CCN Back Issues Vol 3 Issue 5

Years ago, children grew up watching their parents working in their chosen career, and in many cases - especially in rural areas - sons would follow in their father's footsteps. But today, working adults can expect at least three major career changes in their lifetimes, and Junior can't go into Dad's business, because that business isn't there anymore. In fact, in many coastal communities, young people are leaving as soon as they finish high school, to either continue their education elsewhere, or move to what are seen as greener pastures in hopes of finding a job.

Bill Gregory grew up in Digby. His friends and family are all there, but come this summer, he won't be. Bill is moving to Calgary in hopes of finding a job in his chosen career as a corrections officer. He took a human services course in Springhill, and is completing corrections officer training at Holland College in PEI. And then he'll be moving on.

"I have mixed emotions about it, really," he says of relocating. "I'd like to stay because of family and friends. But you have to go where the money is, where the jobs are. It's pretty depressing that you have to leave the Maritimes to make your way."

He says many other young people in his area are in the same situation. He says with the fishery down, the only young people going into that industry are those whose fathers own a boat they will eventually take over. "There's not much of a future for a young person starting out in fishing," he says.

The 20-year old recounts the all-too familiar story of a friend of his who moved west to become a heavy equipment operator. After less than a year, he is now a supervisor making $20 an hour. The young man came home at Christmas and looked for work here in his native province, but found nothing.

Gisele Carroll has heard that same type of story hundreds of times over. She is the principal at Margaree Forks District High School in Cape Breton. She says that, for the most part, young people just don't see a future for themselves in their hometown. She says the percentage of graduates who leave the area could be as high as 80 per cent, although she doesn't have any recent statistics.

Based on the 1996 census, counties like Inverness and Digby have seen a population change of between -10 and +15 per cent since 1951, while Halifax County has grown by 111 per cent. "Something has to be done or our rural communities will die," she says. "It's almost at a critical level. No one is moving into the area, and many of our young people are leaving. "The fishery is questionable, the lumber industry (employment) is down, and business here is minimal. Whatever they do, they feel their only chance to make it is somewhere else."

Carroll says that, as a school, they can't offer students any variety of programs that might help meet the changing needs of students today. "Someone asked me the other day if we have an entrepreneurial program for our students. I wish. We have no teachers, no resources for those kinds of programs. We can only teach the basics." Carroll says she believes most leave with some regret. "I'm sure that if the opportunities were here, if they felt they had a chance to make it, they would stay."

Bill Gregory's mom, Linda Gregory, is a councillor on Digby Municipal Council. The issue of offering a future for youth was part of her campaign platform in the last election. She says efforts are being made by the municipality to open up a future for young people in Digby County. Some factories and manufacturers are creating jobs, especially in the nearby Cornwallis Park. But Gregory says many young people don't want to work all their lives on a production line, and unfortunately, many government make-work projects offer temporary employment that leaves young workers with no option but Employment Insurance benefits.

Gregory says the overall picture of life in rural Nova Scotia has to change to keep youth here. Even if jobs were available, she says, many young families may choose to move away because of continuing cutbacks in education, health care, and government services. "All the news is negative. It gives a poor message to our young people."

Bill Gregory says while his plans to go west are pretty much in place, he does hope to return to Nova Scotia someday. He thinks if he can get into the federal corrections system in Calgary, he might be able to get a transfer to the Springhill facility. "That's my goal, to move back here and work in Springhill. I hope it works out that way," he says.

Small Communities Working Together
To Make Big Projects Happen

It could be called Nova Scotia's best-kept secret. But come summer, locals and tourists alike are going to be flocking to what will be our largest provincial park, set to open in late June on the Fundy shore near Advocate Harbour.

In a scenic area of the province that has seen little development, the 6,000 hectare Cape Chignecto Provincial Park is just one of many initiatives that the people in the rural communities along the Parrsboro to Joggins loop are banding together to make happen. The park, which will feature 50 kilometres of first-class hiking trails, is unique in that it will be run by a community group rather than the government.

Ruth Allen, Cumberland County councillor for the area for the past 18 years, says plans were well underway for the park when the community was informed by the Department of Natural Resources that it would be up to the community to run the park. "Our natural resources here had never been exploited. We couldn't see the forest for the trees," the Port Greville resident says. "I am so very excited to see this happen here, the amount of energy we have here. Enthusiasm really took off when we realized we have something here that people wanted and needed."

That enthusiasm helped the community take action to ensure it would be able to efficiently manage the park. A community management board was formed, with support from the Cumberland Regional Economic Development Agency (CREDA), with two goals. The board knew they needed personnel with know-how and skills, and at the same time, wanted to ensure that park jobs went to people from the community.

