Blue Fish News – June 28, 2024

What’s New at Blue Fish Canada

Even though the focus of Blue Fish Canada right now is on preparing the launch of the new Blue Fish Exploration centre, we still seem to be getting it right! For example, last September The Blue Fish Radio Show was declared the #2 top fishing podcast in the world by Feedspot. Now, the podcast ranking service “Goodpods” just ranked our podcast #15 on their Top 100 Natural Sciences Monthly chart, #89 on their Top 100 Science Monthly chart, and #92 on their Top 100 Natural Sciences All time chart. These reports show that our audience are mainly people with a passion for fishing, with a strong interest in the health and welfare of fish. Exactly the people the Blue Fish Canada charity was created to support, inform and inspire. People who are or will become the next generation of conservation-minded fishing enthusiasts, and quite likely, people who seek a career in conservation, biology or environmental sciences. And let’s not forget those who come next. More than ever, nature needs strong stewards, and that’s exactly who make up our podcast listening audience, the readers of this newsletter, and those youth who are choosing to take part in our experiential programs!

Editor Lawrence Gunther speaking with youth about sustainable fishing

This Week’s Feature – Are Fish Sentient Beings?

By L. Gunther

For many involved with the commercial harvesting of fish, the question of fish being sentient seems to seldom come up. It has however, inspired aspects of the recently formed Code of Practice adopted by the Canadian Aquiculture Industry Alliance. Similar codes have been created and adopted by Canadian farmers with respect to their farmed animals. Without doubt, the topic of animal sentience is gaining ground, so, how does all this change how we handle fish?

Animal care pertains to the physical health of animals; interpreted by many involved with farming as best practices that ensure as many animals as possible complete their intended life journey. Animal welfare is understood as the quality-of-life animals experience from the time they are born up until the moment their life draws to a close. Farmers understand that production processes need to ensure both a farmed animals health and welfare out of respect for the “one-health” relationship that exists between farmers and the animals they produce. It’s also crucial for maintaining the public’s trust that their farmed animals are being raised ethically.

Documented consideration of the welfare of commercially harvested wild fishes is difficult to find.There are however, numerous examples of ethical fish handling practices now promoted throughout the recreational fishing community by most all stakeholders. And yet, recognition that farmed animals or fishes are sentient beings remains a concept few are willing to publicly embrace. The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association recently attempted to address this intransigence by publishing their official position on animal sentience.

Sentience is now being defined by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association as, “having the capacity to experience positive and negative feelings such as pleasure, excitement, fear, hunger, pain, and distress.” On May 16 2024 the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association released the below statement on the sentience of animals:

“Many species of animals are sentient. All vertebrates, and likely many invertebrate animals, are sentient in that they can experience feelings in response to positive or negative stimuli. Consequently, the welfare of sentient animals must be considered as part of ethical decision-making; effort must be made to maximize positive experiences and minimize negative experiences. The needs of the species and the individual must be considered as part of animal care and use practices. Where there may be scientific uncertainty, an assumption of sentience should prevail because it is a key principle in formulating policy on animal welfare.”

People who fish recreationally spend much of their time on the water observing fish behavior and how fishes respond to various stimuli and changes to their environment. We’ve all experienced a “wolf pack” of smallmouth bass initially competing to take our bait, only to suddenly ignore every bait we throw once we have been spotted, and then casually swim away as if we were of little consequence. We also know how to convince a fish that’s showing mild curiosity about our bait to strike by awakening their feeling of either anger, hunger or simply because they just can’t tolerate the idea of food getting away. We have all experienced the frustration of seeing countless fish on our sonar below our boats and being unable to get even one to bite because they just aren’t feeling hungry. Anyone who owns an aquarium knows that their pet fishes demonstrate a sense of anticipation when we open the lid each day to feed our fishes. I’m sure all of us can come up with many more examples of fish behavior that demonstrates their ability to experience a range of emotions.

