The following is a response from Gus Etchegary
to the Host of the Fisheries Broadcast - John Furlong
John, Reading your diatribe on the present state of the fishery finally confirms what we suspected from the early days you came on the scene as host of Fisheries Broadcast. The Ottawa fishery bureaucracy of DFO convinced the hierarchy of CBC to put someone in charge of the broadcast who could discover and make the most inane and stupid comments on the N&L fishery since we joined Confederation. Having heard you occasionally on the Broadcast and being assured by White Hills Communications Branch, those experts in remote Ottawa were certain you would come through in "flying colors".
Pretending, and somehow believing, you are somewhat of an expert in the fishery of this Province you somehow or other got really confused between the cause of closure of Marystown and Port Union fish plants and the loss of a supermarket in Churchill Square and the narrow-gauged railway that used to operate across NFLD many years ago. On the basis of the statements made on the CBC website today it is clear you have no idea what you are talking about and considering the importance of our fisheries to the survival of N&L, CBC officials had better wake up and replace you with some competent individual as soon as possible. Maybe you did everyone a favor today by exposing your serious deficiencies in performing the job as host of Fisheries Broadcast.
The fact is our the renewable fishery is all important to the survival of rural N&L at the present time and will be just as important to the survival of St. John's when the non- renewable oil and minerals are exhausted. It's so important, during this crucial period, for our present N&L Government to provide the real leadership needed to forcefully persuade the federal Government to rebuild the resource. Your confused outburst today on our CBC website illustrates conclusively that you are not the person to convey to the public or anyone else the urgency of rebuilding and sustainably managing our vital fisheries. John, a moratorium on our groundfisheries was declared in 1992. For your information there is no sign whatever of its recovery to date. In your position you should have been using every opportunity on the Broadcast to make Canadians aware of the contrast between the well-managed fisheries of Norway, Iceland and other countries and those in N&L in particular where fisheries mismanagement by Ottawa has caused its collapse. Wake up John, its 2012.
Anyone with real knowledge of our fisheries is aware of the continuing overfishing on a diminishing groundfish resource, the declining crab and shrimp stocks and the fact that DFO have abandoned their fisheries management responsibility. Our science capability has been gutted and further financial cuts are due along with serious reductions in the number of fishery scientists and other technology personnel, research survey vessels and the important annual surveys that are so essential. Foreign NAFO members and EU Free Trade negotiators have exchanged documentation to facilitate expanding foreign activity inside 200 miles. These Free Trade negotiations regarding fisheries, now taking place, are a major issue and should be publicized. Seismic blasting , pollution of valuable fishing grounds and the loss of important fishing areas on the Grand Banks are also issues that must be dealt with along with contents of the MOU.
Surely, John those matters should be of more concern to the host of Fisheries Broadcast, than the loss of the railway fifty years ago and the closure of the Churchill Park supermarket. CBC, you have received a strong signal for a change in delivering Fisheries Broadcast. Unless Mr. Harper's directive to CBC takes precedence.
3 comments:
Gus are you suggesting that the Harper Regime would give direction to the CBC. Surely our Canada is not Putin's Russia or Castro's Cuba?
It is Harper's Canada and Dunderdale's Newfoundland and it is the PC Agenda. Business comes first the rights of the people last.,
Thanks Gus you said all of what I would have said if I had the ability, except you should be harsher on Ottawa for keeping our Newfoundland and Labrador fishers under moratorium since 1992. YOU ARE TOO KIND IN THAT RESPECT.
All the while Canada has been dispensing fish quotas under its control, to foreign countries, fish quotas that amount to 100% of what our province passed over to it for "Maintenance" in 1955,but Ottawa saw fit to utilize it instead for the conduction of International Trade for surplusses of Agriculture and Manufactured Goods, that were purposely produced in Central Canada, simply because Ottawa had the "fish quotas enabler" under its jurisdiction.
As Newfoundlanders and Labradorians we have to get some jurisdiction back over this precious Heritage resource, we have been too passive and complacent for far to long.
Yes I Know the fish stocks are in a very sick state and before we dispense any more fish to anyone, we have to make sure that the whole fishery area we brought into Canada is put under moratorium to restore it to the state it was in when we passed it over TO Ottawa for MAINTENANCE purposes in 1955.
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