisheries and Oceans Canada confiscated lobster traps in Malpeque Bay that the agency said were not set by authorized crews. The First Nation said DFO removed 100 lobster traps each from three fishermen and took them to the wharf in Alberton — a move Lennox Island Chief Darlene Bernard is calling illegal. She said conditions were too windy for the fishermen to go out on the water Tuesday, but vowed that they would be back out Wednesday to replace all 300 traps. "We are going to secure more traps, and if they take 300 out, we're going to put 300 back in," Bernard told CBC News. "There's going to be 1,500 traps in the water." The Mi'kmaq have a right to fish for a "moderate livelihood" outside of the commercial fishery that's rigorously regulated by the federal government, a right that was reaffirmed by the Supreme Court of Canada's Marshall decision in 1999. There's going to be 1,500 traps in the water. — Lennox Island First Nation Chief Darlene Bernard The First Nation said the traps seized Sunday belong to its self-governed fishery that began in 2022. Bernard said the treaty-protected fishery follows the same rules as the commercial season, including when and where harvesters can set traps. Last year, Lennox Island fishermen set 1,500 lobster traps, up from 1,000 the year before. DFO has said Lennox Island community members are approved for only 1,000 traps, and that officers may take "enforcement action" against those fishing without a licence or approval. The federal agency said it can also step in to remove traps if lobster stocks are low to prevent overfishing. 'We're not going to fight on the water' Bernard said she hasn't seen any evidence from DFO that stocks are low, and added that the First Nation will take legal action to ensure its 1,500 traps can be set. "The treaty-protected fishery is a symbolic little fishery that has a huge impact on families in my community and I am not going to give that up without a fight, and we're not going to fight on the water," she said. "We're going to fish in peace and friendship, as our treaties say. We will fight this in court." Any number of additional traps, regardless of ownership, have significant negative impacts on the resource. — P.E.I. Fishermen's Association In a statement, the P.E.I. Fishermen's Association said it supports DFO's efforts to stop unauthorized fishing in order to protect lobster stocks. "The association has been a long-time supporter of the 'one licence in, one licence out' concept. This simple equation means that no additional traps or effort are allowed in the lobster fishery so that critical sustainability balances are maintained," the statement reads. "Any number of additional traps, regardless of ownership, have significant negative impacts on the resource." In addition to pledging to put all the traps back in the water Wednesday, Bernard is also demanding that DFO officials return all of the ones it confiscated over the weekend. Fisheries and Oceans Canada has not confirmed how many traps it pulled from the water on Sunday.
Fast Company
09-05-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
Trump signed an order to deregulate the U.S. fishing industry. Here's what fishermen think about it
Virginia Olsen has pulled lobsters from Maine's chilly Atlantic waters for decades while watching threats to the state's lifeblood industry mount. Trade imbalances with Canada, tight regulations on fisheries and offshore wind farms towering like skyscrapers on open water pose three of those threats, said Olsen, part of the fifth generation in her family to make a living in the lobster trade. That's why she was encouraged last month when President Donald Trump signed an executive order that promises to restore American fisheries to their former glory. The order promises to shred fishing regulations, and Olsen said that will allow fishermen to do what they do best — fish. That will make a huge difference in communities like her home of Stonington, the busiest lobster fishing port in the country, Olsen said. It's a tiny island town of winding streets, swooping gulls and mansard roof houses with an economy almost entirely dependent on commercial fishing, some three hours up the coast from Portland, Maine's biggest city. Olsen knows firsthand how much has changed over the years. Hundreds of fish and shellfish populations globally have dwindled to dangerously low levels, alarming scientists and prompting the restrictions and catch limits that Trump's order could wash away with the stroke of a pen. But she's heartened that the livelihoods of people who work the traps and cast the nets have become a priority in faraway places where they often felt their voices weren't heard. 