Sentience is about feeling emotions and how these emotions may differ based on time and place. The same space may elicit different emotions based on the time of day or year, just like how changes to the environment a fish commonly inhabits can alter how that fish might behave. Like a dog, a fishes response has little to do with their planning ahead, and everything to do with what’s happening in their environment right now. Feeding, exercise, play, sleep, are all feelings that make up different parts of a dogs life, and quite possibly even that of fishes, although I’m not sure fishes feel the joy brought on by time spent playing.

Some fear that any talk of fishes as sentient beings re-opens the debate over whether fish feel pain or not. I’m sure they do, but not in the way we feel pain. We will touch just about anything and put our hands at risk of being injured pretty much every day. It’s how we explore the world around us and get things done. We even put things in our mouths that we probably shouldn’t such as the smoke of a fine cigar, the intensity of a good scotch, powerful hot sauces, blue cheese, hot coffee and tea, and much more.

Fishes use their mouth for everything we use ours for, plus as hands to grip, crush, kill, move things about, fight, and explore new things in their environment that move such as a fishing lure. Fish also swallow all manner of other things like shellfish, crawfish, and smaller fish that possess all manner of intended deterrence to ward off attack such as spines and rays. They use their mouths to sort through mud, gravel, sticks and more as they search along the bottom of lakes and rivers for food. In fact, their mouths serve more as hands as made evident by the fact that most of their nerve receptacles used for taste are located outside their mouths along their cheeks and gills.

For more on how fish feel pain, listen to my conversation with Dr. Steven Cooke on the topic. This Blue Fish Radio episode was recorded in 2019: https://www.spreaker.com/episode/fish-pain-explained-by-dr-steven-cooke–16228977

I recently attended the annual meeting of the Great Lakes Fishery Commission made up of U.S. and Canadian Commissioners, scientists, support personnel, and advisors. There was talk about the fisheries in the Great Lakes being certified as sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council, and now quite possibly through the Seafood Watch program operated out of the Monterey Aquarium in California. Both these programs focus on the sustainability of the commercial fishing of different fishes found in specific water bodies, but offer little in terms of fish handling best practices.

I took the opportunity as an observer at the Great Lakes Fishery Commission to raise the idea of the Commission pursuing the development and implementation of an Animal Care Code similar to what Canada’s aquiculture sector recently adopted. Guidelines on how best to ethically treat and handle fishes. I suggested that given that since the freshwater fisheries in the Great Lakes are the most valuable freshwater fishery in the world, might it not be advantageous that it also be conducted in a way that respects the sentience of the fishes being harvested, similar in how we safeguard their existence by administering Sea Lamprey reduction programs, work to prevent invasive species, and ensure fisheries are sustainable?

We are fortunate that fishing is still perceived as a largely innocuous activity in that it’s not regarded as harmful or offensive. Fishing is still portrayed in mainstream media as an acceptable method of harvesting quality protein that over 2-billion people around the world depend on for their survival.

Farmed animal based agriculture was also once accepted by the public as an honourable way of producing food to feed our communities. Throughout Canada and around the world, agriculture sectors and the governments that monitor their activities are working hard to respond to growing public concern over the industrialisation of farm animal production, to ensure farmed animals are not only healthy, but treated in ways that respect the fact that they are sentient beings. Canada’s own organic certification includes provisions that address the welfare of farmed animals, and the Animal Care Codes developed and adopted by stakeholders involved with farming are all evidence that animal health and welfare are important aspects of farming. The federally funded National Farm Animal Care Council has been working closely with Canada’s farmed animal producers and other stakeholders to develop Animal Care Codes that have raised the bar on how animals are to be treated across Canada.

Fish sentience also applies to the tools we use and the way we catch, harvest or release fish. Certain provinces in Canada are now looking at how commercial fishers euthanize their catches, and plan to put an end to putting fish on ice and letting them slowly asphyxiate. More humane ways of euthanizing fishes will soon be mandated, requiring that fish be stunned and then killed in a timely manner.

