DFO destroying Fisheries Science Documents

So where are we on this bit of news? Please read below a News Release by The Green Party of Canada.

Have we lost any research from our waters?

Is Minister Keith Hutchings all over this?

Green Party condemns destruction of world-renowned Department of Fisheries and Oceans libraries

On Tuesday, December 10th, 2013 in

The dismantling of the Department of Fisheries and Oceans library system has taken a dramatic turn, with thousands of valuable books and scientific documents, some dating back to the 19th century, being sent to the dumpster over the past week.
The Green Party of Canada today voiced its condemnation of this reckless destruction of scientific resources. “Consistent with their policy of muzzling scientists, the Conservatives have now moved on to trashing libraries,” said Elizabeth May, Green Leader and MP for Saanich–Gulf Islands. “This administration seems to be deliberately undermining our ability to make good policy decisions by limiting access to scientific evidence.”
Some 40,000 documents from the now-defunct Eric Marshall Aquatic Research Library at the University of Manitoba are currently being relocated to a federal library in the Green Leader’s own riding. “Some of the library’s materials won’t be destroyed, but it is impossible to say just how much we’ve lost,” said May.
“This is the latest in the methodical destruction of fisheries and marine ecosystem intellectual resources,” said Janice Harvey, Fisheries Critic for the Green Party. “The same thing happened last year at the St. Andrews Biological Station, the oldest federal research facility in Canada.”
In addition to a state-of-the-art library facility with thousands of scientific documents, The St. Andrews Biological Station lost its ecotoxicology unit, whose scientists were at the forefront of research into the ecosystem effects of toxic chemicals used in the farmed salmon industry in the Bay of Fundy.
To date, the Harper administration has already shut down or consolidated an additional twelve library systems, serving departments ranging from Natural Resources to Parks Canada.

Define Moratorium

Moratorium - A SUSPENSION of Activity

So that's where we are? A suspension of activity?

This suspension of activity has caused the loss of over 40,000 people from our province.
This suspension of activity has caused the death or near-death of some rural communities.
This suspension of activity has caused the loss of relationships and breakup of families.
This suspension of activity has caused the closure of secondary related business and industry.

Moratorium sounds so - clinical - and in some ways hopeful.

This word is not appropriate for the loss of our cod fishery/ground stocks.
This word does not do justice in defining the catastrophic damage caused due to "suspension" of activity.

Somehow Canada - Ottawa - the Feds - have convinced many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians that it's our fault or at the least we are partially to blame.

Listening to Canada - or federal politicians from other provinces make this claim - is - what I can expect. Listening to our own politicians and experts making the same claim is sickening.

So how did Canadian and Newfoundland and Labrador politicians get away with the largest socio/enviro mess ever seen in this country?

1. Announce a moratorium in 1992 and claim that stocks will recover - should have been fixed by 2002. (DID NOT HAPPEN)

2. Announce programs to bridge the gap for fishermen, plantworkers, and communities (DID NOT begin to COVER LOSS)

3. Increase Fisheries Science (DID NOT HAPPEN)

4. Retirement Packages (DID NOT HAPPEN)

5. Then they slowly got us used to words like rationalization, down-sizing, and right-sizing - carefully explaining to us that the fishery was never meant to handle that many people. (BUNK)

6. From there we went to dumping FPI and eliminating marketing.

7. They closed one plant - most other plants and workers shut-up - they feared they would be next.

8. They have and continue to pit one community against another.

9. Downloading federal fishery support services to the province.

10. Pit offshore against inshore - recreational against commercial.

11. Use municipal politicians by offering pavement, arenas, tourism dollars, and water/sewer.

12. Commit to one study after another to delay any real action.

13. Pit urban residents against rural residents.

14. Promote and focus on non-renewable oil assets.

15. Above all - convince us - we were greedy, we took all the fish, and we destroyed ourselves.

16. Marginalize people like Gus Etchegary and Phil Earle.

17. Eliminate the people left with EI changes.

18. Give all fish to kingpins.

19. Over utilization of other stocks.

All of this while the FACT remains that management was the responsibility of the federal government. They were negligent. As a result we were harmed. Therefore we need compensation. 1 billion a year until the stocks return.

