Jul 8 2020 — Paul Withers — CBC — Climate change, more seals and effective conservation in the United States are possible explanations for the apparent increase in great white sharks in Atlantic Canada, according to a newly-published paper in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.
Jul 3 2020 — Paul Withers — CBC — Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil is criticizing a new border measure imposed by China that requires Canadian lobster exporters to assume liability for COVID-19 in order to get their product into the country. “I don’t believe that the requirement to accept liability on live seafood going into that marketplace is a reasonable one,” McNeil told […]
Jul 2 2020 — Paul Withers — CBC — Canada will abolish permits that allow the killing of “nuisance seals” by commercial fishermen and aquaculture in an effort to maintain access to the lucrative U.S. seafood market, CBC News has learned. Fisheries and Oceans Canada plans to eliminate nuisance-seal licences. Earlier this spring, the department told commercial fisheries associations that nuisance permits will no […]
Jun 29 2020 — Paul Withers — CBC — A J.D. Irving company has been awarded a federal government contract to maintain Canada’s current fleet of warships in a deal that could be worth up to $552 million over the next 22 years. Halifax-based Fleetway Inc. will carry out in-service support for systems engineering and technical data management for the 12 Halifax-class frigates, the […]
Jun 25 2020 — Paul Withers — CBC — Communist Party media in China rebuked and threatened Nova Scotia lobster shippers this week for expressing concerns over new roadblocks getting products into China. The party tabloid Global Times says recent border measures are about food safety after a COVID-19 outbreak was linked to a Beijing food market, “rather than an excuse to target any […]
Jun 23 2020 — Paul Withers — CBC — Canadian companies that ship live, frozen and processed lobster to China are on their own when it comes to a new demand that they assume liability for any COVID-19 contamination in order to access their second largest market. Chinese customers want Canadian shippers to sign a declaration their lobster is free of COVID-19, and assume […]
Jun 19 2020 — Paul Withers — CBC — A recent coronavirus outbreak traced to a market in Beijing is disrupting Canadian live lobster exports to China. New testing measures imposed in at least three cities — Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou— have led to cancelled lobster shipments from Nova Scotia this week and delays for shipments that do arrive. “We’ve hit a significant snag,” […]
Jun 17 2020 — Paul Withers — CBC — A new federal fund to help Canadian seafood processors adapt to the COVID -19 pandemic will start accepting applications on Monday. The $62-million Canadian Seafood Stabilization Fund was announced on April 25 by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to help the seafood sector offset the costs of health and safety measures to protect workers and operational […]
May 6 2020 — Paul Withers — CBC — Federal Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan says financial aid for fishermen in Atlantic Canada is days away. The pledge comes amid both economic and health concerns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and $252 million in aid announced for Canadian farmers and food processors this week. The pandemic has already delayed the start of the lucrative spring […]
Apr 14 2020 — Paul Withers — CBC — Research on the suspected connection between the unprecedented rise of the redfish population in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and climate change is being delayed by COVID-19.
Apr 7 2020 — Paul Withers — CBC — The federal government has temporarily set aside its requirement for at-sea observers in Canadian commercial fisheries because of COVID-19. The Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) says the at-sea monitoring program poses a public health risk for both observers and crews on board. An order immediately suspending at-sea observer coverage was signed by federal Fisheries and […]
Mar 20 2020 — Paul Withers — CBC — Canadian truckers who feared losing private health coverage while hauling in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic got some good news on Thursday. The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association issued a statement “confirming that group out-of-country medical coverage for commercial truckers will continue uninterrupted.” Some insurers had notified trucking companies they would not […]
Mar 13 2020 — Paul Withers — CBC — Lobster buyers and processors in Nova Scotia want an immediate stop to all lobster fishing in the province because the coronavirus pandemic has crushed the markets for it, CBC News has learned. The industry association held an emergency conference call Thursday to discuss “the current unprecedented market situation.” According to a call summary obtained by […]
Feb 19 2020 — Paul Withers — CBC — A major container line is diverting cargo away from the Port of Halifax because of the ongoing disruption of rail service caused by Indigenous protests blockading rail lines in Canada. “Our Canadian and U.S. midwest operations have been shut down for almost two weeks now over this ridiculous situation,” Andy Abbott, CEO of Atlantic Container […]
Jan 21 2020 — Paul Withers — CBC — A software malfunction is being blamed for damaging a critical piece of equipment on board Canada’s new offshore fisheries science vessel, Canadian Coast Guard Ship Sir John Franklin. Spooling gear on the starboard trawl winch took off on its own. The winch is used to retrieve heavy gear and nets deployed to gather ocean climate […]