When I fished Cod in the 1980s along Canada’s east coast aboard small commercial fishing boats, the fish weren’t put on ice as we had none. They were simply placed alive in large empty containers on the deck, and when the containers were filled, laid on the deck itself. At the end of each day the cod – living and dead — were cleaned on route back to the harbour where they were sold to buyers and only then packed in ice.

For hundreds of years none of these in-shore cod fishers used ice to chill their catches as their wooden home made dories had no space or the capacity to carry ice in addition to the weight of a good day’s catch without putting their vessels at risk of sinking, leaving the fishers to die of hypothermia in the 10 degree Celsius water. I don’t ever remember seeing a life jacket aboard the boat, never mind a flotation suit. Most fishers at that time never even learned to swim as they felt it would only prolong their death, and that not knowing how to swim made them more careful. The fact that Cod were stacked aboard their boats without thought of first euthanizing these fish was never discussed.

Interestingly, what isn’t shown on the popular TV program Wicked Tuna, is what happens to the Bluefin Tuna after being successfully hooked, reeled in, harpooned, and their tails rapped. To cool off the still-living flesh of the tuna and prevent its valuable meat being cooked due to the excessive energy and heat the fish just generated trying to break free, a special hook is inserted into the tuna’s mouth and then this warm-blooded fish is swum slowly behind the moving boat so it’s still beating heart can circulate blood throughout its body and cool down. Viewers are given the impression that the tuna itself dies very shortly after being successfully harpooned, tail-wrapped and then quickly brought aboard the boat.

One can debate over whether or not the tuna being kept alive and swum behind the boat is ethical or not, but it’s clearly something producers of the show decided not to show viewers over concern over their possibly responding negatively to this prolonging of the tuna’s eventual demise. And yet, without allowing the Tuna to cool down, the value of the flesh is significantly reduced, a reality that is given serious consideration during the evaluation of the quality of the Tuna’s flesh by the buyer.

Public perceptions of farming are changing, and the welfare of farmed animals must now be reflected in how such animals are treated throughout their life. Canada’s fin-fish aquiculture sector has also now adopted guidelines to ensure farmed fish are respected as well. Commercial fishing has already begun to respond to growing pressure to fish sustainably, it’s now just a matter of time until they too adopt practices that reflect the fact that fishes are sentient beings.

Whether harvested or released, fish deserve to be treated humanely. Most recreational fishers understand this, which is why most all fishing boats now come equipped with expensive livewells that circulate and oxygenate water so that fish might be kept calm and alive as anglers assemble the best possible day’s catch according to limits based on fish size and total allowable catch, whether it be for competition or harvest.

It’s now up to commercial fishers to make the investment to develop and implement fish handling best practices that reflect what scientists now know about fishes and their sentience. Should the public determine that commercial fishing operations disrespect fish, public sentiment about commercial fishing in general may continue to diminish, resulting in fewer people choosing to eat fish or take up fishing as a profession or pastime.

Fishing is one of the last activities people pursue that involves harvesting food from the wild. Should this final thread be broken between people and nature, our level of interest in making sure nature is respected as a whole may also weaken, leaving it open to greater levels of unsustainable economic activity in the interest of short-term wealth creation by corporations and communities alike.

It’s largely because of the 6-milion Canadians who fish recreationally each year that we have the conservation measures that ensure nature is respected. Not only are anglers conservationists at heart, it’s because of the economic value generated through recreational fishing that incentivise both communities and governments to respond to the importance we place on the protection of wild fishes and the conservation of fish habitat.

For much of northern and rural Canada, fishing-based tourism represents their strongest sustainable source of economic prosperity. In the Great Lakes, recreational fishing and fishing by indigenous communities accounts for about 95% of the over $9.5-bilion economic value generated each year – the remaining 5% is generated by commercial fishing.

