Canadian Council of Professional Fish Harvesters

Vol. 3, Issue 3 Electronic Newsletter November, 2007 N.B. School of Fisheries trains hundreds yearly

More than 1,200 fish harvesters and aquaculture trainees take courses every year from the School of Fisheries. Winters are especially busy. “When the ice moves into the Gulf of St. Lawrence,” says Luc Leblanc, department head for marine trades, “fishermen move into the classrooms.”

Courses cover the waterfront. Besides such standard items as Fishing Master courses, inshore and midshore fishing gear, radio communications, and Marine Emergency Duties (MED) including firefighting and lifeboats, the School gives training in responsible fishing, bookkeeping for fish harvesters, and much more.

Instruction takes place in various off-campus locations on the coast, but the busiest is the main campus overlooking harbour on the . Catering especially to francophone harvesters and operating since 1963, the School helped develop the renowned Caraquet- Shippagan fleet, a strong force in the groundfish, shrimp, snow crab, lobster, herring, and other fisheries.

Look at the main building (named for Léonce Chenard, a respected former official) and you’ll spot a wheelhouse on the roof. There, students practice with radar, sonar, GPS, plotters, and all the electronic, wheel, and engine controls of a modern fishing vessel.

Inside this Issue: Among the classrooms down below, you’ll find ’s only simulator that combines fishing and N.B School of Fisheries trains navigating. Trainees monitor computer screens as hundreds yearly ...... p. 1-3 they change course and lower and retrieve virtual nets, with gear, fish, and bottom clearance all visible. N.B. reports recommended increased training ...... p. 4 Exercises are recorded and played back for evaluation. “People tell us that a winter on our simulator can Easier eco-labelling? ...... p. 5 teach them as much as three seasons spent fishing,” says Luc Leblanc. On-line vessel maintenance manual ...... p. 5 Another classroom is rigged up with engines, hydraulics, refrigeration, and auxiliary equipment, and E-simulator moving ahead .... p. 6 still another for radio communications. Much of the radio-telephone training takes place on programmed Fish harvesters make science classroom computers. stronger in Newfoundland ..... p. 7 (Continued on page 2)

1 Nicholas Street, Suite 712, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 7B7, CANADA Tel: (613) 235-3474 Fax: (613) 231-4313 E-mail: [email protected] 1 The most popular courses are MED, Fishing being enlarged, and a training barge serve not Master Class 4, Fishing Master Class 3, radio, only for training but for industry research net work, and marine diesel. Training periods projects. for the different courses range from a few days, as for MED, to 14-16 weeks for Fishing Master. Students can also take a range of courses in fish processing, with an emphasis on production Fishing Master courses, like other regular chains and quality management. courses, cost $65 a week. In many cases, fish harvesters can get funding under government programs for tuition and lodging. More multi-skilling

For Marine Emergency Duties, the School Courses in fishing-related skills such as diesel- has special facilities on site, along the highway engine maintenance are popular. And Luc Leblanc at the entrance to Caraquet, and on the Caraquet says that “as regulations shorten the fishing wharf. But lots of MED training takes place elsewhere on the coast, especially at .

Off-campus work also occurs at First Nations all over New Brunswick and on Quebec’s Gaspé Peninsula, in both English and French. After the Supreme Court of Canada’s 1999 Marshall decision gave commercial fishing rights to Native communities in the Maritimes and Quebec, the School of Fisheries mounted special introductory courses.

Progress was rapid, and the School received an award for its work at the once-troubled Burnt Church First Nation. Aboriginal harvesters from many reserves are now taking Fishing Master Working with the fishing-navigation simulator. and other courses, side by side with non-Native fishermen. season, we’re getting more demand for additional skills, so fish harvesters can broaden Trainers come from industry their employment.”

Luc LeBlanc says that one explanation for As part of the New Brunswick Community College, the School’s good reputation is that “our teachers the School gives additional training in welding, are from the industry. During the winter rush, metal work, and other fields for students who we have about fifteen teachers, and many are may or may not be connected with the fishery. professional fishermen during the season. So it’s fishermen teaching fishermen.” Students enrolled in certain courses can use “distance learning.” Via video screens, they can Aquaculture has become a big item. The School hear and see instructors from six different offers instruction in both finfish and shellfish campus sites in the Acadian Peninsula, and ask farming. An on-campus aquaculture facility, now questions electronically.

(Continued on page 3) 2 Most of New Brunswick’s Anglophone fishermen live on southwest New Brunswick’s Bay of Fundy coast, where the St. Andrews campus of the New Brunswick Community College provides training. The Caraquet school works closely with St. Andrews and also collaborates with fishery institutions in other provinces, including Nova Scotia’s School of Fisheries, Holland College in Prince Edward Island, the Quebec fisheries school (École des Pêches et de l’Aquaculture du Québec), and the Fisheries and Marine Institute in Newfoundland. Several institutions including the Caraquet school are collaborating on a distance-learning project with the CCPFH.

