Fishing on the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador... Catching cod and crab,
shrimp, turbot, redfish, and sometimes pulling aboard fish you don't want to see.
Here's one now, a wolffish. The wolffish, cat-fish to most fishermen.
Not the prettiest fish in the sea for sure, and look at those teeth!
Why then is the government of Canada so concerned about the wolffish?
Why are they protected by law?
Why are fishermen being asked to carefully release any wolffish they accidentally catch?
Well basically because studies have shown that the wolffish is in trouble.
Their numbers have declined drastically over the past 30 years.
Especially the spotted wolffish and the northern, known as jelly cat to many fishermen. They are both listed as threatened.
In other words if action isn't taken these fish could be on the path to extinction.
The other wolffish, the striped, seems to be in somewhat better shape. However it's being watched carefully
and is listed as being of special concern.
So what can fishermen do when they show up on their hooks and in their nets?
Basically fishermen are advised to keep an eye out for them, handle them carefully, and release them as soon as possible.
One of the mainstays of the Newfoundland and the Quebec fishery in recent years has been shrimp.
Vessels range all over the Newfoundland coast and the coast of Labrador searching for a load of those tasty morsels.
Let's go on board the Newfoundland Traveller as she trawls for shrimp in 3L about 130 miles off Fogo Island.
After towing two or three hours, it's time to take back the shrimp trawl.
The long warps are winched in, the doors appear and eventually the shrimp trawl itself.
Here comes the by-catch excluder grate. The grate that keeps larger fish from entering the trawl.
The Newfoundland Traveller wants only shrimp; this device keeps unwanted by-catch out.
It will keep out wolffish too, at least the larger ones.
Some tiny ones may slip through the gate though and there is not much you can do about it.
The only possible way to reduce mortality among juvenile wolffish is to avoid areas where there are high concentrations of young wolffish
and to have shorter towing times.
The shrimp spill into a waste high hopper. This makes the next step a lot easier.
Next, the catch must be checked over to remove any other fish or debris that may have been accidently caught.
This sharp-eyed deckhand seems to have spotted something "un-shrimp-like".
Yes, here it is, a very young wolffish.
Wolffish can be caught by almost any type of fishing gear.
It's important to release them unharmed as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Here are some suggestions:
Though many fishermen consider the wolffish to be a nuisance and a competitor on the fishing ground,
they must do their best to protect the species and whenever possible, release them unharmed.
Wolffish are part of a delicate ocean ecosystem that we are only beginning to understand. They must be protected.
If their numbers continue to decline, commercial fisheries could be affected.
It's in the fishermen's own interest to protect the wolffish and other threatened or endangered species.
Hopefully, fishermen everywhere will do their best to make sure this interesting creature,
the wolffish, will always be found in our waters.
Brought to you by the Government of Canada