THE BARD ON AVARICE AND COD FISH

CODFISH

When
Cabot crossed the raging Main,
Cod
in commons sight were plain.
But
avarice – human greed
Caught
King Cod to paltry breed
And
Fish for food was sought in vain.
They
said the Cod are back again:
Pre-spawning!
– (3PS) catch campaign!!
Over
grounds that Codfish seed,
An
echo of the inane deed
Caused
Newfoundland to pain.


With
modern ways, pre-eggs rain,
To
fish the Fish leads refrain:
‘No
Fish to fish.’ They pay no heed
To
nature’s ways. – Let Fish breed
To
chance increase in shoals again. *
Lip
service only: “stocks sustain”
All
climb aboard a gravy train.
No
thought of future mouths to feed
Around
the Bay. Indeed:
Mindless
repeat defines insane.

John Tuach
March
28, 2018


Uncle
Gnarley Blog, April 01, 2018
*
extra verse added April, 03, 2018

REMEMBERING BILL MARSHALL

Bill left public life shortly after the signing of the Atlantic Accord and became a member of the Court of Appeal until his retirement in 2003. During his time on the court he was involved in a number of successful appeals which overturned wrongful convictions, for which he was recognized by Innocence Canada. Bill had a special place in his heart for the underdog.

Churchill Falls Explainer (Coles Notes version)

If CFLCo is required to maximize its profit, then CFLCo should sell its electricity to the highest bidder(s) on the most advantageous terms available.

END OF THE UPPER CHURCHILL POWER CONTRACT: IMPROVING OUR BARGAINING POWER

This is the most important set of negotiations we have engaged in since the Atlantic Accord and Hibernia. Despite being a small jurisdiction we proved to be smart and nimble enough to negotiate good deals on both. They have stood the test of time and have resulted in billions of dollars in royalties and created an industry which represents over a quarter of our economy. Will we prove to be smart and nimble enough to do the same with the Upper Churchill?

10 COMMENTS

  1. Unless we are willing to ban all ground trawling and monofilament gill nets we may never see the groundfish stocks return to pre Cabot days. The amount of destruction entailed by ground trawls is the equivalent to a Vimy Ridge battle in your backyard every day.

    • Ho so true. Yep, and fishers say, can't fish with out me gill nets, and the quality is better than trawls, or long lines. I proved it last year bys., or got the same price as the feller with the hook and line. And looses, and tears up too much fish with the hook and line me son. Yes, maybe for one or two hauls. But agree not as bad as the draggers and that includes foreign draggers too. Joe blow.

  2. Having been honoured by the Bard in verse on minisplits, I hereby give my summary for 12 months , Apri1 , 2017 to Mar 31 2018, last night to midnight.
    At 10 cent rates, heat for 1000 sq ft, at 22C, for each month:
    APR 31.80, may 23.00,Jun 16.20,July 8.70, Aug 6.60, sept 8.20, oct 16.40, Nov 28.90, Dec 43.80, Jan 48.60, Feb 42.60, Mar 38.30
    Year total 313.10 tax not included
    This includes air conditioning for july and aug, about 10.00, and about 2 days on baseboard to compare COP. Adjusting for these would see likely just less than 300.00 for heat for a year.
    If a brand new model which is 20 percent more efficient this would be about 240.00 for heat for a year. Current model installed in 2010, and about 20o5 design series.

    As to king cod, capelin, salmon, snow crab, scrimp, and green crap: we have ignored the issue of climate change, and impact of sea temperatures that are causing havoc to all these species, and the Labrador current temperatures, and artic ice flow, and oil extraction: drill baby drill, Ball wanting to double production by 2030; If so maybe expect fish catch to decline another 50 percent.
    Winston Adams

    • Here is the result of my 10 year monitoring of sea temperatures, from 1999 to 2010, to compare with capelin spawning on the beach.

      First year found only a few in late Aug at temp of about 41F at Spaniard's Bay…..but this proved not to be a desired temperature for capelin to spawn
      A few years records indicated a preference of 50 F. This temperature generally achieved a month to 6 weeks later than our historical normal mid June spawning, suggesting that the sea temperature was warming later in the year, and so the capelin arriving later and also smaller in size.
      As I monitored year round, the sea temperature would dip to about 28 or 29 in winter, and start to rise in spring.
      With sufficient years data when the capelin arrived, I could go back and predict when the capelin would arrived over 2 months in advance, by using the best fit of the temperature data.
      It turned out that when the sea warms from say 28 to 32.2 F, In April say, then add about 73 days, gives the arrival date for capelin. This usually accurate within 2 or 3 days. If a sharp in surge of cold Labrador water, or warming from the south , this can be thrown off some years, as it takes a week to stabalize.
      Normally on average the sea temperature rises about 0.25 f per day, but could, occassionally drop more than 10F suddenly, then recover.
      The capelin, like Nflders going to Florida, seek favourable temperatures that their eggs survive. this used to be mid June, but no longer mid June.
      Interesting, research from Nova Scotia, (I discovered about 2008), about 1875, I think, showed preference of about 50F for capelin on beaches in Nfld. So, capelin have not changed, just the environment and sea temperature, and their food supply as well.
      Winston Adams

    • 240$ a year, most would like that low cost per month. Not sure Winston, I understand how certain you can be of the effect of climate change and water temperatures causing havoc on fish species. Each species seeks their preferred temperature in the various water layers of temperature levels, plus they move north or south to seek the temps they enjoy best. Remember a few years ago when someone said there is no ice coming down this spring so the seals won't pup, because there is no ice to pup on. Where did they think the seals were coming from, up from Florida, or out waiting on the Grand Banks waiting for the ice to come down. No they come from the north with the ice, and at the somewhat leading edge of the ice. So they might pup off Labrador, rather than in the gulf, or our shores, if the ice should not reach as far south as in some years. That's my thoughts, notice I say taughts, as not based on scientific information. But also sometimes wonder about the fish scientist saying things, as most times their evidence is so sparce flimsy, and incomplete, that their rulings are no better than yours or mine or the average fisherman. Thanks, AJ.