The School has received many international students and delivered overseas training in Haiti. But the main clientele remains Acadian fishermen, who owe much of their skill to the Caraquet school.

Programs and courses

· Aquatic Safety · Basic Navigation · Fishing Gear – Inshore · Fishing Gear – Midshore · Fishing Master · Marine Advanced First Aid · Marine Emergency Duties · Mechanical Maintenance and General Preparation – Fishing Vessel · Preventive Maintenance of a Ship’s Engine Room MED training in the ice. · Responsible Fishing for Fish Harvesters · Responsible Fishing for Fishery Officers · Simulated Electronic Navigation · Welding for Fish Harvesters · Bookkeeping for Fish Harvesters · Fiberglass · Navigation by GPS · Navigation principles for Pleasure Craft Operator · Pleasure Craft Operator · Radio Operator (ROC-CM) · Small Craft Operator – Practical Course · Netmending for Aquaculture

For further information : Telephone 506-726-2500. Fax 506-726-2408. Website : www.ccnb.nb.ca

Net training.

3 New Brunswick reports recommended increased training

Fish-harvester organizations and other industry representatives in New Brunswick are calling for more attention to training. Their recommendations are part of “Stakeholder Action Group” reports this fall to the provincial and federal fisheries ministers, following a federal-provincial fisheries summit earlier in the year.

The Harvesting East report, representing harvester organizations and others in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, says that with an aging population and lack of interest among young people, the fishery faces “major challenges in terms of succession.” The industry needs to offer competitive working conditions, and governments need to work at training and promotion of marine trades.

The province should encourage professionalization of fishermen and deckhands, such that all fishermen take training courses offered by the School of Fisheries, says the report.

Training should include fish handling, responsible fishing, and the popularization of scientific language related to resource management.

The Harvesting South report, from the Bay of Fundy, says that the “demographics of the fishing industry raise concern for its long-term sustainability.” Fishing as a profession needs more recognition, and training needs more support.

Training and education should address sustainable use of gear, fish quality, safe vessel operation, regulatory compliance, and enhanced business training.

As well, the secondary-school system should pay more attention to the fishery and give introductory/preparatory courses in coastal-community high schools.

The Harvesting East Stakeholder Action Group report appears at http://www.gnb.ca/9999/HARV-EAST-EN.pdf,

the Harvesting South report at http://www.gnb.ca/9999/Harv-south-en.pdf.,

and all reports including marketing at http://www.gnb.ca/9999/Groups-en.pdf.

A provincial news release on the action groups and their members appears at http://www.gnb.ca/cnb/news/fish/ 2007e0561fi.htm. Photo submitted by Daniel Landry, FRAPP.

4 Easier eco-labelling? On-line vessel maintenance manual The Canadian fishing industry is just starting to tackle the issue of eco-labelling, and Anodes, impellers, filters, hydraulics – our August newsletter (http://www.ccpfh- maybe you understand all the thousand and one ccpp.org/e_WhatsNew.asp?sw=h) mentioned aspects of vessel maintenance, but what about the British Columbia salmon industry’s long and new crew members? expensive struggle to get certification from the Marine Stewardship Council. Operators of 40-45 foot vessels can learn lessons or get reminders from the 60-plus pages Since then, another organization, Friend of detailed maintenance instructions, posted on- of the Sea, has certified B.C. salmon fisheries at line by the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nation no cost to the industry. Chiefs. Engine companies and boat and gear A European business request led to Friend of makers all have separate instruction manuals, the Sea evaluating the B.C. fisheries, based on APCFNC executive director John Paul told the Canadian scientific data. FOS produced a list of Mi’kmaq Maliseet Nations News. So, “Why not certified B.C. salmon fisheries (full list available put all the essential stuff in a single manual, at www.friendofthesea.org), and cleared all B.C. with pictures, so a guy could just see what he’s salmon gear types as appropriate. (Meanwhile, doing and follow along? the industry continues to seek MSC certification.) “Non-Native fishermen can use the manual too,” Mr. Paul added. “We all have the “Gear, time and area are strictly regulated in same maintenance problems.” one of the best managed fisheries in the world,” says Friend of the Sea about the B.C. salmon The APCFNC links several dozen fishery. communities on the Atlantic, and has been a force for progress in the Native fishery. The organization says its products are audited You can view the English-only manual at and certified by accredited third party http://209.162.178.242/documents/ certifiers, according to guidelines of the United Routine%20Inspection%20and%20Maintenance Nations Food and Agriculture Organization %20Final%20Feb%202006.pdf (FAO), and that its certification is used by some or get to it by going to the APCFNC website of the world’s main retail chains, such as (http://www.apcfnc.ca/index.asp), clicking on Carrefour, Coop Italy, Eroski, and Manor. “fishery,” then “reports,” and then on First Nations (Marshall) 40’ to 45’ Fishing Government and industry sources say that eco- Vessels – Routine Inspection and labelling, though hard to predict, is likely to grow Maintenance Including Winterization and in Canada. Meanwhile, it seems clearer that Spring Re-Commissioning. The document is the MSC is not the only game in town. large and takes several minutes to download.

