WWW.LIGHTHOUSENOW.CA WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14, 2018 A DIVISION OF ADVOCATE MEDIA INC. BRIDGEWATER, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA Proudly Independent Since 1875 $2.17+HST PROGRESS BULLETIN Publication # 40031078 142nd Year • No. 11 Blood brothers Strangers navigate a live organ donation together By GAYLE WILSON [email protected] M@wilsonLHNOWnews After months of holding back, not daring to let hope enter their lives, Lunenburg’s Rob and Sarah Edwards are finally and fully excited. They’re looking forward to March 19 as a transformative date of a magnitude that most of us can only imagine. That’s the day Rob expects to be on a Halifax hospital operating table, receiving a new kidney, and essentially a new life. He’s spent four years on the donor waiting list, and he’s only getting one now because a live donor has come forward. The Lunenburg couple’s compelling story is a shout-out to the increasing toll kidney disease is placing on individuals and their families, to the power of good intentions, and to the call for optimizing Nova Scotia’s organ donations. ou can really do something, “ Halifax NS B3L 4W8 Y Dartmouth NS B2W 2S9 something truly great and truly 7105 Chebucto Rd., Suite 100 life-changing114 for Woodlawn somebody.” Rd., MICHAEL PITTS/NATUREPL.COM, PHOTO 902.455.3888 902.455.3888 This image of a Hawaiian monk seal caught in fishing tackle from an unknown vessel in the Pacific Ocean illus- Geoff Kennedy Halifax Location Dartmouth Location trates the global problem of “ghost gear.” Kidney donor ––––––––– more information. In a nutshell, Rob will be lying on that hospital bed thanks *Some conditions apply. See clinic for Per ear. New report on “ghost895 gear” hands to an inspired stranger who learned about his situation through an outpouring on social media. $ Before he begins his surgery around noon, Geoff Kennedy * of Halifax will be at the sameProvincial hospital having Hearing. one of Callhis kid- us today for a FREE hearing Screening! High Liner Foods aHearing failing Aids starting grade at neys removed for transplanting into Rob. of May, take steps to improve your quality of hearing with the help of The uncanny resemblance between them is not lost on SPECIAL OFFER you have hearing loss, it doesn’t need to hold you back. During the month either of them. They’re both 38 with birthdays not far apart, Abandoned fishing gearLIMITED a global problemTIME both are tall and greying slightly. They have become fastin friends,the world, and appreciate aecting the over poi- 3 million Canadians, that’s 1 in 10 people. If gnancy of their undertakings.Hearing loss happens. In fact, it’s one of the mostBy CHARLES common MANDEL health issues WAP’s Canadian office, told LighthouseNOW that “I’m getting a kidney and a buddy,” Rob told [email protected] “High Liner is already a very sustainably minded LighthouseNOW. He smiles with a satisfactory grin over the company with some good policies in place,” she said simplification, while SarahMAY adds that their boys IS are getting BETTER Lunenburg-based fishery HEARING processor and marketer the groupMONTH hopes the firm will examine its supply their dad back. High Liner Foods ranked last in a new report on fish- chain, determine in which of its fisheries ghost gear “Our three-year-old has never known me not sick. It’s eries and the problem of abandoned and lost fishing represents an issue, and start to work to prevent the going to be a whole new world,” explains Rob. gear. problem. Kennedy has been there. His father has a genetic disposi- World Animal Protection (WAP) released the re- The 15 seafood companies in the report received tion that led to a double lung transplant about three years port, Ghosts Beneath the Waves, in mid-March. rankings from one to five on their commitment to ad- ago. His dad is now alive and well, and the only way you The animal protection group found that 12 out of dress the problem of ghost gear. Tier 1 ranked the best would know he has two new lungs is if you ask to see his the 15 largest global seafood companies in the world while Tier 5 was the worst. surgery scar, according to Kennedy. do not have clear positions or solutions to abandoned While none of the companies achieved Tier 1 or Tier “It was pretty eye-opening how genetic lotteries can and lost fishing gear. 2 status, High Liner landed at the bottom of the rank- sometimes really kick you in the shins,” he says. “I know the According to its report, 640,000 tonnes of “ghost ing in Tier 5. effects or organ donation and how important it is. And my gear” — abandoned tackle off of fishing vessels — is Other bigmonth brands, including of May! Bumble Bee Seafoods politics have always been aligned with being an organ donor lost or discarded in the oceans every year, killing mil- and Donwong - South Korea’s largest seafood company and checking that box.” lions of marine animals, including whales, dolphins, andpricing owner of StarKist during tuna - outranked the High Liner. turtles, seabirds and fish. See BLOOD BROTHERS on page 2 While Lynn Kavanagh, campaign manager with withSee HIGHour LINER special on page 2 IN THIS ISSUE CALEDONIA ARMED CAN HEARHIPPIE CAFE FORCES REVIVAL Comment ............. 