The Ministers of Fishery we have had federal and provincial are too gutless, ignorant, or complicit to do what is needed.

Fishery - the One Billion Dollars Solution

If you can first put aside the learned hatred of everything fish for one moment - then we might start pulling on the same oar.

Ottawa is responsible for the collapse of the fishery as they control the management of the stocks and fishing grounds.

20 years after a moratorium slated to last 10 years - we are collapsing further.

This is not the time to downsize or rationalize - we will not have an industry left. All we will witness is GDP and that will be attributable to unprocessed fish being gouged by a few corporations.

Now is the time to seek a real solution.

We have lost a billion a year since 2002 when the moratorium was supposed to be over. That did not happen.

Because of that we have lost twice that - as we have also lost transfer payments (per-capita) - due to population loss - that pays for transportation, health, and education.

We have also lost communities, investment, families, depreciated asset value, and future industrial potential.

If we demand that Ottawa - pay up - 1 billion x 10 years = 10 billion so far and counting.

Why are we rationalizing?

Why are we downsizing?

Because we have lost our fishery!

That is not acceptable.

We need our fishermen for science, research, and industrial planning.

We need our plant workers to work on new product lines.

We need these people and our provincial government to work on markets.

Is this a reasonable ask?

Of course it is - the feds bail out agriculture year over year to preserve food security, communities, families and that industry. Remember that the feds are not even responsible for drought, floods, market woes, and foreign subsidization for our competitors. They still pay - year over year.

Of course it is - the feds bailed out Ontario when the auto-makers collapsed and industry suffered in Central Canada. Billions and billions. They were not responsible for that occurrence.

They are responsible for the loss of the ground-fish stocks and are responsible for not protecting the fishing grounds. They are responsible for bartering our fish stocks away to foreigners so that other provinces would get manufacturing and industrial investment.

Instead our politicians are sucking their thumbs and doing nothing to correct this problem. We have suffered a grave injury and we are entitled to compensation.

Instead our politicians are looking for ways to boot people out of the fishery with a package.

Instead our politicians are looking to downsize and rationalize.

There is no rationalization - there must be compensation.

Then 25,000 of our people per year could be doing something beneficial - to help rebuild stocks, develop product and markets, and foster growth in rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

Why is it that Newfoundland and Labrador is not demanding what is just?

Why do we keep letting the feds off the hook?

Why are we allowing not only the continued loss of stocks but downsizing science, SAR, and other critical assets to this industry?

Why indeed!

Dunderdale and Company - Partisan? Disinterested? Incompetent?

The attitude of disinterest, boredom, annoyance and/or anger of many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians toward the fishery, fishermen, and plant workers is a mistake.

The politicians from all parties have played a very partisan and dangerous game with the people of our province as it relates to this resource and bureaucrats both provincially and federally have made it worse by juggling death versus dealing with the continued problem.

The fishery is our history and should be our future - but in order for that to be the case a number of things have to happen.

1. Our history in the fishery must be fully and publicly disclosed and discussed so that all people in our province can learn to respect, value, and protect this vital renewable resource.

2. An injury has occurred and our province - communities and people - are the injured party. We need to assess the injury, determine the party/ies that caused the injury, value the injury, and then do what is necessary to achieve compensation for the injury.

3. Based on the compensation arrangements the province must move forward to develop plans for recovery, science, enforcement, community, environmental and the future.

4. Further these plans must be broken down to include; immediate actions, medium term actions, and long term actions. One to fifty years would be appropriate.

5.The province must desist making new arrangements with "processors" that want to export raw material and must move toward harvesters co-ops and redevelop a marketing division for products either processed or unprocessed of this resource.

The "rationalization" of the fishery which government and others claim is occurring is nothing more that a desperate response to a disastrous situation which has yet to be dealt with properly. Each and every week we are hearing of the closure or downsizing of plants and facilities and communities losing their primary employer.

This is not a sustainable answer to what will bring economic disaster.

Dr. Phil Earle and Gus Etchegary are not sounding the very loud alarm bells for no reason and these retired individuals are not as passionate as they are without reasoned concern. They are as worried as you should be.