With funding from Human Resource Development Canada (HRDC) a two-year training program was launched for 15 local people. The program covered topics from business and life skills, to trail development and park management. Michael Collins is one of the trainees who has been working through sometimes incredible conditions to forge the trail in readiness for this summer's opening.

It is obvious talking to Collins that he is passionate about the beauty and potential of the park's rugged landscape. From the entrance at Red Rocks, located adjacent to Canadian actress Megan Follows' summer retreat, the park follows the rocky, wooded, wild jut of land known as Cape Chignecto. The coastline of the park land, which is the route followed for trail construction, features breathtaking vistas of the Bay of Fundy. The trail follows sharp cliffs, utilizing hand-constructed wooden stairways and foot bridges to navigate the sometimes- impassable terrain.

And perhaps construction is not the right word here. Collins says that, in an attempt to leave the park as pristine as possible, painstaking care was taken by trail crews to leave the area looking as untouched as before they came.

Natural fill is used for the bed of the trails, a new technique that will last longer and require little maintenance. On-site materials were used when possible to reduce what has to be removed and carried in. Work is being done by hand rather than by machine when possible.

The program trainees studied about the rocks, plants and trees, and animals they would encounter while creating the trail. They also learned skills in survival to help them while working deep in the wilderness during some of the development. Collins and a crew spent six weeks in the forest at one stretch during trail development, because it would have wasted too much time hiking in and out of the trail at the end of each day.

So far, 14 kilometres of the trail are completed, with the rest of the trail having been cleared. Work will continue as soon as weather permits.

This isn't the first time this community has pulled together on a project. Seven years ago, a nursing home was opened in Advocate Harbour, but went bankrupt after only a couple of years. Rather than see the facility close, and force the elderly residents to leave the area, people in the area bought shares in the facility and re- opened it as a co-op venture.

The Chignecto Manor Co-op Ltd. is now in it's fifth successful year of business, says administrator Shirley Morris. Keeping the 22-bed facility open was important to the area, says Morris, because it provides an option for older residents who cannot stay in their own homes, but don't want to leave the area. The co-op also employs 15 people, which is significant in a small community.

Councillor Allen says local residents are knows as survivors and fighters. When the province said the only way it would build a new hospital for the area was if the community could cost- share, the people of the nearby communities raised over $400,000 for construction of the Bayview Memorial Health Centre.

Residents are now looking at putting together a proposal for projects such as look-offs at scenic points along highways 209 and 217. Allen says improved road signs along the Cobequid Pass will help entice tourists to the area, and any improvements to roads and amenities will help keep tourists in the area.

"This has always been a drive-through area. But every village has something to offer, and it's up to us to make this a destination area."

Unique Marine Centre To Be Springboard
Towards Coastal Zone Management

Communities In Action

An exciting new facility is in the planning stages that will usher in a new era of action toward the growing trend of community-based management of coastal resources as part of an overall community economic development (CED) plan. The new marine resource centre (MRC) is in the development stages to serve the Bay of Fundy area. The centre is a joint project of the Fundy Fixed Gear Council and the Western Valley Development Authority (WVDA).

Arthur Bull is Project Coordinator of the centre. He says the two organizations came together in recognition of the wider role the WVDA and community can play in fisheries and development. He says that increasingly communities are playing a greater role in the stewardship and management of our coastal resources, which will require significant amount of capacity building.

Bull believes this is the first step towards a system of coastal zone management in the Bay of Fundy, and will function as a vehicle towards that goal.

Bull says the growing participation of community organizations in fisheries and other resources is a direct result of government devolving, foisting responsibilities onto communities. He says it is also a sign that communities are realizing that they must become involved to ensure resources are managed in a viable and sustainable manner.

Among the services offered by the centre will be facilitation, mediation and coordination support. As Bull puts it, "This project is about our community developing the tools for resource management."

Bull emphasizes that the centre is using an integrated approach, not dedicated only to fisheries. A committee was formed at the outset of the project. The board reflects a diversity of interests, including fishers, aquaculturalists, First Nations, processors, environmentalist groups, ecotourism operators, and relevant government departments and agencies. The centre will be a place for groups to find information on developing marine projects and receive help in making those projects happen.

One example, says Bull, is intertidal fisheries, such as clam harvesters, who are starting to look at an ecosystem-based approach to managing their resource. Instead of that group having to set up offices and begin research from the beginning, they can share space at the centre, and draw on the knowledge and experience of other groups who have already gone through the process.

