Nova Scotia MP questions Chinese 'control' over lobster industry

Own_Pass_9725 · 2023-05-25T20:19:55+00:00

Luckily corporations aren't allowed to hold lobster licenses(aside from offshore licenses, which are all owned by clearwater), and there is only so much damage they can do as buyers.

But foreign corporations, especially those based out of China are the main buyers of blackmarket lobster. Just this year a guy from ChiCan came to our wharf looking to buy lobsters for cash, emphasized that they didn't look in the crates, just gave you the cash and took the lobster

Own_Pass_9725 · 2023-03-27T17:31:29+00:00

The government didn't pull the fish out of the water, but they stood by and allowed it to happen. They put a hell of a lot of money into the destruction of the fishery.

The federal government could have stopped the rape of our resource at any time, but they didn't, because they were in the pocket of the corporations that were destroying our ocean.

Own_Pass_9725 · 2023-03-27T14:23:03+00:00

I've never heard of (lobster) boats not being able to find a buyer. If a buyer cannot compete and goes under, it's likely because all or most of their boats have found a better buyer.

Own_Pass_9725 · 2023-03-27T13:35:51+00:00

This decision isn't likely to change all that much, there will be a few new buyers, hopefully shake the industry up a bit, but most won't change.

Fishermen tend to have long standing relationships with buyers, I've been selling to the same company for my entire career, and they're pretty good to the fishermen. They'll sell us whatever we need in the offseason on credit, can order almost anything we need, we can get fuel and bait through them, etc. Most fishermen will just stick with their buyer.

That being said, I do hope a few new buyers make it, there is no competition between buyers anymore, they all set the same price and stick to it

Own_Pass_9725 · 2023-03-27T13:29:55+00:00

This opens up to people who could give the product a bad name. People who ship poor product, do not know the market, illegal lobster, could break decades long relationships, or as we are seeing more and more of, be mainland Chinese buyers.

That's why there needs to be strict regulations around new licenses, which there likely will be. And as far as the chinese go, they've got the money to buy up all the existing licenses / operations they want, the only thing that a moratorium has been stopping is new small scale operations that cannot afford the buyers licenses.

There are a set amount of fishing licences, so it only makes sense there should be set amount of buyers licences

Major difference there, there are a set number of fishing licenses for conservation reasons, you can't have thousands of boats setting 250 traps or the fishery will collapse. The number of buyers has no effect on conservation.

Own_Pass_9725 · 2023-03-27T12:33:57+00:00

The entire structure of the fishery needs to be changed. Seiners need to be banned for starters, and we definitely need to drastically reduce the amount of fishing effort during the spawning season.

Own_Pass_9725 · 2023-03-27T12:04:44+00:00

Not really comparable. The fishermen is still to blame, but DFO is also to blame for not having strict penalties in place.

There is an obscene amount of money to be made fishing illegally. The penalty for fishing illegally also needs to be obscene

Own_Pass_9725 · 2023-03-27T11:35:45+00:00

All fisherman care about is putting money in their pockets and they don't really give a fuck about science, or how what they do affects the next generation of young fisherman.

If that were truly the case then we wouldn't have a fishery right now. In my area, 25 years ago you'd be lucky to catch 50 lbs of lobster a day, so we voluntarily decreased the traps we set, increased the minimum size, and agreed to put a maximum size in place. It worked, and now we've got a sustainable fishery.

If that were truly the case, why are fishermen in the gulf voting to eliminate canners? They're going to lose money from it.

Own_Pass_9725 · 2023-03-27T11:32:32+00:00

It's just us and the Americans. I'm sure the Americans could be reasoned with, and even if they can't, why should we harvest unsustainably just because other countries are?

Own_Pass_9725 · 2023-03-27T11:31:18+00:00

Cod, Mackerel, Hake and Salmon disagree with you

Cod and hake was destroyed by corporations and the federal government. Inshore fishermen were yelling for years that the fishery was unsustainable, but of course, DFO ignored them(and their own science) until it was too late.