5 E-simulator moving ahead

Development of the world’s first electronic simulator for fishing-vessel stability is moving ahead, and an introductory presentation at the November CMAC (Canadian Marine Advisory Council) meeting drew applause and congratulations.

Roy Gibbons of Newfoundland’s Fisheries and Marine Institute and John Sutcliffe of the CCPFH outlined the training tool to CMAC’s Fishing Vessel Safety Standing Committee, including fish-harvester representatives, government officials, and other marine experts.

Translating physical vessel models into computer math and making the program easy to use are complex tasks, Mr. Gibbons said. But the end result should be easy to use and effective.

E-simulator users will be able to proceed at their own pace on their own home computers, using on-screen vessels similar to their own type of craft. The program will deepen understanding of stability and convey the dangers of design modifications, water on deck, ice, and other factors that can bring capsizing, down-flooding, and death.

Funding should soon come into place for the E-simulator, and development should take about 18 months.

For more on the E-simulator, see our April newsletter at http://www.ccpfh-ccpp.org/cgi-bin%5Cfiles%5CVol3-Issue1-E.pdf.

File photo File photo

6 Fish harvesters making science stronger in Newfoundland

Assessing fish stocks without input from fish harvesters contributed to stock declines in the past. The Fish Food and Allied Workers Union (FFAW) believes including the intimate knowledge and experience of fish harvesters in assessing and managing stocks will help ensure that past mistakes are not repeated. That’s why approximately 1,000 Newfoundland and Labrador fish harvesters (enterprise owners, captains, and crew) are now taking part in research programs for practically all commercially harvested species.

Fishermen’s involvement began in 1995 with the Cod Sentinel Program, following the groundfish collapse. Through that continuing program, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, FFAW, and fish harvesters collect catch and effort, migratory, and biological data for stock assessments. The uninterrupted 12-year data time series is now a major consideration when assessing cod.

In 2003, the harvester-scientist partnership spread to other fisheries, including snow crab. Fish harvesters, FFAW, and DFO Science developed and implemented a survey that covers all crab management zones (in NAFO Divisions 2J3KL3P4R, waters off southern Labrador and all around Newfoundland) from the inshore to outside the 200 mile limit. Fishermen set traps according to a geographical grid, to build a year-by-year index of crab abundance, recruitment, and biological information.. In 2007, data from this survey was an important contributor to the assessment of snow crab.

In the lobster fishery, DFO recently acknowledged that “due to insufficient data, it is impossible to assess the status of the resource.” Fish harvesters are helping to fill the gap. A lobster- monitoring program now involves some 140 enterprises, and their numbers are growing.

Harvesters keep special logs on lobster catch rates and other matters, and use a number of modified traps to study recruitment of young. At-sea technicians collect further data such as carapace length and the occurrence of egg-bearing and V-notched females.

Other science projects are conducted for lumpfish, halibut, and seals. In addition, more defined research now includes cod condition, groundfish reproductive potential, and cod tagging programs. The FFAW conducts telephone surveys annually, to solicit input from fish harvesters who are not participating in a research project.

The original science partnership of the FFAW, fish harvesters, and DFO Science has expanded to include the Newfoundland and Labrador Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Environment Canada, and the World Wildlife Fund.

“Fish harvesters have been very supportive and have been key to the success of our collaborative science initiatives,” says FFAW program manager Harvey Jarvis. “The level of co- operation we have achieved has been unprecedented and continued collaboration will help us to avoid repeating mistakes of the past.”

7 To subscribe to our E-Newsletter go to: Look for our www.ccpfh-ccpp.org/ e_List.aspx?cs=newsletter next newsletter OR to be published To be removed from our E-Newsletter in January mailing list please email us at: [email protected] 2008!

Picture Submissions

The Council is always looking for photos to use in our news- letters and other promotional materials. If you have a commercial fishing related photo, we’d like to see it.

The pictures featured in this newsletter are just a few of the wonderful photos we’ve received.

Any originals you send us will be copied and returned to you or email your digital pics to [email protected]

Thank you to all who have sent us photos. Please continue sending us your pictures!!!

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