The WVDA secured funding for the first year of development of the centre. Bull headed the team organizing the project, and he is pleased with how quickly plans have come together. The purchase of a building at Cornwallis Park outside of Annapolis Royal is in the works, and Bull is optimistic the doors will open before the fall.

"This centre has a lot of momentum," says Bull. "It has a life of its own. A lot of interest from many sectors has emerged from this project." The park is a good location, says Bull, because of it's central location to communities along the Bay of Fundy, and conference and housing facilities. The park also allows for future expansion of the centre. Being located near the Annapolis-Digby County border, Bull says the centre will appeal to groups all along the Bay of Fundy.

The goal is to have the centre self-sufficient, says Bull. Tenants will pay for operating costs, rather than operating on a grant-to- grant basis. There will be two core staff - a centre coordinator and an outreach coordinator, plus support staff to be shared among the tenants.

The centre has been incorporated as a non-profit society, and will be run by a community-based board of directors. Bull says the process is now underway looking at membership, and the roles of partners and committee organization. Bull emphasizes that it is crucial that the centre is "grounded in the community" and involves the people who live and work in the marine environment.

Regions Learning to Work Together Through
CCN's Community Economic Development Project

This is the true essence of grassroots community economic development: Fifty people gathered together in a local church hall, representing small businesses, community groups, development organizations, a wide range of interests and expertise. These 50 people have a common goal - to come up with ways of improving their region, by making the most of the people and other natural resources.

This is what was happening in conference rooms and church halls all over Nova Scotia in the past six weeks, as 13 regions around the province participated in Coastal Communities Network's CED project, called Building Our Future: Respecting Our Past.

Over 600 people from coastal and rural communities across the province have participated in the regional seminars, which are the first phase of the project. Participants in these seminars have come up with ideas and recommendations on the future of community economic development for their regions. Some areas were able to come together and already form an ongoing group to promote CED. In other regions, interests and goals and problems were more varied and may require more individual efforts to encourage CED.

These ideas will be compiled in a report in time for the provincial phase of the project, which will involve a province-wide conference May 8-10. The conference will act as a springboard for future CED, and pave the way for a new level of co-operation between governments and communities trying to take control of their own future.

The Colchester County seminar took place Feb. 28 at the Knox Church Hall in Brookfield, led by Anna Parks of the Colchester Regional Development Agency, and Ariel Harper of the Nova Scotia Community College CED program.

The level of enthusiasm among the participants was tangible. The main group split up into discussion workshops, to brainstorm on the strengths and weaknesses of the region - what they have and what they need.

The main strengths of the region included its people and volunteers, the number and quality of the area's community groups, the central location of the county in the province, and the area's rich heritage and history.

Problems to be overcome include poor infrastructure, such as roads, lack of jobs opportunities, youth moving away to greater opportunities, a general lack of government support, including regionalization of services, and over-regulation.

Then discussion turned to how the community can get to where they want to be in CED. The main idea put forward was that the region must work together as a single group, rather than having areas compete for tourists, funding or development. Participants agreed that by working together, sharing ideas and resources, the region as a whole will benefit.

Russell Harding, CCN's representative at the session, said it best when he told the group that the underlying idea of the project is to bring people and organizations together to find out what activities and strategies can help our communities. He emphasized that what affects one part of the community affects the entire community, and that all components of the community must work together for the good of the community.

Barbara Zielinski lives in Tatamagouche, and would like to set up an information technology business. She attended the Colchester session because she is interested in not only seeing how others have developed businesses, but wants to see the community as a whole become more involved in CED. She also believes her skills in information technology might be tied into the CED process.

Bruce Loomer of Great Village owns a golf course. He attended the session because he believes that finding ways of promoting tourism in his area will benefit the entire region. "It is good for all communities to come together on this, rather than work in isolation," says Loomer.

In the Lunenburg/Queens region, the seminar was held March 6-7 at the Oakhill Fire Hall. Anita Hovey is the regional coordinator. She says the session was a positive one, with a number of ideas coming forward on how the region can work together to achieve common goals. Hovey says the more than 30 people at the seminar have already expressed interested in staying together as an organized group. The group has asked the local RDA for help in areas such as writing grant proposals, and the RDA is now considering sponsoring a trade show of funding partners available to the community.

Back in Colchester County, Anna Parks says she is very pleased to see her area is ready to work together as a region. With the RDA established there for the past four or five years now, she says it seems people in the area are finally ready to come together in community economic development.

The 13 regional coordinators have met to compile the results of their sessions in preparation for the provincial conference. They are comparing similarities and differences of their workshops.

Taking A Step Away From The Typical Fishery

HERRING

When most people think of herring, they picture it in smoked strips, or maybe pickled in large jars. But for a plant dedicated to the small fish in Saulnierville, those traditional products aren't even considered.

