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Saturday , December 30 1899

Comments (total comments:51)

Response to Kay. :

I think you should get your facts straight, ask anyone who ever had any dealings with catching a tuna putting it in a tuna coffin and flying to Japan with it right to the auction, i dont think $5 lbs would cut it!!!
I do agree with your comment towards DFO

Posted: 9/20/2012 11:14:02 AM

W :

OK why cannot DFO be ready for this type of odd situation????, i feel in this circumstance that DFO should have recovered this magnificent fish and have the authority to do with whatever if fit, leeave it to rot on the ocean floor????? unreal...of course UNORGANIZED!!!! and just a waste, get it togather DFO!!!

Posted: 9/20/2012 11:03:46 AM

The fishermens' biggest mistake was.... :

to tell the media. Newfoundlanders do not have any empathy for fellow Newfoundlanders anymore. You have opened yourself to public condemnation my friend. Although your intentions may have been good, it does not matter. This is the way things are in good old Newfoundland these days. I wish you well as you deal with being picked apart and crucified. Unfortunately, nobody wants to hear the truth these days!

Posted: 9/20/2012 10:49:34 AM

Karon :

SHOCKING....WHAT A TERRIBLE WASTE
DFO SHOULD HAVE SOMETHING IN PLACE
WHEN THESE SITUATIONS COME UP!!!!!

Posted: 9/20/2012 9:54:30 AM

Jeff :

What a waste is right, you should be able to keep any bycatch. Throw away a fish worth half a million dollars is disgraceful, any fish for that matter. It's not like he had a net set trying to catch tuna. It should be a crime to dispose of perfectly healthy fish. How many tuna are accidently caught in herring nets? 1 every 10 years. 2 thumbs down for DFO.

Posted: 9/19/2012 11:34:06 PM

The tuna king :

thank god, we have dfo or not there would be nothing left in the water.he should of left the tuna swim away as it was alive.

Posted: 9/19/2012 10:29:59 PM

Fisher joe :

YES Fred we are told by DFO to dump fish all the time.........alive or dead...............do some research before you put your foot in your mouth

Posted: 9/19/2012 9:12:09 PM

Fred :

What a waste.

Posted: 9/19/2012 5:19:39 PM

Frank :

Said the fish was in a herring trap....which means it was in there swimming around when he got it....
let it go....
if he HAD to catch it, which I find hard to believe having pulled many herring / cod traps...then DFO will come and collect it....

no one at DFO is going to say trow it voer the wharf....
however we are supposet o release them at sea....

Salmon used to be the same thing in a caplin trap...let them go....if they were caught in the leader, which they shouldn't as the mess whas SUPPOSE to be big enough, DFO would come take them....

What they did with them....never knew....but never threw any dead salmon overboard....

Posted: 9/19/2012 4:41:59 PM

Saltheart :

only goes to show that the people in charge only see black and white and logic or common sense is not part of the equation, when are we going to learn not to be wasteful, onything that comes from our waters should be utilized in some way instead of just dropping it to the sea floor...we are our own worse enemies when it comes to the oceans and wastage this is just shocking and stupid

Posted: 9/19/2012 4:22:18 PM

Oh the humanity :

anyone who thinks its ok to kill and dump is a fool.the fact that this is the law is just 1 more example of how utterly stupid & backwards we really are..too simple i guess just to eat it.any fella who is in a position to cash in on any illegal fishery & wants to be at it ..is..its not a new idea to the province...this was a stupid,rash moronic decision made a govt agency that is a true reflection of canadian govt today....useless...oh yes and we keep letting our gas & power skyrocket while the elite laugh at us

Posted: 9/19/2012 4:16:37 PM

Wiji :

That is so sad

Posted: 9/19/2012 3:50:19 PM

Fed up :

Am so sick of bureaucrats robbing the rest of us with our own hard earned dollars. Easy for them - a guaranteed paycheck and pension and no real skills or brains or common sense necessary!!!

Posted: 9/19/2012 2:49:39 PM

Squidjuice :

What a waste of a perfectly good fish. It was bycatch! Either sell it and give the money to charity or give the fish to somebody who could process it. Imagine all the tuna sandwiches that would make!

Posted: 9/19/2012 2:27:17 PM

Karl H :

D - F - O , dump fish overboard , what a brilliant decision.............PATHETIC !!

Posted: 9/19/2012 2:08:51 PM

Kay :

My husband is a Tuna Fisherman. So contrary to what some have suggested here the tuna was not worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. If the Tuna was not prepared and iced as soon as it came out of the water it would be worth maximum $5/pound. In August 2012 the average price for a really good Tuna caught in Atlantic Canada was $15/pound. I do agree that DFO could have handled this situation better though.

