OSBORNE BURKE: Moderate livelihood debate must be tethered to facts
OSBORNE BURKE • Guest Opinion
Osborne Burke is president of Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance
Re: “Why the Mi’kmaw shouldn’t feel trapped by DFO shell games.” Mount Saint Vincent University professor emeritus Anthony Davis’s April 24 opinion piece hits the mark on some legitimate concerns, but badly misses it on many others.
The Nova Scotia Seafood Alliance is the voice of the land-based seafood sector in our province. Our membership comprises over 140 small and medium-sized independent entities that are committed to achieving the highest standards and returns for all our industry partners, including commercially licensed fishers and coastal communities.
Contrary to Prof. Davis’s suggestion, we are not privy to, nor have any influence on, harvesting discussions and/or decision-making when it comes to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans, commercial harvesters and First Nations. Despite not being at the table for these critical conversations, we purchase, process and market Nova Scotian wild-caught seafood to the world. Simply put, we know a thing or two about how the industry works. As the principal buyers of wild-caught seafood, we can provide factual information — not opinion — about prices paid in Nova Scotia.
Prof. Davis’s suggestion that harvesters “receive but a small fraction of the resource’s retail value” is simply wrong. In lobster, for instance, it is estimated that harvesters have been receiving 75-80 per cent or more of the export value of the resource over the last three years. If governments are acting to augment the financial position of commercial buyers at the risk of harvesters, as Prof. Davis implies, he should be giving them a failing grade on that front as well.
In fact, at the time of writing, commercial fishers are receiving $13 a pound at the wharf for live lobster, and $8 a pound at the dock for snow crab. It is difficult to be told that buyers are not paying sufficiently for the resource, particularly during a pandemic, as we cope with a massively shrunken marketplace.
Finally, Maine may not be the very best example of resource/market sustainability. Prof. Davis correctly points out that Maine has a relatively unregulated fishery from a seasonal perspective. However, his curiously worded caveat that “a bit more catch variability is evident in Maine landings” is misleading at best. Based on Maine lobster landing data, their catch has declined 27.1 per cent from 2016 to 2020. This is fact — not opinion.
To be clear, the NSSA supports advancing the moderate livelihood conversation toward a workable solution. For over two decades, government inaction and lack of meaningful First Nations engagement have been critical failures. However, if we hope to elevate the public discourse regarding this longstanding and complex issue, it must be supported with factual information.