Brian Saulnier is president of Sea Crest Fisheries, which has been a herring-only plant since 1987. Saulnier saw that the groundfishery was not doing well, so he decided to stick with herring, a fish with traditionally healthy stocks.

Sea Crest produces all frozen and fresh product - no salt or smoked fish. In 1990, the plant started exporting to the European market, where demand for herring dressed fillets was high. Another popular product is herring roe - or eggs.

Business is good. So good, Saulnier doesn't even have waste to get rid of. Saulnier sells fresh and frozen offal to Nova Scotia fur farmers, and fish meal plants in the area buy up what is left. Saulnier finds this situation ironic. "In the �80s we had to pay people to haul away waste and dispose of it so it wouldn't smell and bother people. Today we really have no waste at all - we almost have too many people wanting the offal."

The roe market has been a lucrative one for many years, especially in Japan, where consumers have preferred Nova Scotia roe. But Saulnier says that market is declining, due in part to the fact that the younger generations of Japanese are not as partial to roe as their predecessors.

In the late 1980s, says Saulnier, he would have shipped more than 600 tonnes of roe a year. Now it is down to 80 tonnes a year. But declines in that market have been compensated for in other ways. Saulnier is doing a brisk business selling herring for aquaculture feed. Sales to New Brunswick aquaculture sites are good, and this year Sea Crest has broken into the Australian aquaculture feed market.

The plant, which employs 130 people during the peak fall season, also prepares frozen herring as lobster bait in southwest Nova.

EELS

Eels are unappealing to many people. But to Dianne Crowell, they are bread and butter, and something of an endangered species.

Crowell is the owner/manager of R.Crowell Eel Processing and Smokery Ltd. at Argyle Head. She is the third generation of her family operating the business, and the Crowell's were one of the first Nova Scotian families - after First Nations people - to catch and export eels.

There isn't much about eels that Crowell doesn't know. She has studied, for example, how mature eels travel from Nova Scotia, to south of Cuba when they are six or seven years old to spawn. Baby eels are 18 months old, and called elvers, by the time they migrate north, and often become food for whales and other large fish.

And while eel stocks have traditionally been healthy in Nova Scotia, Crowell is worried about the future of the population, because of a new elver industry growing in Nova Scotia. Business is booming for companies shipping elvers around the world for aquaculture. Countries which used to buy mature eels from suppliers like Crowell are now buying elvers to raise and breed themselves.

Crowell says the double whammy of depletion of the elver stock, and former Asian markets now raising their own eels, is threatening the industry. Crowell would like to see some government regulation on the largely-unregulated elver industry, to preserve stocks for future generations.

Eel Fishing Marks Passage Into Adulthood
For Mi'Maq Youth

Eel fishing has been traditionally practised by the Mi'Kmaq for many years. It has evolved from the days of canoes with open flame torches and spears, to today's techniques. It has changed from necessary food gathering to commercial harvest by way of eel traps.

As a young boy growing up in a Mi'Kmaq community, I was often filled with excitement to see the waters so calm that it looked like a sheet of glass. This meant that with the coming of evening I would be invited along to fish eels with my older brother until the early morning hours.

The common practice among the Mi'Kmaq community at that time was to equip your 14 foot row boat, which was mostly likely made by the late Kennedy brother from the Alba region in Cape Breton. The ritual leading up to the actual fishing event included the sharpening of the spears and preparing the lantern by filling it with naphtha gas and filling several jam jars with tea and packing homemade frybread.

As the light faded, we would make our way down to the shore dressed warmly with our equipment in hand. The lantern would be placed at the bow of the boat with a make shift reflector to protect the bow from being burnt and to reflect the light forward.

As a young boy, my duties were few. My main responsibility was to serve as a counterweight for the fishermen who stood at the bow of the small boat. I would be seated at the very back as we pushed away from the shore. It was an isolated and sometimes lonely partnership. However, it does teach the inexperienced fisherman to be able to spot eels from a distance and to learn to appreciate the silence that I found very enjoyable.

The evening could last for several hours and if the wind was kind to us it could last into daybreak, with the only distractions being the sound of eels hitting the floor of the boat as my brother harvested them.

There were a number of times during the course of the fishing expedition that a tea break would be needed. I was anxious but also looked forward to these breaks, because I knew this would be the time when the spears would be handed to me and I would be told to try my luck. As a young man, my first few attempts of trying to spear an eel from a boat mostly went unsuccessful. However, as like many other things, the passage of right and experience eventually paid off and one day I would go eel fishing, not as a counterweight or a silent partner, but as the sole fisherman.