The moratorium of our stocks began in 1992 - this caused a massive upheaval in this resource sector and we lost about 80,000 people from our workforce and most from our province altogether.

We should have experienced significant recovery by 2002 and should have been on our way to sustained recovery. This according to the people responsible for managing the resource.

We all know this did not happen and now we are in 2012 - with no reasonable end in sight.

To alleviate the loss of our ground fish sector - we increased the catch of our shellfish. We all know this is not a good thing and eventually will cause further catastrophic consequences.

Despite the catch increase in other species - thousands of people were removed from this fishery and no doubt hundreds of our rural communities have suffered.

Throughout this mess - the kingpins of the fishery needed to maintain and grow profits - so fisheries policy has revolved around keeping them afloat. The latest of course is to give them stocks without the necessity to process. This has resulted in further losses to the people in general but the continued wealth building for those already so endowed.

If you can get your head around the problem it equates to a loss of a billion dollars a year plus the loss of people, loss of communities and devalued assets.

Try and consider the following. Let's say you lost your job in St. John's or Metro - no doubt you would feel the pinch and be worried about your next paycheck - just like the people displaced on the Burin Peninsula. Let's add that you had been at the same job for 20 or so years and have invested in things like a house or property. If you went to sell that asset in St. John's Metro you would enjoy an increase in the value of your asset upon sale. Now for one moment put yourself in a rural community that has just lost it's only significant employer - and then you needed to sell your house. You would suffer major losses as the equity you built would disappear - as the market was no longer there for resale.

Also consider that with the low unemployment rate in St. John's Metro - you may be able to find another job to make ends meet - while the person in the rural community would not have that option. In your case you may be able to keep your home - or sell for a profit and downsize - whereas the person in the rural community would have to sell their property, move and not even have the option to rent out their home - NO Market.

Some of the more fortunate ones in the affected community may be in a position to retire - thereby staying in their own home - that is if they are not still indebted. Let's say they can stay in their own home and actually live another 20 or so years. What services will remain where they live? What will they do with no family remaining in the community? None of these issues are a problem in St. John's Metro - YET.

You see the losses resulting from a collapsed fishery will hurt us all. The worst is yet to come - if we do not fix the problem.

This is only the tip of the iceberg.

For those who are still in their productive work life - the choice will be to move away and find work elsewhere. Where will they pay tax? What will happen with their children? Will they ever come back?  Will we lose a significant number of our next generation? If we do - who will pay for the seniors left behind? Who will pay for the increase in personal care home usage? Who will pay the medical bills of an aging population besieged with chronic illnesses - more prevalent in Newfoundland and Labrador?

Then factor in all the boomers who moved away 20 years ago when the fishery first collapsed. Many of these people will return home upon retirement after having paid all their taxes to another province. That places an increased burden on a taxation system that did not receive the benefit of their taxes for the past 20 years. How will these shortfalls be covered?

What about resettlement? You know that government is always looking at that when their finance gurus are explaining the problem mentioned above. Are we going to resettle 100 or more communities? How much will that cost? Where will they move to? If we pick 5 regional centres and move them all there - what will be the increased burden on those cities or towns?

If not resettlement how does government pay for the upkeep of thousands of kilometres of roads - deteriorating badly? How does government afford to keep reasonable health services in those communities?

Now let's talk about the taboo - OIL - what happens when that oil is gone? When will it be gone? What will happen to our cities and regional towns? We have lost two mills, mines, and may lose our last mill. We will have no oil sector and the fishery will be dead.

I will guarantee one thing - if the future plays out as discussed above - the leaders - our politicians of the present day will not be around. They may retire in Florida on the lucrative pension we provide them. They may move to a - then recovered Ontario. Their children will be provided for. Kathy Dunderdale may huff and puff every time her choices are questioned - but she WILL have a pension.

Our biggest problem is that our politically based system is very similar to a quick-buck corporation - concentrate on the now - the next few years - the next election. Unfortunately they see this as their job instead of being the keepers of our future.

If we build Muskrat now - there will be lots of jobs now and make them look good. Unfortunately there are no measurable numbers of long term jobs but there is certainly measurable long term debt. So while the shareholders of Emera will enjoy increased profits through guaranteed returns - we the owners, the taxpayers and ratepayers will suffer.

