Important Consultations on the Implementation of Weak Rope Measures

November 10, 2021

IMPORTANT CONSULTATIONS ON WEAK ROPE MEASURES

As many of you may have seen, the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) released a Notice to Harvesters late Monday afternoon. The Notice identifies new “Weak Rope” measures being implemented by DFO and upcoming virtual consultations being held on the matter. It is IMPORTANT that ALL HARVESTERS attend these virtual consultations to voice your concerns.

“Whale-safe” gear is being pushed as a protection method for North Atlantic Right Whales throughout the country, however Right Whales are not populous in NL waters.

The proposed gear modifications are aimed to protect any large mammals by breaking at/below 1700lbs of force. This will not work for fish harvesters in Newfoundland and Labrador. FFAW-Unifor has made it clear to DFO on every occasion that this is not a safe or practical solution, especially for a region that has never had a Right Whale entanglement. As harvesters know, our gear must be built to withstand the force of tides, possible interactions with other fishing gear and potential interactions with ice coverage. Weakening gear will only create more lost gear – creating additional environmental waste and safety hazards.

NL harvesters have already undertaken gear modifications to mark rope to prevent entanglements. Additional modifications for weak links will be a significant cost burden to the owner-operator fish harvester. Not only do fish harvesters incur the loss of gear, they must also incur the expense of weak link mechanisms for all fleets of gear, and potentially each and every lobster trap.

Harvesters have made it clear to DFO in previous consultations that implementing these measures would not be feasible for Newfoundland and Labrador fishing conditions. Ensure you attend one of the below virtual consultations to voice your concerns before these measures are made mandatory.

MEETING TIMES:

November 29, 630 p.m. to 830 p.m. – Groundfish Fixed Gear

November 30, 630 p.m. to 830 p.m. – Shellfish

December 1, 630 p.m. to 830 p.m. – Pelagics Fixed Gear

These meetings can be accessed via Zoom. Zoom details outlined below for each meeting:

Groundfish Fixed Gear Meeting Zoom Details:

Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/96501347217?pwd=cEh1emw0dTF1VEpYM29uUUp1QXdGUT09

Or Dial 1-855 703 8985 Canada Toll-free

Meeting ID: 965 0134 7217
Passcode: 003661

Snowcrab Meeting Zoom Details:

Join Zoom Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/91802034452?pwd=N1NSRUlHUG5VcWl0MlV4dVdWdXNNUT09

Or Dial 1-855 703 8985 Canada Toll-free