'I do think it's time to have the conversation on what regulations that the industry does need. We're fishing different than we did 100 years ago,' she said. 'If everything is being looked at, we should be looking at the regulations within the fishing industry.' A question of sustainability and competitiveness But if fishing and lobstering interests finally have a seat at the table, the questions become how much seafood can be served there — and for how long. Trump's April 17 order, called 'Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness,' promises an overhaul of the way America fishes, and cites a national seafood trade deficit of more than $20 billion as the reason to do it. The order calls on the federal government to reduce the regulatory burden on fishermen by later this month. It arrives at a time when conservation groups and many marine scientists say the ocean needs more regulation, not less. One oft-cited 2020 study led by a scientist at the University of British Columbia looked at more than 1,300 fish and invertebrate populations and found that 82% were below levels that can produce maximum sustainable yields. The university said the study 'discovered global declines, some severe, of many popularly consumed species.' Trump's order prioritizes commerce over conservation. It also calls for the development of a comprehensive seafood trade strategy and a review of existing marine monuments, which are underwater protected zones, to see if any should be opened for fishing. At least one, the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, has already been reopened. Many commercial fishermen and fishing trade groups lauded the order. Members of the industry, one of the oldest in the country, have long made the case that heavy regulations — many intended to protect the health of fish populations — leave the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage to the fleets of countries that don't bear the same kind of burden. That disadvantage is a big piece of why America imports more than two-thirds of its seafood, they argue. 'The president's executive order recognizes the challenges our fishing families and communities face, and we appreciate the commitment to reduce burdensome regulations and strengthen the competitiveness of American seafood,' said Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen's Association. Some fishermen, including Maine lobsterman Don McHenan, said they're looking forward to members of the industry being able to fish in areas of the ocean that have been closed off to them for years. McHenan said he's also hopeful the pace of new regulations will slow. 'As long as they don't put any more onto us,' McHenan said. 'We'll see — time will tell.' Not all fishermen are on board But the support for deregulation is not unanimous among fishermen. Some say strong conservation laws are critical to protecting species that fishermen rely on to make a living. In Alaska, for example, Matt Wiebe said the executive order 'terrifies' him. A commercial fisherman with more than 50 years of experience fishing for salmon, he said the order could potentially harm the Bristol Bay sockeye salmon fishery, which has received praise from sustainability organizations for careful management of the fish supply. Absent that management, he said the world's largest sockeye salmon fishery could go the way of the New England cod fishing business, which collapsed due in large part to overfishing and has never recovered. 'Since New England fishers lost their cod fishery due to overfishing, many other fisheries came to respect and depend on conservation efforts,' Wiebe said. 'We fish because it's what we do, and conservation efforts mean we and our kids can fish into the future.' The executive order arrived at a time when America's commercial fishermen are coping with environmental challenges and the decline of some once-marketable species. Maine's historic shrimp fishery shuttered more than a decade ago, California's salmon industry is struggling through closures and the number of fish stocks on the federal overfished list has grown in recent years. There is also the looming question of what Trump's trade war with major seafood producers such as Canada and China will mean for the U.S. industry — not to mention American consumers. To many in Maine's lobster and fishing business, the answer is clear: Cut regulations and let them do their thing. 'We definitely feel the industry is over-regulated as a whole,' said Dustin Delano, a fourth-generation Maine lobsterman who is also chief operating officer of the New England Fishermen's Stewardship Association. 'We hope that this will help for sure. It does seek to initiate that America-first strategy in the fishery.'