Despite the 21% bump in participation in recreational fishing brought about by COVID-19, numbers of recreational fishers across Canada are steadily declining, as are people who fish commercially. The Great Lakes commercial fisheries are also in decline, as is fishing among indigenous communities. Should fishers suddenly be viewed publicly as engaging in an unethical activity, these participation levels will drop even faster, leaving behind our last significant connection with nature and the motivation to safeguard wild fishes.

Recreational angling stakeholders from tackle and boat manufacturers to the people responsible for organizing fishing tournaments expend considerable effort and cost to ensure fishing is conducted ethically. Let’s also make sure our respect for fishes is also reflected when we make our fish purchase choices at grocery stores and restaurants. We understand that the sustainability of fish stocks is fundamental, but we need to make sure that people involved with catching, processing and selling commercially caught fishes understand that fish also need to be treated humanely.

The Latest Fishing, Fish Health and Fish Habitat News

Fishing:

Canadian Fishing Network’s Nationwide Tournament kicks off June 29th / Angler’s Atlas
The CFN Fish Off starts Saturday, June 29 until Monday, August 5, 2024. It’s FREE for ALL ages sponsored by Shimano. Anyone fishing in Canadian waters can participate in the CFN Fish Off. All entries must be submitted using the MyCatch mobile app (available to download for any Apple and Android mobile device).

How the Critical Catch program is safeguarding Georgian Bay, one tangled mess of mono at a time / Outdoor Canada
Fishing is a cherished pastime, offering outdoor enthusiasts the chance to connect with nature and reel in unforgettable memories. There are, however, environmental challenges associated with our beloved sport, most notably the negative impact of abandoned fishing gear such as monofilament line.

Salmon fishery opened on the Northwest River / NTV
On June 22, Parks Canada opened the Northwest River in Terra Nova National Park to anglers for a salmon quota of 100 fish.

For one B.C. angler, the live release of a likely record-book fish is the true trophy / Outdoor Canada
After John netted the chinook and we quickly measured it three times, we carefully put it back in the water and watched as it swam away, continuing its journey. Anglers in another boat close to us asked for the measurements: 55 inches long, with a girth of 38 inches. They checked their chart to calculate the weight (length times girth times girth divided by 750) and announced the result: 105.9 pounds! It was the biggest chinook ever on record to be caught and released by a recreational angler.

PETA calls out Stoney Creek Dads Thinking about going fishing / Toronto Sun
PETA is sending out a message that is graphic novel-inspired, urging dads – specifically in and who drive around Stoney Creek – to not spend their special day “dragging sentient fish from their underwater homes and suffocating or gutting them while they’re still conscious.”

The Ultimate Angler World Championship / Best on Tour
New big money non forward facing sonar event will take place on Lake Guntersville in 2025. While there is very little information available at this time, the organization’s website lists the state of Alabama, Alabama Department Of Conservation & Natural Resources, and the city of Scottsboro, AL as partners.

Heat wave closes salmon fishing on N.B. rivers / CBC
Fisheries and Oceans Canada said on its website that salmon pools are closed to angling on the Miramichi River system.

Shark Depredation: A Frustrating Experience for Fishermen in the Atlantic / NOAA
Shark depredation is a growing concern for recreational anglers. NOAA Fisheries is taking steps to better understand the frequency of depredation events and the circumstances around these interactions.

EU Fisheries Control Regulation: status & app development / EFTTA
EU institutions have agreed that recreational sea fishers shall be licensed or registered. The regulations stipulates that marine recreational fishers operating in EU territorial waters must register and declare their catch through a certified app starting in 2026. Until then, the EU Fishing App must be developed, tested, and ready for use.

How Viking-Age Hunters Took Down the Biggest Animal on Earth / Hakai
New research suggests that medieval Icelanders were scavenging and likely even hunting blue whales long before industrial whaling technology.

Seeking summer splake / Keep Canada Fishing
Even experienced anglers often need to take a second look to accurately identify splake, being that they’re a hybrid.