Our system of immediate political rewards, needs, and votes is also costing us at the Federal level. Right now - I am convinced that Stephen Harper can strip our province of every benefit of "con"federation - and Dunderdale will let it happen as long as the loan guarantee carrot exists. 

We need vision and we need it now.

We need leadership and we need it now.

We need a plan and we need it now.

We need action and we need it now.

These games - childish political games - played by incompetent, disinterested, and/or partisan people with an need to satisfy the next polling period - will destroy us.

These politicians who through their own words, excuses, and frustration cause you and me to detest the fishery with them.

You think you can afford to not care about the fishery? Think again.

Dunderdale a Bully and a Bluff

There are two things I can be certain of with Premier Dunderdale; first she will bully her own people and local business and she will cower to Ottawa and national/multinational corporations.

Today in the House of Assembly and on some "we dont' debate on Twitter" tweets our Premier attacked the official opposition and the nation's third party for failure to stop the closure of the marine rescue sub-centre. Meanwhile she - as the leader of the Government and her federal choice for Parliament are actually failing to prevent this closure.

Dunderdale looked weaker today than she ever has, huffing and puffing her misdirected steam at Opposition MHA's while the girth of the bobbing heads on her backbench grew.

Dunderdale is afraid of Harper and afraid of big corporations - on the counter side our Premier has no problem roughing up locals like fishermen, local businesses or municipalities.

As a big fish in the little sea - she is all powerful - aggressive - punitive - and threatening.

As a little fish in the big sea of Canada - she is gutless - timid - weak - and afraid.

Premier Dunderdale will take on local bloggers with a gusto - she will demean Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who dare to challenge the Muskrat Falls fiasco - including former political leaders, energy experts, lawyers, environmentalists, and academics. On the other hand she bows down to the knowledge of Premiers, business leaders, and experts from other provinces and pretty much kisses the feet of Stephen Harper. The Prime Minister who has mistreated this province and lied to its people and leaders - gets more respect and decency from Dunderdale than she shows her own constituents - Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.

You Ma'am are a disgrace. You Kathy Dunderdale are a bully and a bluff!

Dr. Phil Earle responds to Fisheries Minister Keith Ashfield

Below please find a response to Federal Fisheries Minister - Keith Ashfield from Dr. Phil Earle

 

Dear Minister Ashfield, March 1/2012

Part 1  

I would like to respond to your letter in a step wise manner, and I would like for you to answer my comments for the people of this province.

First what does “..we are time and again being out-performed by smaller countries with less access to the resource” refer to? Are you talking about NAFO countries that fish on our shelf, such as Spain? If it is, the answer is Spain has one of the largest fishing fleets in the world which is subsidized nearly a billion dollars a year by the EU to fish around the world.

Further if you and the DFO are inferring that we should therefore increase our efforts to catch more fish it would be a totally wrong conclusion. Our ground fish stocks have never recovered and are at an all-time low of less than 10% of historic healthy levels. We need to stop the fishing destruction that is occurring at present so the stocks can be allowed to recover. That includes the fishing inside our 200 mile EEZ and that of NAFO fleets fishing on the nose and tail of the grand banks.

Quote, “everyone is demanding change in how we manage the resource.” This is a non-specific remark that can be taken in a range all the way from more of the disastrous federal government’s mismanagement that has, and is destroying the resource to reducing government involvement in management while letting more influence in management from improved, prudent, scientific input like is done in other successful countries like Norway and Iceland.

 
“Canadian fishermen remain among the lowest earners in Canada.’ This is because the bulk of our resource and its profits are in the hands of a few powerful, wealthy people who own processing operations, and own quotas which your government gave to them. They operate factory freezer trawlers which have taken thousands of jobs away from inshore fishers while they send unprocessed fish away from our shore planets, giving jobs to foreign nation. Many harvesters’ licences are owned or contorted by corporations so that fishers working at sea have been squeezed out of their incomes by the need of companies to increase their profits.