4 Lifestyles .............18 Lunch at the Log Now recruitingEVERYONEGodspell on Rural Ink ..............11 Puzzles ...............20 Page 11 Page 15 stage Sports ..................12 What’s On ...........21 Page 16 Arts ......................16 Classifieds ..........24 Tell us what you think: www.lighthousenow.ca/survey We care about our environment Please recycle this newspaper Hearing Aids AFFORDABLE HEARING AIDS FOR EVERYONE! starting at $895*per ear. Call today to book your appointment *Some conditions apply. See clinic A publication of 4 Hillcrest St., Bridgewater, NS | www.provincialhearing.ca | 1-888-323-4111 for more information LIGHTHOUSENOW.CA 147420 Page 2 LighthouseNOW Progress Bulletin, Wednesday, March 14, 2018 WWW.LIGHTHOUSENOW.CA New report on ‘ghost gear’ hands High Liner Foods a failing grade HIGH LINER from page 1 The federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans was un- The review drew on publicly available information from able to respond by deadline to LighthouseNOW’s requests company websites, CSR strategies, annual reports, share- “It’s disappointing to see such an otherwise progressive for information on the extent of the problem. holder information, the latest news articles and press releas- and sustainable Canadian leader, as well as a household Kavanagh would like to see companies sign onto a global, es, as well as information known via companies’ involve- name brand we all know, lagging behind on protecting ani- collaborative, multi-stakeholder alliance that would work ment with the Global Ghost Gear Initiative itself and mate- mals and fragile ecosystems from ghost gear,” Josey Kitson, together to address the problem. rial published by certain third parties, such as certification executive director at World Animal Protection Canada, said WAP reports that ghost gear is responsible for a decline schemes as of December 2017. in a statement. in fish stocks ranging anywhere from five to 30 per cent. Companies were ranked in criteria including policy and “By acknowledging this issue and taking simple steps to Notes the report: “Research by the National Oceanic and commitment, and implementation and reporting. prevent lost gear in their supply chain, High Liner Foods Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found ghost gear to DiMento said it’s not unusual to see not-for-profit groups could be a leader again,” she added. be directly responsible for a 5% reduction in total cod catch “doing what we call electronic searches for company poli- Bill DiMento, vice-president of corporate sustainability in the Baltic Sea, and a 20-30% reduction of Greenland hali- cy.” and government affairs at High Liner, told LighthouseNOW but catch off the coast of Norway.” Kavanagh noted that web site and public policy searches that the company is happy to talk with WAP and has a meet- The lost or abandoned gear comes with other costs as were used as WAP doesn’t have access to proprietary infor- ing set up with them at this week’s Boston Seafood Show. well. Governments and industry spend hundreds of thou- mation on each firm’s supply chain. “So that’s why we look “I’m sure that we’ll be making our commitment in assist- sands of dollars annually cleaning up the gear, according to what’s on their web site and the commitment they’ve ing whatever responsible way we can do in a public way,” to the report. made based on what they’ve put in the public domain.” DiMento said. The report recommends reducing the volume of fishing She noted that the firms are under a lot of pressure to DiMento added that it would “be appropriate” for the gear in the oceans, removing ghost gear from the water, operate sustainable fisheries. “So we make the assumption, company to reach out to its suppliers around the world and recycling the often plastic gear in creative ways, and pro- and I think it’s an accurate one, that if they were doing make sure they are fishing responsibly “and remedying is- viding training and support to organizations that rescue something in a positive way on this issue that it would be in sues that are associated with problems in the environment.” animals entangled in the gear. the public domain like they are with other issues.” Blood brothers BLOOD BROTHERS from page 1 a catheter and flushing out toxins. He They’re quick to rec- began with four treatments a day, but he’s ognize the financial sup- Rob suffers from a rare genetic kidney now at six.