Pending lead ban: EFTTA position 2024 / EFTTA
Compared to the European Fishing Tackle Trade Association’s lead position from 2022 a couple of things have changed since then. In particular: 1/ EFTTA agreed to support not only a sales ban but also a use ban; 2/ EFTTA suggests 3% as the max. acceptable lead percentage in brass (previously 4%).

NOAA SHARES PLANS TO RE-ENVISION RECREATIONAL FISHING DATA COLLECTION / NOAA Fisheries
NOAA Fisheries Office of Science and Technology reflects on the importance of collaborating on a fresh approach to the recreational fisheries data collection partnership in the United States. The NOAA collects recreational fishing data from anglers through a network of surveys. These data result in estimates of recreational catch and effort. Alongside commercial, observer, and biological data, they help inform stock assessments and resulting fisheries management advice. The aim is to provide optimal fishing opportunities while balancing the need to protect marine fisheries resources. the involvement of The recreational fishing community is crucial to the success of this process.

Fish:

About 150 dead trout and juvenile salmon found in eastern P.E.I. river / CBC
Staff from two P.E.I. government departments were gathering information from the Cardigan River after finding about 150 dead fish in the area.

Officials seize around $500K worth of baby eels from Toronto Pearson Airport / CBC
The seizure of 109 kilograms of elvers was carried out on Wednesday by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). The federal government closed the lucrative elver fishery on March 11 after violence and intimidation plagued last year’s fishing season in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

Unconventional Sex Let Anglerfish Conquer the Deep Ocean / New York Times
Ever wonder how marine creatures mate in the deep sea? It turns out that tiny male anglerfish clamp onto the big bellies of females with their teeth, probably tracking them by scent in the vast darkness. And some males never let go; they fuse with their female hosts for life, losing their eyes and most of their organs, but providing a perpetual source of sperm.

New Recommendations from Ocean Wise Recognize Sustainable B.C. Salmon Fisheries / SkeenaWild
Consumers want to buy sustainably caught seafood but have been hampered by eco-labels that greenwash harmful industrial fisheries and exclude smaller-scale sustainable fisheries for too long. This has especially been the case for Pacific salmon, where community-led Indigenous fisheries in British Columbia have been passed over by major eco-labels, while unsustainable interception fisheries in Alaska have enjoyed long-standing approval. The new rapid assessment standard announced by Ocean Wise is a major step forward in allowing people to make responsible choices at their local grocery stores and restaurants. Chefs and shop owners in B.C. will now be able to offer their customers locally caught, Ocean Wise-certified salmon from our province’s most sustainable fisheries.

Belugas may communicate by warping a blob of forehead fat / Smithsonian, Science News
Those of us with pets swear we can intuit their moods through their diverse body language; cats, for instance, make up to 300 different recognizable facial expressions. According to new research, beluga whales may communicate similarly. Belugas can modulate a big blob of fat on their foreheads into at least five distinct, eye-catching shapes, which scientists suspect make up part of the species’ body language repertoire.

Sound of Whale Song Signals Antarctic Blue Whales May Be Making a Comeback / Yale E360
There’s more good news that whales seem to be slowly recovering from the devastation of industrial whaling. In the Antarctic Ocean, scientists have spent the past 20 years listening for whale calls. Blue whales, the scientists say, have been turning up in their recordings more and more, suggesting the species’ population is growing.

Great Lakes Community Meets The Moment To Advance Coaster Restoration / FishingWire
On the Lake Superior coast, a coalition of partners facilitated by Trout Unlimited are coming together to breathe new life into the study and recovery of native coaster brook trout – a life history variation of brook trout that spend part of their lives in Lake Superior. Scientists do not consider them to be genetically distinct from inland brook trout—these are still scientifically known as Salvelinus fontinalis—but they can grow much larger by foraging in the big lake, reaching up to 25 inches.

