DFO says commercial elver fishers won’t be compensated under new quota plan
Global News
'She thinks she's playing Robin Hood, and in actuality, she's putting these fishermen in a worse-off situation than they currently are,' one licence-holder said.
A federal proposal that would redistribute the overall quota for catching highly lucrative baby eels to individual fishers will not compensate commercial licence-holders who employ those workers, Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) says, leaving owners feeling betrayed by the government.
The department first informed Maritime commercial groups and fishermen of the proposed pilot project in a letter in mid-October, designed to combat unlicensed fishing of the baby eels, known as elvers, and violent confrontations that have shut down the last two seasons.
The letter of intent said consultations would be held and asked for feedback on the proposal.
At the time, the department told elver fishers the quota redistribution program sought to “broaden the distribution of benefits” and “would not be accompanied by financial assistance or compensation to existing licence holders,” according to the letter.
More than a month later, a DFO spokesperson told Global News the department is still not considering compensation.
“Fisheries and Oceans Canada is currently conducting consultations on the reallocation of elver quota, without compensation,” the spokesperson said in an emailed statement Friday.
“Given the significant increases in elver value and relatively low input costs, the commercial elver fishery presents a unique opportunity to broaden the distribution of the prosperity that can be generated among various types of harvesters, potentially including young harvesters, employees of existing commercial licence holders, and harvesters who participate in co-operative commercial enterprises.”
Commercial licence-holders in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick say the proposal would not only further harm their bottom line but also upset the industry as a whole.
Sonder Bridge, a new non-profit organization in Edmonton, builds care packages and then hands them out, along with a hot meal, once or twice a month to those living rough.
Ward 2 Coun. Jennifer Wyness is raising concerns about the recommendations including the establishment of a municipally owned corporation to manage Calgary's water system.
A new report shows that even though the COVID-19 pandemic ended several years ago, the increase in issues around mental health and substance use still continue.
A coroner's inquest into the 2024 death of a Saskatchewan man who was working at a wind farm construction site in New Brunswick has begun.
The proposed changes, which were recommended by the Transportation Standing Committee, aim to impose new licensing requirements on ridesharing services.
The case of an Ontario woman who has been missing for four years after she was abducted may have ties to Quebec and the United Arab Emirates.
Health Minister Sylvia Jones launched a plan to spend $1.8 billion on primary care — rolling out more physicians, nurse practitioners and multidisciplinary teams.
Carney is travelling to B.C. for the meeting, along with Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson, whose relationship with Coastal First Nations got off to a rocky start.
In December, 1.3 million Canadians returned from the U.S. by automobile, a 'steep decline' of 30.7 per cent from the same month in 2024, according to new Statistics Canada data.
The once-a-day semaglutide pill is approved for reducing the risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes, the company said in a statement Monday.
The CAF confirmed Sunday afternoon that members of the Joint Operational Support Group, based in Kingston, Ont., are planning to be in the First Nation for two weeks.
The family of a man who died last week after a physical altercation with security at Saskatchewan's largest hospital is identifying him as Trevor Dubois.
Five group stage matches featuring the likes of Germany, Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire, as well as a Round of 32 knock-out, are scheduled to take place in Toronto this summer.