I went lobster fishing off West Pubnico with a young buddy last week. At one point, he indicated a boat ahead and said, "See that guy. He's not making any money. He's got a 750-horsepower engine." It turns out that not making any money, and the many things that might prevent you from doing so -- like a costly engine, or a couple of lost lobster pots at $100 each - is pretty well the only topic on the lobster grounds these days. This is a big deal for the economy of the Maritimes. Lobster is a billion-dollar-plus export industry, but it's especially the case for Western Nova Scotia where nearly half the Atlantic catch comes from.
fishery
Drilling for oil: The cost of needing our fix
When the Gulf of Mexico oil rig blew, there was probably not a fisherman or fish plant operator in western Nova Scotia, where I live, who didn't have the same cold flash: an oil rig blows on Georges Bank; the enormous tides of the Bay of Fundy suck half the oil up and down twice a day, polluting everything from Cape Cod to Lockeport and right up to Moncton; while the other half is locked in the "gyre" of currents that goes round and round over one of the world's best fishing grounds
What's at stake in this election
First, my own story. Back in '07, when the Harper government was new, I got under its skin with a column that went viral in fisheries circles on both coasts, attacking proposed changes to the Fisheries Act that had most of the industry in a fury.
Shortly after, I got a call from Randy Kamp, parliamentary secretary to the fisheries minister and an MP from B.C., who aggressively demanded that I tell him where I got my information and rang off with "the government of Canada is unhappy with you."
Keep in mind that in many, if not most, countries on the face of this Earth, a phone call like that from a government official to a journalist constitutes a death threat.
![Living On Purpose](http://rabble.ca/sites/rabble/files/imagecache/thumbnail/category_pictures/living100x100.jpg "Lynn Thompson is the host and producer of "Living on Purpose", a thoughtful, nourishing blend of ideas, conversation and music offered in a spirit of health and well-being. Guests are invited to share their insights and inspirations through how they embrace life's challenges and opportunities.")
Saving the West Coast salmon fishery
Historically, the Pacific Northwest of North America has been one of those spots in the world where food is abundant. The sea along its coast has always been a good provider, and the most important gift it has offered up is the Pacific salmon that once filled its rivers and streams from far west of Alaska to Central California. That is changing.
Is Ottawa ceding control of the East Coast fishery?
The Harper government is trying to rush the passage of a new agreement that could give European nations, which continue to overfish cod on the Grand Banks (over-quota again in 2008 to the tune of 119 per cent), a say in how Canada's fisheries are managed within its own 200-mile limit.
Worse, the provision was apparently drafted by the EU negotiators, without Canadian input. The Harper Tories merely acquiesced.
This new NAFO (Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization) treaty could come before Parliament for ratification within weeks, with the government refusing to allow debate on it.