Posted: 9/19/2012 1:47:51 PM

Kinsella :

Where in this story does it say that DFO ordered him to throw a dead tuna into the harbour???

It says that they advised him that he wasn't supposed to hold onto it when at sea.

It doesn't say how they planned to handle the situation - or even if they were consulted on what to do to resolve the situation in a fair manner.

No, lets just blame DFO and pretend that they only want to screw the fisherman... makes for an easier knee-jerk reaction.

Posted: 9/19/2012 1:47:46 PM

Wayne P :

My knee-jerk reaction is to slam DFO as well - but when you think about it, if they allow the proceeds of that catch to go to the fisherman, a lot of dishonest people would be out accidentally trying to catch one. That's a fact. However, if the proceeds went to a charity NOT of the fishermans choice, then the fish is not wasted, fisherman doesn't benefit monetarily so he won't be out trying to catch more on purpose, and the random charity assures that the fishermans interests are not directly served. Tough to see it go to waste, but its the scumbags that create the need for such rules, not honest people making honest mistakes.

Posted: 9/19/2012 1:14:54 PM

Chunked Light: :

Imagine if the Russians or the Japanese caught that, where would it be now,and you wonder why the call us 'Goofie Newfie'?

Posted: 9/19/2012 1:05:24 PM

Brian :

The way they deal with things seems to be a bit backward to say the least. The fish has been caught and can either be sold or pitched back into the water... In either case the fish is dead. So why not get some amount of profit out of it? But, with that being said who is to say that doesn't open up another can of worms in the sense that other fisherman who catch such fish will also want to keep their catch. But in the grand scheme of it all anything caught in a trolling net, or other netting technique should be able to be utililized in some way. Why throw back dead fish? This is the part I cannot seem to get past...

Posted: 9/19/2012 12:45:38 PM

Jeff :

Why can't this fish be used to feed the hungry or sold with the proceeds going to the community? Amazing lack of proactive foresight! There should be procedures written to handle such cases to prevent needless waste.

Posted: 9/19/2012 12:34:17 PM

Someone :

This is what a true by catch is. It should have been able to keep. But, what the by catch most of large fishing companies does is saves up there by catch and makes a good trip of it. This I do not agree with. This is What DFO should be going after.

Posted: 9/19/2012 12:12:38 PM

Duke :

OMG...Leave it to DFO! What a farce!

Posted: 9/19/2012 12:00:48 PM

WOW! :

SOMEONE NEEDS TO LOOK INTO WHOS SIGNING THE TAX PAYERS PAY CHEQUES TO THESE BOYS... THEY SHOULD BE ASSAMED AND ALL FIRED!! ALL OF THEM!!

Posted: 9/19/2012 11:56:20 AM

Harry Angus :

The Tuna will soon have the same fate as the Northern Cod.

Posted: 9/19/2012 11:21:55 AM

Chef :

ridiculous to waste this beautiful fish this way. And yes it would fetch significant money however the amount stated is a little exaggerated.

Posted: 9/19/2012 11:16:31 AM

Baxter :

I have bought Arctic Char and Lakers in Labrador in abundance. I can buy Cod and Halibut and Salmon at will on the island. Next time keep your mouth shut and sell whatever you catch !

Posted: 9/19/2012 11:00:41 AM

Lumptn :

that could of fed alot of families

Posted: 9/19/2012 10:30:55 AM

Fletcher :

*In response to Linda*

I agree that rules & regulations are in place for a reason but I believe that this is a bit petty. I mean come on... It was a one off. How about cutting the guy a bit of slack. After all Christmas is just around the corner.

Posted: 9/19/2012 10:26:32 AM

Fletcher :

Why throw it back? The tuna was clearly caught in error & it was already dead. That tuna could've provided a nice jump in income for his family. To have to dump it after it was bought in & measured due to "DFO RED TAPE & policy" is purely idiotic in my opinion. In spite of the fact it's not tuna season according to the books & calendar.

Posted: 9/19/2012 10:20:35 AM

Tuna :

I think you guys are reading this wrong. The DFO was merely advising him that he should have separated the fish out at sea when he drew in his nets. Like you would if you had gotten another species that wasn't allowed to be caught at the time. For example a wolffish or a crab out of season.

They could have been really mean and told him to hold onto it until they got there to arrest him for illegally bringing a fish that wasn't in season.

But I understand the concept of waste as well, and it is a shame that this fish was wasted.It should have definitely been given to a charity or food bank. It certainly could have been used to feed hungry families rather than wasted. But if one is allowed then they all should be.