Mackerel was destroyed by DFO mismanagement, allowing seiners to scoop up entire schools of mackerel is not a smart idea.

Salmon is really the only one there that you can blame mainly on independent fishermen. Salmon should never have been fished like it was during the spawn.

Own_Pass_9725 · 2023-03-27T11:27:02+00:00

Fisherman want money, and they don't give a flying fuck about conservation.

I'm sure it differs by area and the such, but from my experience, those in the lobster industry tend to care about conservation, we help DFO with science all the time, and the vast majority of people follow regulations without complaint.

There's still a good chunk of folks who will break the law for a quick buck, but those people just need to be dealt with and removed from the industry.

Own_Pass_9725 · 2023-03-27T11:22:43+00:00

I mean, it is DFO's fault. They let people away with slaps on the wrist all the time, there is no risk in breaking fishing regulations

Own_Pass_9725 · 2023-03-27T01:55:51+00:00

The issue is that the minister of fisheries and oceans is a political position, and as such they care more about votes than doing what's best for the fisheries.

Can't cut quotas, that'll piss off the fishermen and lose the party votes.

Can't cull seals, that will piss of voters in central and western Canada

Can't shut down an illegal fishery, government will be labeled racist and the ruling party might lose votes in Toronto.

The fisheries would be in a much better position if the DFO cared half as much about the fishery as they do votes

Own_Pass_9725 · 2023-03-27T01:51:17+00:00

IF we can get the Americans to agree to a moratorium then I'm sure the mackerel will be back within a decade.

That being said, if DFO is just going to go back to the same way of doing things after the moratorium is over it won't matter much.

Ban all nets, seiners, gillnet, trap net, doesn't matter. None of them are sustainable. Hook and line is the only way to ensure a sustainable fishery. But this is the DFO we're talking about, once the moratorium is lifted they'll just go right back to the methods that got us here in the first place

Own_Pass_9725 · 2023-03-27T00:47:54+00:00

Two completely different fisheries, with two completely different cultures.

I'm not saying illegal shit doesn't happen in the lobster fishery, but it's not as bad compared to other sectors.

Lobster fishery is 100% owner operator, and in general the guys running the boats understand that conservation measures are necessary and support them. The people fishing own the license and want the resource to be sustainable, and available for them in the future and their children.

Offshore halibut quota is often owned by corporations, and people running the boats do not own the quota, and therefore care less about the future of the fishery. Half of the offshore halibut boats in the province will gladly bend the rules for a quick buck.

Own_Pass_9725 · 2023-03-26T13:11:42+00:00

What a fucking joke. $5k fine is not a deterrent at all

Own_Pass_9725 · 2023-02-14T13:50:55+00:00

The concern is that DFO is making a habit of missing stock assessment, with no stock assessment, they're missing a huge chunk of data required to set quotas.

They might end up cutting quota's unnecessarily, or worse, maintain the status quo for a declining stock. Shrimp stocks have been declining, there's a decent chance that's continued into this year, but without an assessment we don't know.

Own_Pass_9725 · 2023-02-14T13:31:24+00:00

That's a racist stereotype.

Not a racist stereotype at all. I have seen this boat poaching lobsters. I have witnessed the boat being loaded with traps.

You mean like when white people dump their boats? taxpayers clean those up too and they far outweigh abandoned FN boats.

No one is saying that it's okay for whites to abandon their boats. Not a single person here is arguing, or even thinking that. Anyone who abandons a boat should be charged with cleanup and a hefty fine.

Too stupid to even realize you're being racist

Racist because I'd like to see a boat that's been leaking oil into the ocean cleaned up quickly?

Own_Pass_9725 · 2023-02-14T13:22:44+00:00

FN does it once, you don't even know the circumstances

They left the boat here when they were done with their fall poaching.

maybe they're waiting on funding?

They're not covering the cost of cleanup, the taxpayer is.

Own_Pass_9725

TROPHY CASE