 
There are people, such as doctors and dentists and the like, living on the main land who have never stepped on the deck of a boat who own fish quota’s, they receive millions of dollars a year from royalties on fish being caught. There is only so much profit that can be taken out of each season of fishing, if large percentages of this limited profit is taken by such ‘outsiders’ there is less and less for our fishers and plant workers.

 
Consider that in 1992, the year of the moratorium, our NL fishery was worth some $350 million and today it is near $900 million but yet our situation is worst then in 92 as we are losing more jobs and plants, fishers and coastal communities. So it’s easy to understand why our fishers are among the lowest earners in Canada, it is just economics 101. You can understand that can’t you?

“Canada’s fishery is becoming a smaller and smaller player on the world stage. We are no longer seeing the abundance of fish that our country enjoyed in the past, so we can no longer rely on the quantity of this renewable resource to create economic prosperity; better management practices are required. Our government has been making strides in helping the fishery.’

Our fishery is smaller because the bio mass of our fish is at an all-time low, the stocks have been destroyed are not allowed to recover because of mismanagement of the federal government. Your government wants to create economic prosperity for the elite few who now control the fishery.

Part 2  

Continuing the same practices that you have created in the past for giant corporations that has destroyed, and is, and will totally destroy the rest of the resource in the future if you continue in the manner you are implying in this letter.

 
The only way you can create further economic prosperity for anyone from our depleted, dying resource is for less and less peoples and corporations to take more and more of the less and less fish. You know what that means don’t you. In 10 years there will be no fishers, no plant workers, no comminutes in coastal NL and lastly no fishing corporations..because there will be no more fish.

Your government has been making strides in one direction, not in the direction of helping the fishery, but in the direct of destroying it, destroying our treasured heritage and our coastal communities, our maritime culture and our family structure. That is a Fact!

In 62 years of confederation you have taken away our spirit fish, by giving it indifferently to foreign countries, denied its access from our coastal people, and allowed cooperate greed to privatize and garbage can our legacy. You and you alone, the federal government of Canada, have destroyed the spirit of my people, whose ancestors were once the greatest fishermen in the world, the greatest sea people that ever lived.

”We must find ways to make the fishery more valuable, profitable and respectful of the resource for future generations.” If by value you mean the economic success of a few large processing companies there will be no respect of the resource, the fish stocks that god gave us, and in a few short years it will be no more. Your concern for “future generations” in that case is not just hollow, political, empty words they are the insensitive, thoughtless comments from a government who conducts themselves with absolute power, that have corrupted it absolutely.

Your corruption of power and ego is so complete that not only will it destroy the opportunities of our “future generations” of children; it would destroy that of your own children. Take a bow to the world Mr. Ashfield; take one for Canada to the world!

And as for the World Bank suggesting what we should do with our fishery for more money, they have a great record of being concerned for the global economy and the plight of the world starving peoples, who are in the 100's of millions. Their 100's of billions in profits and 100's of millions of dollars for salaries to their CEO’s really show how concerned they are for incomes of subsistence fisheries and laborers all over the world. They are concerned because it’s off the backs of labor industries that they cream off their billions, all on the backs of the struggling poor. Take another bow to the world Mr. Minister, for figuring out that you can squeeze out a few more million for the rich by abusing the lives of the fisher people.

All this ”.. means more jobs and more economic growth in our coastal and rural regions.”
The audaciousness of this remark is beyond my ability to express. How dare you write a letter and say such a thing about our fishery and to my people, and put it in our paper the telegram. You talk about more jobs and more economic growth in our coastal communities when you and the federal government are directly responsible in 20 years for destroying our families, fishers and fisheries jobs by the 10's of thousands. 

Part 3  

What you, and the federal government, are advocating in this letter will destroy our coastal way of life. Our NL soldiers fought in the great wars for Canada and the free world. Fought to protect their children’s, and their children’s children democratic rights as written in Canada’s ‘Chartered Bill of Rights’. If there is an ounce of decency anywhere in the halls of parliament or in the hearts of any person or member who works there I ask for it to be used to do the duty they have sworn to do. Administer to the costal people of NL, and their fishery, the principles so outlined in our bill of rights. Save us from the impending future genocide of our coastal way of life.