The Independent
09-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Fishermen battling with changing oceans chart new course after Trump's push to deregulate
Virginia Olsen has pulled lobsters from Maine's chilly Atlantic waters for decades while watching threats to the state's lifeblood industry mount. Trade imbalances with Canada, tight regulations on fisheries and offshore wind farms towering like skyscrapers on open water pose three of those threats, said Olsen, part of the fifth generation in her family to make a living in the lobster trade. That's why she was encouraged last month when President Donald Trump signed an executive order that promises to restore American fisheries to their former glory. The order promises to shred fishing regulations, and Olsen said that will allow fishermen to do what they do best — fish. That will make a huge difference in communities like her home of Stonington, the busiest lobster fishing port in the country, Olsen said. It's a tiny island town of winding streets, swooping gulls and mansard roof houses with an economy almost entirely dependent on commercial fishing, some three hours up the coast from Portland, Maine's biggest city. Olsen knows firsthand how much has changed over the years. Hundreds of fish and shellfish populations globally have dwindled to dangerously low levels, alarming scientists and prompting the restrictions and catch limits that Trump's order could wash away with the stroke of a pen. But she's heartened that the livelihoods of people who work the traps and cast the nets have become a priority in faraway places where they often felt their voices weren't heard. 'I do think it's time to have the conversation on what regulations that the industry does need. We're fishing different than we did 100 years ago," she said. 'If everything is being looked at, we should be looking at the regulations within the fishing industry.' A question of sustainability and competitiveness But if fishing and lobstering interests finally have a seat at the table, the questions become how much seafood can be served there — and for how long. Trump's April 17 order, called 'Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness,' promises an overhaul of the way America fishes, and cites a national seafood trade deficit of more than $20 billion as the reason to do it. The order calls on the federal government to reduce the regulatory burden on fishermen by later this month. It arrives at a time when conservation groups and many marine scientists say the ocean needs more regulation, not less. One oft-cited 2020 study led by a scientist at the University of British Columbia looked at more than 1,300 fish and invertebrate populations and found that 82% were below levels that can produce maximum sustainable yields. The university said the study 'discovered global declines, some severe, of many popularly consumed species.' Trump's order prioritizes commerce over conservation. It also calls for the development of a comprehensive seafood trade strategy and a review of existing marine monuments, which are underwater protected zones, to see if any should be opened for fishing. At least one, the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, has already been reopened. Many commercial fishermen and fishing trade groups lauded the order. Members of the industry, one of the oldest in the country, have long made the case that heavy regulations — many intended to protect the health of fish populations — leave the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage to the fleets of countries that don't bear the same kind of burden. That disadvantage is a big piece of why America imports more than two-thirds of its seafood, they argue. 'The president's executive order recognizes the challenges our fishing families and communities face, and we appreciate the commitment to reduce burdensome regulations and strengthen the competitiveness of American seafood,' said Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen's Association. Some fishermen, including Maine lobsterman Don McHenan, said they're looking forward to members of the industry being able to fish in areas of the ocean that have been closed off to them for years. McHenan said he's also hopeful the pace of new regulations will slow. 'As long as they don't put any more onto us,' McHenan said. 'We'll see — time will tell.' Not all fishermen are on board But the support for deregulation is not unanimous among fishermen. Some say strong conservation laws are critical to protecting species that fishermen rely on to make a living. In Alaska, for example, Matt Wiebe said the executive order 'terrifies' him. A commercial fisherman with more than 50 years of experience fishing for salmon, he said the order could potentially harm the Bristol Bay sockeye salmon fishery, which has received praise from sustainability organizations for careful management of the fish supply. Absent that management, he said the world's largest sockeye salmon fishery could go the way of the New England cod fishing business, which collapsed due in large part to overfishing and has never recovered. 'Since New England fishers lost their cod fishery due to overfishing, many other fisheries came to respect and depend on conservation efforts,' Wiebe said. 'We fish because it's what we do, and conservation efforts mean we and our kids can fish into the future.' The executive order arrived at a time when America's commercial fishermen are coping with environmental challenges and the decline of some once-marketable species. Maine's historic shrimp fishery shuttered more than a decade ago, California's salmon industry is struggling through closures and the number of fish stocks on the federal overfished list has grown in recent years. There is also the looming question of what Trump's trade war with major seafood producers such as Canada and China will mean for the U.S. industry — not to mention American consumers. To many in Maine's lobster and fishing business, the answer is clear: Cut regulations and let them do their thing. 'We definitely feel the industry is over-regulated as a whole," said Dustin Delano, a fourth-generation Maine lobsterman who is also chief operating officer of the New England Fishermen's Stewardship Association. 'We hope that this will help for sure. It does seek to initiate that America-first strategy in the fishery.' ___