Posted: 9/19/2012 10:18:04 AM

Foolish :

How foolish is this? The man tried to do the right thing and contact the appropriate authorities only for those authorities to tell him no to throw it away. How wasteful? I wonder how many people this tuna would have feed if processed here and given to the food banks or churches. I'm sure some charity would have benefited. So much for conservation!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted: 9/19/2012 10:04:09 AM

Rubber Duckie :

Not sure about this story! The weight was estimated at 800-1000lbs the winch at the wharf couldn't handle the weight of the fish, yet this man managed to get it aboard his boat. But on the other hand it was a waste to throw the dead fish overboard when he could have made a few extra dollas

Posted: 9/19/2012 9:12:41 AM

Max :

Seems to be a bit far fetched to me, a tuna that sells for $1000.00 a pound.

Posted: 9/19/2012 8:54:13 AM

Linda :

Rules and regulations in place for reason.

Posted: 9/19/2012 8:51:36 AM

Give an inch they want a mile... :

Unfortunate to waste the fish but the regulations are there for a reason. Without them, there would be a lot more fish "accidentally" caught by unlicensed fishermen or out of season.

Posted: 9/19/2012 8:33:59 AM

Paradisian :

Why didn't DFO, let the man sell the fish, pay him for his troubles and donate the proceeds of the sale to a worthy charity.

Half a million would have worked wonders in our food banks...........

This sends a messege the honesty is not the best policy...

Posted: 9/19/2012 8:22:17 AM

Flexxa :

...dfo should have harvested th fish if it was too late and if possible put the proceeds to charity. Yes it's part of the food cycle but this is probably a big waste in the bottom of the harbour.

Posted: 9/19/2012 8:14:27 AM

H JEFFORD :

I think there should be a section in the DEPT of fisheries that would be in place that would be able to pay the fisher person for the fish instead of throwing it away,it might not be half a million dollars, but something for his time and any damage to his nets,But to just throw it away is wrong.

Posted: 9/19/2012 8:13:33 AM

Skipper :

Black market dude

Posted: 9/19/2012 8:13:13 AM

MONEY :

At the very least DFO should have taken it & sold it. Less Tax dollars needed!

Posted: 9/19/2012 8:12:39 AM

Thinking :

Shouldn't he know what he's allowed to keep and what he has to put back before he goes out fishing? Seems like he doesn't know his business very well.

Posted: 9/19/2012 8:12:28 AM

Jack :

Oh My!!!, the Giant Bluefin Tuna was not caught on purposes, but was an accidental catch.

If this tuna was sold to the Japanese Fish Markets, especially in Tokyo, it would have fetched some real coin. How much? $100,000? $200,000? Try at least $500,000, or even $1,000,000 since this fish is highly sought among the Japanese.

As punishment for encouraging behaviour that is not on DFO's dimwitted mandates, DFO should be ordered to pay the fisherman the equivalent market value of that fish, $500,000 or even $1,000,000, and the proceeds will be given back to the community.

Secondly, DFO should also suspend the officers whom ordered this wasteful behaviour and conduct unbecoming of a true Conservation Officer.

Once again, maybe if officials did smart things, especially incompetent organizations like DFO or Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Newfoundlanders and Labradorians would not complain all the time.

Posted: 9/19/2012 8:11:07 AM

Uptownceaser :

and we wonder why the fishery on all levels is in jeopardy. it is due to officals telling fisher people to dump catches over the side when it has a market.

Posted: 9/19/2012 7:51:27 AM

Chris :

R all u guys on drugs if dfo said well ok sure go for it how many other fools will be out trying this. The only problem is they should have came on got this fish and not let the man dump it. If he even did ????

Posted: 9/19/2012 7:40:25 AM

Oh MY!!! :

If DFO lets them cash it in, what message does that send to crooked fisherman/woman? However, DFO could make exceptions to this case and monitor the number of accidental fish taken. If it gets out of hand then all high value fish species must be returned to the ocean dead or alive.

Posted: 9/19/2012 7:33:03 AM

Wow :

It didnt pay him to be honest.
If that fish was caught by an off shore vessel it would have been sold no questions asked.

Posted: 9/19/2012 7:30:07 AM

Waste not! :

Why is it OK with DFO to waste. I am sure a less destructive solution could be found. Feed the hungry if nothing else!!!

Posted: 9/19/2012 7:25:29 AM

Chris :

1 more example of the utter stupidity of our fishery law and the idiots who control it..a 1000 lb threatened fish thrown away as garbage.dfo couldnt control a litter of kittens let alone our oceans and rivers..this kind of waste is sickening along with the bureaucrats at dfo

Posted: 9/19/2012 7:10:20 AM

Upwards & onwards :

D F O.. Dump Fish Overboard !!! Discusting .

Posted: 9/19/2012 7:01:20 AM

Not right :

You see that's just not right the man had the fish it was dead could have made a few extra dollars but, in the end some a-hole said no what a load of crap. Should drop a load of DFO in the drink

Posted: 9/19/2012 7:01:16 AM

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