You asked for my engagement in this letter, of how we can better manage our Fishery for the future and how our coastal people can improve and save their lives. I have given you my honest answer to the best of my ability, so help me god.

Will you answer these questions for my people? The fisher people, the sea people of NL?

Philip Earle
B.Sc., M.Sc., M.D

OCI's Written Criticisms of Darin King and Government

The following are statements made by Ocean Choice International (OCI) in official Media Releases. 

"At the core of the issue is overregulation in the fishing industry. The company says this is the only fishing jurisdiction in the world with restrictions which impede the growth of the fishing industry and make it uncompetitive in the global marketplace."

"Martin Sullivan, President and CEO of Ocean Choice International, said today his company has been very cooperative with the provincial government regarding the current proposals on flatfish and redfish, and he was disappointed to hear government make comments to the contrary late last week. Sullivan said remarks by fisheries minister Darin King have left global customers, employees and the people of Newfoundland and Labrador questioning the credibility of the company, something he said should never have happened."

"Ocean Choice International remains committed to addressing required change in the fishing industry in Newfoundland and Labrador, its CEO, Martin Sullivan, said today. The company is deeply disappointed, however, in the provincial government’s public remarks today that call into question the company’s credibility as a significant employer in the fishing industry in the province."

Based on Darin King's actions toward the FFAW for criticizing the government - what does he have planned for OCI?

To read the three Media Releases Press HERE

Loyola Sullivan and his "messiah’s fisheries salvation"

Please read below a response by Dr. Phil Earle to Loyola Sullivan's address to the NL Employers' Council. 

The Sullivan's presentations this week, at the Newfoundland and Labrador Employers’ Council’s annual awards luncheon and appearances in the media, has been nothing but public deception. L Sullivan’s speech preposterously pontificated the salvation of our fishing industry and our fisher people. His pronouncements are nothing more than that of a personal, brain locked, cooperate philosophy, one which is destroying our Fishery.

The knowledge that explains the truth in the facts of the references that Mr. Sullivan used to support his messiah’s fisheries salvation of "the only way forward in the fishery’ ' is to modernize it the way I'm telling you', is not the saving of our fisheries future but it’s result will be, if followed, it’s tragedy. This is a destructive corporate philosophy,.. and efforts must be made to try and dissuade the influence it may have on Minister King and our government, dissuade them from giving what’s left of our resource over to OCI.

Imagine the audacity of saying that they know how to save and improve the fishery when they are directly responsible for closing numerous plants in 5 years, pitting our coastal people against each other...Marystown against Fortune, the trawlermen against trawlermen, saying members of the union are at odds with their union leaders. All the while they are sending fish out of here not processed, giving value added jobs by the thousands to elsewhere, and wanting all they can get to be FFT processed or given to Asia raw.

They have pitted industry people against each other, say that the government is harming them and the industry, and that we have an attitude in the province, of fishing like we did in the past and it is holding us back, all of which will destroy the Industry! The fact of it is what they are doing, from their powerful position in the industry, will lead to its total collapse... if.... our governments continue allowing them to rule the roost.

If OCI is allow to dictate the future of how we harvest and process our fish at home, in 10 years they will be out of business themselves, as will the industry as we know it. All that will remain will be the royalties they will receive from having Spanish fleets, and the like, fish their quotas. That is if there is anything left.

Imagine saying our government is not letting them compete with the rest of the world, when it has been their style of ineffectual competing which is destroying the stocks, harvesters, plant workers and their coastal way of life.

I get this image of our fishery... of a sock you missed in the washing machine, which is in the machine the next time you go to wash...a little squeezed up ball at the bottom and you reach in and take it out ....a cold, wet, bedraggled item. Our fishery is this beat up overlooked trashed out piece, of what was once part of something much, much larger, but is now something uncomfortable to touch or be involved with. And we have made it that way.

I hope to god, for the sake of our children and grandchildren that our government sees through this insanity of the ‘running of our fishery’ by the corporate book of modernization and success...because that will be, if permitted, the ruining of the fishery through the monopoly of greed and the insatiable wants of self.

