Sustainability must prevail in fisheries industry
Overfishing caused the collapse of the cod fishery in the 1980s and 40 years later it has only partially recovered. The devastation this caused in Newfoundland fishing communities is aptly heard in the Stan Rogers song, ‘Make and Break Harbour’: ‘Ghost houses stand empty, old nets hung to dry, blown away, lost and forgotten.’
The same could happen in Nova Scotia. But lobster populations aren’t the only concern facing that fishery. Herring and mackerel are the main bait for the lobster fishery. A 2016 World Wildlife Fund report and a 2019 CBC report both stated overfishing has reduced herring and mackerel populations in the Atlantic region close to depletion and they aren’t recovering.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) responded to this by imposing a 15 per cent reduction in Atlantic herring quotas. United States authorities set a 70 per cent reduction in New England quotas.
The mackerel population has declined by 86 per cent since 2000. That problem is compounded by the fact some mackerel varieties contain mercury and global warming is thought to be causing a reduction in zooplankton population, the main food for herring and mackerel. To compensate for those declines, mackerel caught in the Asia-Pacific are shipped by huge freezer container ships, and then overland.
On one side of this coin is the poverty that exists within many First Nations communities. On the other side is the huge investment by non-Indigenous fishers and the lucrative return on that investment, their main livelihood.
The cost of a recently launched fully equipped fishing boat is around $350,000. Locals say licenses range from $650,000 to $700,000. If you include gear, you are looking at a total investment around $1.2 million. An investment of that magnitude needs DFO regulation for long-term stability.
Non-Indigenous fishers fear the moderate livelihood fishery will become a second indigenous commercial fishery operating yearround and negatively affecting lobster stocks, especially during breeding times. They weren’t originally included in the negotiation process and they fear they will be pushed out of the fishery. How long will they feel secure in making the investments listed above?
The issue is the term “moderate livelihood” has not been clearly defined. Questions such as how many licenses, traps, seasons, quotas, etc., will be approved need to be answered.
Presently, the Indigenous licenses are commercial-communal licenses (owned by native bands). They determine who will fish those licenses, with the benefits going back to the communities. The moderate livelihood fishery is for individual Indigenous people to make a moderate living from fishing lobster. Since their treaties give them the right to fish year-round, they have plenty of opportunity to make a lucrative living. Why shouldn’t they have to make a relatively comparable investment as non-Indigenous fishers make and pay taxes?
Sustainability measures must always trump the acquisition of wealth, whether it is driven by greed and funnel vision. If this dispute is to be resolved, reason must prevail and the funnel must be turned around to see the big picture and address the concerns on both sides of the coin.
Most importantly, DFO must regulate all aspects of the fishery because native and nonnative fishers will ignore regulations that crimp their concept of reality or their greed in order to acquire wealth.
Al Moore
Glace Bay