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4 May, 1999 For Immediate Release Just What We Need...More Draggers High Liner Food's Henry Demone informed shareholders at the firm's annual meeting in Halifax on Monday that as a result of a slight recovery of cod off Southern Newfoundland the company has plans to buy up to five modern fish draggers. (See Tues. edition of Chronicle Herald and Daily News.) The reaction of the Ecology Action Centre is one of disbelief and dismay. Says Mark Butler, Marine Coordinator at the Centre, "the Federal Government has just spent big bucks trying to reduce fishing capacity, now at the slightest hint of fish, companies are talking about new draggers." There are four good reasons why there is no room for new fishing capacity, particularly destructive fishing technology, in the Atlantic Canadian groundfish fishery: 1. Scientific evidence is mounting that dragging damages fish habitat. (See the prestigious journal Conservation Biology, Vol. 12, No. 6, Dec. 98). Until this issue is resolved the Federal Government should put a moratorium on the licencing of new groundfish dragging vessels. 2. Fish stocks off Nova Scotia are not showing any sign of recovery and those off Newfoundland only a slight improvement. If companies invest in new capacity at the first sign of a recovery, this will put pressure on the government to up quotas and we will see history repeat itself. 3. In two consecutive programs the Federal Government spent hundreds of millions of taxpayers dollars buying back fishing capacity; all inshore vessels, mostly less destructive groundfish longliners. Now a fishing company is going to purchase new vessels which will likely equal or exceed the capacity of the vessels bought out by the buy back program. 4. High Liner, as a result of moving into new products, such as pasta and chicken, and the purchase of fish from Alaska and Europe, has not only survived the fisheries collapse, but has prospered. In contrast, many coastal communities have been devastated by the collapse. It is time for a public debate about the allocation of fish and the cost of the various options to taxpayers and society. In addressing shareholders, Mr. Demone also said about the new vessels that "...we won't buy them if we don't need them." The EAC would urge High Liner to shelve their plans. The Centre also urges the Federal Government to develop an approach to fishing capacity which embodies ecological principles and social values and doesn't cost the taxpayers more money. For more information contact Mark Butler at 429-2202 -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- You received this because you are subscribed to "sust-mar", the Sustainable Maritimes mailing list. To unsubscribe, send email to <majordomo@chebucto.ns.ca> with "unsubscribe sust-mar" (without quotes) as the body of your message. To post a message to sust-mar subscribers, send it to <sust-mar@chebucto.ns.ca> Posts that are off-topic or excessive length (10K) will be rejected. For help contact <sust-mar-owner@chebucto.ns.ca>
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