Mother Nature has protected our fish stocks for eons, saving them from predations, diseases, shifts of temperatures and currents, the ice ages and the drift of continents ...but in all her wisdom she is not able to save our fish from fools. Only governments can do that.

Phil Earle

Minister Darin King's Fishy News Release

Below please find the News Release by Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture - Darin King.

I will highlight the concerns that I have with the statement. It looks like a public to and fro to demonstrate that the government is "protecting" our assets and people - but will the outcome at the end if the process give OCI what they want?

This looks like nothing more than a charade. I therefore will expect that OCI will attempt to pay off the people making noise by coming up with a package. King actually makes the complete case for OCI - and presents why OCI is having problems and how they understand this. If I were to guess I would suggest that what we were looking at here is exactly the deal that has been cut already with OCI. That's my take. Let's see what transpires. Export away - just not today.

 

Ocean Choice International’s Redfish and Yellowtail
Proposals Rejected by Provincial Government

After an extensive evaluation and review, the Provincial Government announced today that it is not satisfied that the redfish and yellowtail proposals presented by Ocean Choice International (OCI) provide the maximum possible benefit for the province.

“The Provincial Government sees no other option but to reject the groundfish proposals submitted by Ocean Choice International,” said the Honoruable Darin King, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture. “This decision is based on consideration for what is in the best interest of the people of this province. Government wanted to secure a long-term commitment on former Fishery Products International quotas. These quotas are currently held between the province and OCI, through the Quota Holdco agreement established in 2007. We also sought enhanced benefits in relation to Fortune, and adequate support for displaced workers at Marystown and Port Union.”

On January 25, the Provincial Government met with officials from Ocean Choice International and clearly outlined its position in relation to the proposals. Unfortunately, the company showed no flexibility at that time. The company was given time to reconsider but has not come forth with a revised proposal to date. 

“We recognize that this is a difficult situation for OCI,” said Minister King. “Their predecessors, Fishery Products International, faced similar challenges and had comparable financial results. The economic circumstances for yellowtail and redfish remain challenging, particularly with the appreciation of the Canadian dollar and high fuel costs.” 

OCI’s financial circumstances for groundfish operations have been independently verified by the financial consulting firm Deloitte. The market outlook for redfish and flatfish has also been independently verified by the McDowell Group, a research-based consulting firm. The McDowell Group report can be found at http://www.fishaq.gov.nl.ca/publications/nl_flounder_and_redfish_report.pdf.

The Provincial Government requested 10 million pounds of flatfish to be processed in Fortune which is marginal compared to the overall global harvest of 750,000 tonnes. The Provincial Government’s analysis shows that the overall groundfish operation will achieve positive, albeit modest earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization.

Secondly, OCI indicated the desire to have the landing obligations associated with the company’s licence extinguished when the Quota Holdco agreement is due for renewal in approximately five years. While the Provincial Government is willing to consider multi-year exemptions, it believes that under the current circumstances it is possible that quotas would be lost to the province entirely and the resource could be landed elsewhere without any value to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Minister King also noted today that he is disappointed that no action has been taken for displaced workers with regards to the Provincial Government’s request for the company to provide a top-up to the current Fish Plant Worker Employment Support Program. The company and the union have not met to advance these discussions.

“The Provincial Government’s analysis shows positive results by moving yellowtail production to Fortune and an export exemption being granted for the remainder of yellowtail landings and redfish,” said Minister King. “However, given the current circumstances, I have no choice but to reject OCI’s proposals. While government recognizes that reorganization and rationalization in the fishing industry is essential to our long-term success, we will continue to ensure the best possible outcome for the province for the present and for the future. Our government remains receptive if OCI wishes to reconsider their position.”

- 30 - 

Dr. Phil Earle weighs in on OCI and Exporting Policy

Dear Minister King, Jan 31/2012

At a time when both you and the Premier have made comments recently, pertaining to what power or right our government has on influencing NL companies which export our resources, I would like to communicate my concern on our practice of exporting raw and partially processed fish to foreign markets.

No doubt in some situations it would be appropriate for private companies to export raw, or otherwise partially processed products, out of our province. In this situation the company makes a profit, provides some jobs here and generally adds to the GDP of the province. However it is a totally different situation for the province, our government, our GDP and our people if the bulk, or large amounts, of these resources are shipped in this manner.

