I was speaking to Josephine Burke-Kennedy today. She represents the Multi-Species License Holders in Eastern Cape Breton and has worked tirelessly to rid the Scotia Fundy waters of mid-water trawllers. The trawllers fished in her region in 2006 and 2007 on a Joint-Project Agreement, which is an agreement between the trawllers and DFO Science. Josephine and her group were finally successful in getting the DFO to cancel the agreement late this summer, so the trawllers have moved into our waters.
Josephine spoke to Michelle Brazil in Loyola Hearn's office in Ottawa last week. Ms Brazil is Loyola's Special Assistant for the Atlantic Region. In conversation with Josephine she confirmed that the Minister Hearn is allowing mid-water trawllers in the Gulf Region this year as a look and see. And if the fishery takes off, he will allow the other seiners to transfer their licenses to mid-water trawllers as well!
Just what we need - more MWT's! And there are plenty of them for lease in Europe, so getting ahold of a few more is not a problem for the Barry Group.
Once again, DFO is looking out for corporate interests with no consideration for inshore fishers, the environment, the eco-system or the herring stocks.
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