    • When the cod and capelin disapppeared, you may recall Rose saying the few cod that could be found were in the deep water of Trinity Bay, and there fish were coming to the surface , dead, from extreme cold water, but some survived where at different depths , the temperature was not so extreme. I guess a lot survived in deeper water off shore. Capelin became more abundant off Nova Scotia for a while, where temperatures are warmer
      The sea temperature here was below 0 C, off St john's for a hundred miles…in July and Aug, in the 1990s so if this was fresh water , it would have been a body of ice in summer near the seabed………such was the cold water from the Labrador current……….so what sane cod or capelin would stay put?
      Snow crab and scrimp loved it.
      Now ice is moving to Nfld from not the traditional source…much thicker artic ice from further north.Remember last year and the new oil platform being delayed a month from exiting Trinity Bay?
      What did that do to our summer ocean temperature, now with capelin and cod biobass down bigtime since last year, when everyone thought it was going great , rebounding.
      Ocean changes just down register with the wealth of offshore oil production, so science is being muffled…..as adults we act like kids and block out what is happening….my opinion.
      Winston Adams

    • Winston, could you break out your energy loads; Annual KWH/sf (Heating/Cooling, Base power), and Annual Gj/sf (Heating/Cooling), Oil, Propane, Geo.
      My present annual values for 12 month are approximately; 6 KWH/sf and .05Gj/sf
      Humidity/Cooling is not a factor in Fernie, Lucky.
      "Base power", whatever is left over after electric heating and cooling loads are removed; including light, appliances, utilities, rate charges, taxes, etc.

      Thanks

    • Lol, I guess discussion the fishery is like discussing religion, when you finish you are no further ahead than when you started. But, guess my main point is fish swim and seek their proper habitat, including abundance of food as well as right temp for them, Evan as humans sometimes do. Crab, shrimp and lobster may be a bit more restricted in the distance they can cover. But yes water temp is an important factor. You may have heard of cod failure on the Labrador coast in some years, the fish didn't come there, who knows why. Guess maybe a combo of food and water temp. Have heard stories on Labrador that the fish didn't strike in until the last week or few days of the voyage, and they made a good season out of it otherwise it would have been a complete failure. So guest some years by the end of sept. the water temp was just right for the cod and they came ashore to the fishermans waiting nets. And no doubt there have been similar stories on this coast in years gone by. So can't see how there can be tons of fish one year and all gone the next. The fish just choose themselves where they want to be. But now with the biomass being so small, guess it can change rather rapidly. But many factors affect cod, including Caplin, and other food sources, water temp, and fishing, both in the bay's, off shore and on the nose and tail of the grand bank, oh yes and I should include seals. Yes maybe when Cabot came, cod and seals were in balance, but when man came, particular draggers, by the hundreds local and foreign, the poor cod had another even bigger prededector than the seals, so don't stand much of a chance, so if we take cod we must also take seals to try and keep them in balance. But on top of that, especially in the seventies, when Caplin was a non regulated species, the USSR, poles and Japanese fished Caplin almost to extension. The Russians fished Caplin 10 months of the year. What were they doing with all the Caplin, well besides, a little cavarer, they turned them into fish meal, boxed it frozen, and Russian transport ships loaded at sea from the trawlers, and took it all home, for livestock and cattle. And Canada said so what we don't want much Caplin. But they were too dumb to think, oh yes, but the poor cod do. As I have said, I saw it. My rant again. Lol. AJ.

    • Agreed AJ, there are many factors, and the big melt up North seemed to strike at the right time with all the overfishing, and easy to blame all on over fishing by Russia etc, as we blame Quebec for our problems.
      And of course Harper rolled back fishery research, and only now seems to be picking up, so 25 years of lost research opportunity, and what research was done was little made public.
      And all the land locked ice sheets that existed for thousands of years, when Bartlett was there a century ago , most all gone since the 1970s and 80s, and now very unpredictable as new things happening.
      Poor King Cod replaced by the oil king, and causing havoc. Even way back ,Bush said America was addicted on oil………and now we have Trump…….even the Pope cites global warming, and warns, but most "good" Catholics ignore him. But this Protestant says he is right. Stephen Hawkings , recently passed, said global warming was a worse risk to civilization than nuclear war. And who am I to dispute the Hawk?
      Winston Adams

  3. Cue the daft fools who blame the decimation of cod stocks on seals, meanwhile totally disregarding the fact that when Cabot first discovered the colossal schools of cod on the Grand Banks back in the day, both the cod and seals were co-existing in natural balance.

    Until the greed of men entered into the equation…