An example of this point is unfolding right now in our mining industry with the opening of the new mine in Labrador, where one company bidding for the contract, wants to ship out raw ore creating 200 jobs, and another who wants to produce concentrate pellets here creating 1700 jobs. The value added jobs and economic input into the communities of Labrador by our processing of the ore , may not provide the company with a big % of profit, but it will have multiple, far reaching positive affects into the future of the province, even after the mine is gone.

The fisheries equivalent to this situation is the shipping out of our unprocessed and partially processed fish to China and EU countries, such as that which our province is now facing with the OCI. Naturally a company that ships out some raw fish, gets a high % of profit, creates some jobs and adds some value to the province. But shipping out the bulk of our resource in this manner destroys many more jobs then it creates, creates little, or zero, value added affect for our coastal communities and province.

On the other hand a company that processes ashore and then sells to higher end market’s in places like the USA and UK would create 100's of processing and value added jobs, and add over all wealth to our communities and our province. This over all increased value, provided to our people, would further input and strengthen our infrastructure, support and lift our coastal towns and spirit.

Dr. Phil Earle

Avoiding Policy Errors? OCI proposal.

Below please find letter to Darin King re: OCI proposal.

Hon. Darin King,

Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture,
St.John's

Minister King,
                        

Before you make your final decision on the OCI proposal  to export round fish,  you should know  that a very high percentage of the turbot, redfish and as well a high percentage of the yellowtails as well are undersized and continuing this export will do irreparable damage to any hope of groundfish recovery in N&L.   This will be a major policy error on the part of any responsible government and there is no doubt this fact will become well known to all concerned in due time.

 A short time ago we received a call from an office in St. John's  where a gillnetter owner and three of his crew members asked us to meet and discuss the turbot fishery they were involved in off Northern Labrador and Baffin. They have been involved in that turbot fishery for a few years and exporting frozen turbot with heads and tails removed.. They indicated the prices they were receiving for the unprocessed fish and as well for the heads and tails which were packed separately.  However, they are deeply concerned that the turbot fishery will be totally destroyed within the next two/three years at the rate these small fish are now harvested by the larger FFTs of which there are a substantial number now exporting these undersized fish with practically no supervision or control. According to them the turbot are very small, far too young to reproduce and the resource will be destroyed in a short time. Some fish, according to them were the length of your hand. They were asking us to give the matter as much publicity as possible, even though they are involved as gillnetters in the same fishery.  They feel the damage being done by the FFTs is enormous.

We have informed DFO accordingly and requested they immediately investigate the warning passed along to us by those fishermen and owner of the vessel.
We should also make you aware, if you don’t already know that the redfish which is being referred to these days are tiny fish, especially from  the Grand Banks, 3NO areas.  If we had any semblance of fisheries management by DFO or NAFO there would not be any fishery carried out on that slow growing species.

Additionally, it’s remarkable that N&L based FFT owners are responsible for the traditional by catch rate of 5 percent on American Plaice raised to 13 percent at a recent NAFO meeting.  Raising that by catch level to such a high level  will definitely prevent any hope whatever of recovery of that very valuable AP species which was the life blood of the south coast plants for twenty five years before the moratorium.

Minister, this business of exporting such a high percentage of small fish in all three of those species is a very important matter that must  be investigated and cannot be ignored. A political decision to continue exporting those small fish which, without question, is so detrimental to recovery of the resource will be proven to be disastrous to this province in the long term. We bring this matter to your attention and would recommend very strongly that it be discussed with DFO officials who should know it's fundamentally wrong and against every fisheries management principle to permit the harvesting of undersized fish.

Gus Etchegary
Chair
Fishery Community Alliance

PS.  If we make the most disastrous decision we could possibly make and continue the export of unprocessed fish containing as well the high percentage of small undersized fish, the European Fishing nations of NAFO and other fishing pirates will have a field day at Canada's expense. They will effectively ridicule us by stating the fact that both levels of Government (Canada and N&L) are the main contributors to the final demise of our N&L fishery.

CC  Premier Dunderdale