Lack of direction leaves everyone in the same boat
SHELBURNE — Rob Morash of Shelburne County started sport fishing at the age of five with his father and brother and — pardon the pun — he was hooked.
Morash, who is 44 now, is just one of tens of thousands of Nova Scotians who have been anxiously awaiting word from the province about when they can fish.
The province announced on March 27 the season that was to have started on April 1 was “on hold until at least to May 1” due to the COVID-19 situation. Late afternoon Thursday — some five weeks later — there was still no official word from the province on the status of the season.
Asked if the season was a go or still postponed, Bruce Nunn, communications spokesperson for the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, said via email around 3 p.m., “I have no word as yet. I don’t see a reply coming until a decision is announced and that has yet to happen.”
The lack of firm direction from the province has left everyone in the same boat: confused. A sampling of the comments on the Trout Fishing Nova Scotia Facebook group included:
“Postponed until May 1. Unless I hear it is postponed to a later date I’m fishing!” “Friday is a go.” “Waiting to hear . . . do I hook up my boat?”
“Not one word about it so that just means it’s a noooo.”
“I look at it the opposite way. They have already said May 1. So unless they say different it's May 1.”
“Not opening, I heard from a pretty good source.”
But everyone seems to want to fish — there, they are all on the same page.
Like countless others, Rob Morash finds sport fishing to be very relaxing and an outdoor activity he looks forward to every year. But the family connection and tradition is also very meaningful to him.
Growing up, his family lived about five minutes away from a river at his Shelburne County home and fishing was something they often did together.
“Me and my twin brother — he died in ’95 in a house fire — we used to go fishing all the time. So now I just go fishing and think about him and stuff,” Morash said, saying it’s almost like therapy.
The sport fishing season in Nova Scotia normally opens on April 1 but on March
27 the province announced the season start was being postponed due to the state of emergency in place because of COVID-19 and the need for social distancing and staying at home.
“Nova Scotians love to fish, however, this delay is consistent with closure of parks, beaches and other activities where people gather,” said Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Keith Colwell at the time. “Some Nova Scotians have already purchased 2020 sport fishing licences and I want them to know those licences will be valid once the season opens.”
But following this the word was no word.
Sport fishing is big in Nova Scotia.
The province says in 2019 about 65,000 resident and non-resident anglers took part in sport fishing, which generated more than $66 million annually in communities throughout the province.
“As an angler myself, I am committed to seeing this industry grow to reach its full potential,” Colwell states in a message included in the 2020 Angler’s Handbook. During non-COVID times, in addition to Nova Scotians, the department says it has been continuing efforts to attract anglers from other parts of Canada.
“We are working with fishing guides, accommodations providers and tourism associations to create fishing packages and a new website that will showcase the fantastic fishing and outdoor activities we have to offer the world,” Colwell states.
But here at home, people just want to fish. Sport fishing is a healthy, relaxing, inexpensive outdoor activity.
“April 1 is my birthday. I usually get my licence for a birthday present and go trout fishing on my birthday,” Morash said.
As of Thursday, he still didn’t have a licence but was among the thousands of people in the province eager for the go-ahead to fish.
Morash says he somewhat understands the province’s reasoning behind having postponed the season as there may have been instances when people would gather in numbers larger than the gatherings of five people that the province allows during the state of emergency.