Kayaking scientist raises alarm over mass die-off of farmed salmon / Coast Reporter
Mass mortality event kills hundreds of tonnes of B.C. farmed salmon. DFO and operator attribute mass die-off to low oxygen, but one scientist who visited one far-flung site in a kayak worries the real cause could be more complicated.

Sperm whales drop ‘bubble of poo’ off WA to prevent orca attack in rarely recorded encounter / ABC
Animals have all sorts of weird and wonderful ways to distract and evade predators, from bioluminescent flashes to squirts of ink. Off Western Australia, some sperm whales demonstrated the effectiveness of their own particularly potent evasion tactic: a cloud of diarrhea.

Meth-addict fish, aggro starlings, caffeinated minnows: animals radically changed by human drugs / The Guardian
Lots of the drugs we humans use (illicit and otherwise) are water-soluble. That’s bad news for marine animals. When exposed to compounds such as methamphetamine, animals can develop a variety of unfortunate side effects. That realization has scientists calling for the pharmaceutical industry to create drugs less that are likely to cause contamination.

One of Earth’s Biggest Freshwater Fishes is Bouncing Back / National Geographic
Giant freshwater fish are among the most endangered animals on Earth. But in the lush waterways of the Amazon, one leviathan is swimming against the current.

Asian carp measures remain delayed / Ontario OUT of DOORS
Squabbling between the state of Illinois and the US federal government is delaying measures planned to keep Asian carp out of the Great Lakes. example, electrical and acoustic barriers, an air bubble curtain, a flushing lock, and an engineered channel are at issue.

In the Caribbean, Hammerhead Sharks Return to School / Hakai
The detection of schooling behavior is a promising sign of recovery for this iconic and endangered animal.

Why are there suddenly salmon in Canada’s far northwest? / Polarjournal
More and more pacific salmon are ending up far in the Northwest Territories.

Habitat:

So Long to Open-Net-Pen Salmon Farms? / Hakai
The Canadian federal government has been under orders from the British Columbia Supreme Court since 2012 to deal with the problems posed by open-net-pen salmon farms in British Columbia waters. The government shut down several farms in the Discovery Islands region in 2020, and the government had committed to transitioning away from open-net-pen farming by 2025. Well, it’s 2024, and the feds just announced they’re now looking to ban open-net-pen farms “in five years.” (Hakai Magazine, The Guardian)

Alberta’s increased aquatic invasive species fines will be the highest in North America / ISC
Fines associated with avoiding boat inspections in Alberta will increase by thousands starting June 20. The fines for failing to stop with a trailered boat at an open inspection station will jump from $324 to $4,200. For those that fail to remove a bilge plug when transporting a watercraft on a roadway, the fines will rise from $180 to $600.

William Shatner dives into salmon farm debate in profanity-laden campaign / City News
Canadian actor William Shatner has put together a public service announcement on open net pen salmon farms – and he isn’t holding back.

Whirling disease next front in war on invasive species – TimesChronicle.ca
The war on aquatic invasive species was given a boost recently with British Columbia’s chief veterinarian issuing an order making it illegal to transport watercraft in the province with the drain plug still in place. The order is part of an ongoing actions to contain and prevent further spread of whirling disease and keep invasive mussels out of BC waterways.

Federal government BANS open net pen fish farms / Watershed Watch
The federal government announced that all open net-pen salmon farms will be out of B.C. coastal waters over the next five years. After relentless lobbying by the multibillion-dollar Norwegian farming companies, and some troubling signals from our Quebec-based fisheries minister, the folks at Watershed Watch were worried the feds were going to completely abandon their promise to get the farms out. Yesterday’s announcement specified that closed-containment systems will be allowed to operate “in marine waters and on land” past 2029, but this will not include “semi-closed” systems that would discharge virus and parasite-infected waste from the farms into the surrounding waters.

Anglers Against Litter campaign wins ‘Keep Britain Tidy Award’ / EFTTA
The Anglers Against Litter campaign, a joint initiative run by the U.K.’s Angling Trust and Shimano and supported by the U.K.’s Environment Agency, has been honoured with a Keep Britain Tidy, Great British Spring Clean ‘Best in Business Award’.

