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For Immediate Release 12 January, 2000 Sender: sust-mar-owner@chebucto.ns.ca Precedence: bulk Study on Swordfish Released The Ecology Action Centre released a report today on the past, present and future of the swordfish fishery in Atlantic Canada. Gretchen Fitzgerald, the reportUs author, interviewed over 40 fishermen, many of them old timers, as well as scientists, managers, and industry representatives. The report is the first comprehensive study of the swordfish fishery in Atlantic Canada and covers swordfish biology, the history of the fishery, including First Nations involvement, conservation concerns, and the rich culture of the fishery. Much of the report is in the fishermenUs own words: On swordfish: A swordfish is the prettiest blue youUd ever see. I'd be seeing it in my sleep. On bycatch in longlining: We got so sick of it: the little teeny fish, the leatherbacks, blackfish [pilot whales] all balled up, sharks by the thousands. On the culture: I've listened to swordfishing tales since I was five years old. The whole family was into it. It's a disease, an addiction...it's got pot all beat to hell. The report reached two main conclusions about the two methods used to catch swordfish: 1.surface longlining has far-reaching impacts on the oceanUs pelagic ecosystem because of the number of swordfish caught including immature fish and the bycatch of other species, such as sharks and turtles, and therefore should be closely regulated; and 2.harpooning, while not without impact, is a more sustainable way to catch swordfish and should be encouraged. Unfortunately, at the present time the Government is pursuing policies which are discriminatory toward the harpoon fleet. Surface or pelagic longlinine gear consists of 30 or more miles of floating line and baited hooks. The gear is set in the surface waters at night. Harpooning gear basically consists of a harpoon and the harpooner. Harpooning can only be done on calm days in mid to late summer when the fish come to the surface. The study also examined the rise and fall of the swordfish fishery off Cape Breton. Up until the 1960s swordfish were a common sight off Cape Breton, today you rarely see one. The fishermen interviewed identified several causes for the decline including changes in oceanographic conditions, overfishing by the harpoon fleet, changes in fishing patterns, the spread of longlining in the NW Atlantic, and the construction of the Canso causeway in 1955. -30- For more information contact Mark Butler at 429-2202 -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- The preceding message was posted on the Sustainable Maritimes mailing list (sust-mar). http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/lists/sust-mar -*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- Sponsors: Chebucto Community Net http://www.chebucto.ns.ca Sierra Club - Chebucto Group http://www.sierraclub.ca Volunteer listowner: Paul Falvo sust-mar-owner@chebucto.ns.ca
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