Associated Press
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Fishermen battling with changing oceans chart new course after Trump's push to deregulate
STONINGTON, Maine (AP) — Virginia Olsen has pulled lobsters from Maine's chilly Atlantic waters for decades while watching threats to the state's lifeblood industry mount. Trade imbalances with Canada, tight regulations on fisheries and offshore wind farms towering like skyscrapers on open water pose three of those threats, said Olsen, part of the fifth generation in her family to make a living in the lobster trade. That's why she was encouraged last month when President Donald Trump signed an executive order that promises to restore American fisheries to their former glory. The order promises to shred fishing regulations, and Olsen said that will allow fishermen to do what they do best — fish. That will make a huge difference in communities like her home of Stonington, the busiest lobster fishing port in the country, Olsen said. It's a tiny island town of winding streets, swooping gulls and mansard roof houses with an economy almost entirely dependent on commercial fishing, some three hours up the coast from Portland, Maine's biggest city. Olsen knows firsthand how much has changed over the years. Hundreds of fish and shellfish populations globally have dwindled to dangerously low levels, alarming scientists and prompting the restrictions and catch limits that Trump's order could wash away with the stroke of a pen. But she's heartened that the livelihoods of people who work the traps and cast the nets have become a priority in faraway places where they often felt their voices weren't heard. 'I do think it's time to have the conversation on what regulations that the industry does need. We're fishing different than we did 100 years ago,' she said. 'If everything is being looked at, we should be looking at the regulations within the fishing industry.' A question of sustainability and competitiveness But if fishing and lobstering interests finally have a seat at the table, the questions become how much seafood can be served there — and for how long. Trump's April 17 order, called 'Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness,' promises an overhaul of the way America fishes, and cites a national seafood trade deficit of more than $20 billion as the reason to do it. The order calls on the federal government to reduce the regulatory burden on fishermen by later this month. It arrives at a time when conservation groups and many marine scientists say the ocean needs more regulation, not less. One oft-cited 2020 study led by a scientist at the University of British Columbia looked at more than 1,300 fish and invertebrate populations and found that 82% were below levels that can produce maximum sustainable yields. The university said the study 'discovered global declines, some severe, of many popularly consumed species.' Trump's order prioritizes commerce over conservation. It also calls for the development of a comprehensive seafood trade strategy and a review of existing marine monuments, which are underwater protected zones, to see if any should be opened for fishing. At least one, the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, has already been reopened. Many commercial fishermen and fishing trade groups lauded the order. Members of the industry, one of the oldest in the country, have long made the case that heavy regulations — many intended to protect the health of fish populations — leave the U.S. at a competitive disadvantage to the fleets of countries that don't bear the same kind of burden. That disadvantage is a big piece of why America imports more than two-thirds of its seafood, they argue. 'The president's executive order recognizes the challenges our fishing families and communities face, and we appreciate the commitment to reduce burdensome regulations and strengthen the competitiveness of American seafood,' said Patrice McCarron, executive director of the Maine Lobstermen's Association. Some fishermen, including Maine lobsterman Don McHenan, said they're looking forward to members of the industry being able to fish in areas of the ocean that have been closed off to them for years. McHenan said he's also hopeful the pace of new regulations will slow. 'As long as they don't put any more onto us,' McHenan said. 'We'll see — time will tell.' Not all fishermen are on board But the support for deregulation is not unanimous among fishermen. Some say strong conservation laws are critical to protecting species that fishermen rely on to make a living. In Alaska, for example, Matt Wiebe said the executive order 'terrifies' him. A commercial fisherman with more than 50 years of experience fishing for salmon, he said the order could potentially harm the Bristol Bay sockeye salmon fishery, which has received praise from sustainability organizations for careful management of the fish supply. Absent that management, he said the world's largest sockeye salmon fishery could go the way of the New England cod fishing business, which collapsed due in large part to overfishing and has never recovered. 'Since New England fishers lost their cod fishery due to overfishing, many other fisheries came to respect and depend on conservation efforts,' Wiebe said. 'We fish because it's what we do, and conservation efforts mean we and our kids can fish into the future.' The executive order arrived at a time when America's commercial fishermen are coping with environmental challenges and the decline of some once-marketable species. Maine's historic shrimp fishery shuttered more than a decade ago, California's salmon industry is struggling through closures and the number of fish stocks on the federal overfished list has grown in recent years. There is also the looming question of what Trump's trade war with major seafood producers such as Canada and China will mean for the U.S. industry — not to mention American consumers. To many in Maine's lobster and fishing business, the answer is clear: Cut regulations and let them do their thing. 'We definitely feel the industry is over-regulated as a whole,' said Dustin Delano, a fourth-generation Maine lobsterman who is also chief operating officer of the New England Fishermen's Stewardship Association. 'We hope that this will help for sure. It does seek to initiate that America-first strategy in the fishery.' ___