Drug residue accumulation in fish can be predicted with increasing accuracy / University of Helsinki
A study conducted at the University of Helsinki proposes new initiatives for predicting the environmental effects of pharmaceuticals with the help of molecular interactions in fish.

Environment minister responds to chief’s concerns about toxic sewage spill at Chalk River / CBC
The federal environment minister is open to improvements after an Algonquin leader raised concerns about a toxic sewage spill at the Chalk River nuclear research laboratory about 175 kilometres west of Ottawa.

Bureaucrats under investigation for silencing scientists over fish farm findings / The Skeena
Canada’s Integrity Commissioner will look into whether scientists have been prevented by the DFO from communicating salmon farming research.

Expiring salmon farms near Quadra Island eyed for kelp farming / My Campbell River Now
With Discovery Islands salmon farming licences set to expire at the end of this month, two sites near Quadra Island may soon change into seaweed farms.

Experts raise concerns over potential cyanide spread after Yukon mine failure / CBC
Following reports of a major slide, Victoria Gold’s stock price plummeted overnight. Now, experts are warning about the potential impacts of cyanide in the territory’s waterways.

PSF Statement on Open-Net Pen Aquaculture Transition / Pacific Salmon Foundation
The Pacific Salmon Foundation began researching whether or not open-net pen salmon farms posed a risk to wild Pacific salmon in 2013. Over the course of more than a decade and 60-plus publications, our current evidence-based position became obvious. We believe that ending open-net pen salmon farming in B.C. is a critical decision to support the conservation of wild Pacific salmon. Given the challenged state of many Pacific salmon species, we would have preferred a shorter timeline than the five-year license renewals announced today. Yet, we must acknowledge the need for a thoughtful and well-supported transition for First Nations and coastal communities impacted by this decision.

Feds unveil strategy for stopping biodiversity loss by 2030 / iPolitics
The strategy reaffirms Canada’s commitment to protecting 30 per cent of its land and water by the end of the decade.

Concerns as farmed fish production exceeds wild catch for first time / Foodservice Footprint
World fisheries and aquaculture production has hit a new high, with aquaculture production of aquatic animals surpassing wild fisheries for the first time, according to a new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

How 3M Execs Convinced a Scientist the Forever Chemicals She Found in Human Blood Were Safe / ProPublica
Decades ago, Kris Hansen showed 3M that its PFAS chemicals were in people’s bodies. Her bosses halted her work. As the EPA now forces the removal of the chemicals from drinking water, she wrestles with the secrets that 3M kept from her and the world.

‘A hard conversation’ about Atlantic salmon farms / Narwhal
Months before releasing a stark scientific assessment of the impact of fish farms on Atlantic salmon, federal officials grappled with how they would share the conclusions with industry and provincial regulators, according to internal correspondence obtained by The Narwhal. The March 2024 report was the first to formally assess the threat of interactions between wild salmon and escapees from the fish farms that dot the coastline in Atlantic Canada.

Indigenous:

Inuvialuit-led conservation area protects the Yukon’s northern stretch / Narwhal
The Aullaviat/Anguniarvik Traditional Conservation Area is the final piece of a vast network protecting the northern stretch of the Yukon.

Native American tribe wins right to hunt gray whales off Washington coast / The Guardian
The Makah Tribe, hailing from what is now Washington State, just got legal approval to resume a limited subsistence and ceremonial whale hunt. The Indigenous community will be allowed to catch 25 eastern North Pacific gray whales over 10 years.

Gitxsan Nation issues fishing ban notice, waters ministry refutes it / The Smithers Interior News
The Gitxsan Nation has issued a fishing ban notice for the 2024 season, but the provincial Ministry of Water, Land and Natural Resource Stewardship rejected the notice.

