HEARN COMPLETE TRAITOR Myth #1

Back to the Myths and Realities series respecting Loyola Hearn, DFO, and Foreign Overfishing
If you are a first time visitor or missed the first 2 posts please review:
Myth #4
Myth #6


Continuing on with Loyola's Myths and Realities let me draw your attention to Myth #1 found on the DFO's Myths and Realities site.

Myth #1

Foreign vessels are fishing in Canadian waters—and taking all the fish.

Reality (according to Minister Loyola)

Any fishing activity within Canada’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which extends 200 nautical miles from our coastline, requires a licence. With few exceptions, the Government of Canada does not grant these licences to foreign vessels. Fishers from St-Pierre et Miquelon have limited access to fisheries in the Atlantic under the Canada-France Agreement. In the Pacific, the Canada-United States Treaty on Pacific Albacore Tuna Vessels and Port Privileges allows American fishers access to Canadian waters and Canadian fishers access to U.S. waters.

Canada’s Coastal Fisheries Protection Act and Regulations are used to prosecute foreign vessels caught fishing in our EEZ, but incidents are extremely rare. To ensure no unauthorized fishing is taking place in our waters, we monitor the 200-mile limit using a combination of aerial and at-sea patrols. We also keep an eye on the satellite tracking systems required on board all vessels from NAFO Contracting Parties fishing in the NAFO Regulatory Area, so at any time, we know their location on the water.

First of all myth #1 is a fabrication of the Minister and his department. Nobody has concluded that foreign vessels are taking all the fish in Canadian waters. Canadians do and have fished there. The implication here for all Canadians and foreigners alike is that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, primarily, are making such statements. That is the myth.

Loyola please provide us with a complete list of foreign vessels successfully prosecuted under the Coastal Fisheries Protection Act and Regulations.

Loyola since when did you believe that these incidents were "extremely rare".

Loyola Quotes (while in Opposition)
Hansard o5-2003

“You cannot fish, Mr. Fisherman or Madam Fisherman or Fisherperson”, all he is going to do with the seal herds that are ballooning is to study them for two more years. The government is not going to address foreign overfishing at all; he did not mention it. It is not going to talk about bycatch or directed fisheries or gear types. It is just going to say, “You don't fish”.

"...Let us address the seal situation. Let us address the foreign overfishing. Let us address the bycatch. Let us deal with all the issues and not just tell some fishermen, “You can't fish..."

more Loyola Quotes (while in Opposition)
Hansard 05-2004

Mr. Loyola Hearn (St. John's West, CPC): Mr. Speaker, during the past 10 years, 300 citations have been issued to foreign vessels that have been in violation of the NAFO regulations on the Grand Banks. These vessels had to be dealt with by the offending country, and over 90% were not dealt with at all. What made the citations issued by DFO last week so different from the others and what special results have we seen from the offending countries?

Mr. Loyola Hearn (St. John's West, CPC): Mr. Speaker, we have vessels out there fishing that have had two, three and four citations issued against them, and no action has been taken by the offending countries. A net retrieved from the bottom from one of the boats, apparently cut loose, showed it had 64% illegal species. Can the minister guarantee that action will be taken against the captain, and the boat, and the owners?

Okay I guess that takes care of "extremely rare" right Loyola.
The Minister has lied again.
Inside or just outside our waters Loyola you know what they are doing - or so you claimed.

One last point; all of this so-called surveillance you tout - how come we cannot even stop the foreign vessels that are polluting our oceans habitat through bilging of oil.

Loyola give me a break - give me an election. Who's running against you this time?