Hook, Line and Cannery: Decolonizing Seafood
How five First Nations on Vancouver Island are joining to redefine fishing industry success. A Tyee Q&A.

Industry:

Environmentally Friendly Tackle / Clam Outdoors
With high-grade materials like tungsten in our jigs and zinc alloy in our spoons, we are reducing the amount of lead used in our tackle lineup. Tungsten and zinc alloy baits are generally more durable than lead baits. Tungsten is known for its high sensitivity, which allows anglers to feel even subtle bites more easily compared to lead. This sensitivity can be an advantage when fishing. Lead has long been a concern due to its toxicity to wildlife and the environment. Tungsten and zinc alloy are considered safer alternatives as they are non-toxic. We are proud to stand apart as an eco-friendly tackle brand.

Boating:

Are electric boats the future of Fishing / Global News
Heidi Petracek explains how electric fishing vessels are getting closer to becoming mainstream and how governments are floating millions in funding.

Books:

Why Chris Harvey-Clark made it his mission to find the ‘Great Canadian Shark’ / CBC Listen
In Search of the Great Canadian Shark is a new book by Chris Harvey-Clark, which looks back at over a half century of diving. He spoke with Mainstreet’s Alex Mason to describe some of his experiences — and why swimming with sharks is a family tradition.

Videos:

Annual Great Lakes Day Conference Videos Share Info on PFAS, Marine Debris / Michigan Sea Grant
The 34th annual Great Lakes Day virtual conference brought together Great Lakes professionals to describe their work and many issues being faced in the region.

Call to Action:

Sign the Save Blind Bay Petition Today! / STR
Join the Save The River, Thousand Islands Land Trust and the Blind Bay Coalition in taking action to make our voices heard! Save The River Upper St. Lawrence Riverkeeper, along with the Blind Bay Coalition, has emphasized the importance of the community’s involvement in protecting Blind Bay’s environment and the River culture we all enjoy. Sign the Save Blind Bay Petition Today!

Coming Up:

Registration for the 2024 OTN Symposium closes on June 30!; / Ocean Tracking Network
This year’s symposium is taking place on Sept 23-26 at the Halifax Convention Centre in Halifax, N.S. and will be co-located with the OCEANS 2024 conference. Oral presentations, speed talks, workshops and posters will be organized under the themes of conservation and management; movement ecology; freshwater and rivers; collaboration, outreach, and engagement; and more.

Podcast:

BLUE FISH RADIO: DO FISH FEEL PAIN? OUTDOOR CANADA MAGAZINE
Do fish feel pain? Surprisingly, there isn’t a lot of credible research on the topic, but that doesn’t stop people from speculating. In this episode of Blue Fish Radio, host Lawrence Gunther tries to separate fact from fiction by talking to leading fisheries expert Steven Cooke (above). He’s the Canada Research Chair of Environmental Science and Biology at Carleton University, working in the field of fish ecology and conservation physiology. It’s safe to say he knows a thing or two about fish. Listen in to hear his pointed comments on the topic of fish pain.

Special Guest Feature – Jaws of the North

Tell Tale Productions

Canada’s Dr. Chris Harvey-Clark has been working on a documentary about efforts to photo identify great white sharks in Nova Scotia waters since 2020. Over the last 4 years about 35 sharks have been identified using underwater camera images, shark cage diving, drones and ROVs. A white shark id database has also been initiated at the Ocean Tracking Network thanks to help from Executive Director Dr Fred Whoriskey.

This massive team effort has culminated in the first ever successful Discovery USA Shark Week Documentary shot in Canada by a Canadian crew and featuring sharks in Canadian waters. Tune in July 10 2024 for “Jaws of the North”.

Proudly Canadian and featuring Andy Casagrande as host, the foremost shark videographer on the planet. His productions are frequent fliers on Shark Week for the past 20 years.

And be sure to get Dr. Chris Harvey-Clark’s new book, In Search of the Great Canadian Shark’ also available as an e book.

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