The techniques have changed little but the number and the interest in this type of harvesting has declined over the years. In some cases, the naphtha gas lantern was replaced with powerful halogen flood lamps that were powered by small gas generators. I imagine they are good things and bad things to be said about different techniques of eel fishing.

But one of the important benefits that I enjoyed and still do on occasion is the silence, the peace of mind, and tranquillity that one feels floating on a waveless surface with just the hissing of the gas lantern, the buzz of many flying insects that are attracted to it's light, and the hundreds of tiny fish that jump up before you as you push your row boat quietly in search of eels for the dinner table.

If we were fortunate enough in our harvest to meet the needs of our families, and have a few left over to sell to our neighbours to make some pocket money, we considered ourselves very fortunate. At that time, conservation officers did not consider eels to be worthwhile enough to monitor. Therefore a First Nations person spearing eels at night was never a cause for investigation.

This made me think that there was no value, monetary or otherwise, for the eel. But as the demand for the eel became higher by consumers, it also brought new fishing technics and new attitudes by the conservation officers. First Nations and non- native fishermen alike started to incorporate the use of eel nets and holding pens, and sold eels in the marketplace by the pound, rather than by the dozen as it was in my days.

My unprofessional opinion of these techniques of harvesting the eels is that it has made a dent in the eel population. It became noticeable to the traditional eel fisherman who went out nightly weather permitting, to harvest for the community and his family. The evidence of the change of attitude is clear too in the fact that 25 years ago, I was dismissed as just another Indian fishing for eels. Compare this to a few years ago when Donald Marshal Jr. was arrested and charged for the same thing that was so easily dismissed many years before.

Eel fishing among the Mi'Kmaq community has always fluctuated and it seems the true spirit of the harvesting for traditional meals has withstood the many techniques that have come and gone. And fortunately I have not seen any eel traps in some of the traditional fishing grounds in Cape Breton as I once did a few years ago.

Perhaps it is the evolution of a culture or even fishing techniques that have contributed to the decline in the eel population. Or maybe it is the environmental degradation that has caused this to change. But we are all responsible to help with the solution. It is good to remember what the elders have always tried to instill in us and it is perhaps time to share it with other communities. The elders have always taught us to respect all life forms and that all life forms are our relations. What we do to our relations we do to ourselves.

We must be careful about what we put into the sacred circle, for what we put into the circle will come back to us. I believe it would be wise if we started incorporating this ancient philosophy into our modern way of thinking and harvesting, if not for our sake, then for the sake of our children and our grandchildren and for those not born yet.

Managing the Atlantic Groundfish Fishery

Hurley is president of Hurley Marine Consulting Ltd., Dartmouth, and Gray is an operational research scientist at St. Mary's University, Halifax.

When Canada extended its jurisdiction to the 200- mile limit in 1977, prospects for the Atlantic groundfish fishery were bright. Stocks were expected to rebound under a new management regime. But foreign factory trawlers were replaced by newly-built Canadian vessels, mostly under 65- foot otter trawlers. By the time fisheries managers had limited the entry of vessels in all gear sectors in the mid-1980s, fishing and processing capacity in the groundfish fishery were estimated to be many times the optimal level (Hache 1989).

Despite developing a sophisticated and costly fisheries management system (Hurley and Gray, 1988) the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO) was unable to adequately monitor the groundfish fishery and to enforce a myriad of regulations. Total Allowable Catches (TACs) were commonly exceeded, and the quality of fisheries data was jeopardized by discarding at sea and catch misreporting.

Virtual Population Analysis (VPA), the most commonly used model to assess groundfish stocks, has many shortcomings. It relies on catch/effort data that is at least two years out of date, and does not take into account multispecies interactions or the effect of ocean variables (e.g. temperature, salinity, etc.) on fish production. Retrospective analyses have revealed consistent underestimates of fishing mortality and overly optimistic predictions of future catches.

In this essay we will describe the framework for a community-based structure to manage the Atlantic groundfish fishery. Our model, which can be applied to other fisheries, is not unlike the committee structure used to manage the inshore lobster fishery.

We will also outline a formula for a new fisheries management system consistent with the essential characteristics of an "ideal" fishery:

We predict the proposed system, based on control of fishing effort, would be more effective and less costly than the current system, which relies on catch controls.

The first step in a community-based management system is to define a "community." Community boundaries would follow natural socio- economic divisions onshore, and historic fishing areas and stock boundaries offshore.

For example, the fishing community in southwestern Nova Scotia would probably be assigned fishing rights to adjacent coastal waters and traditional offshore fishing areas such as Browns Bank and Georges Bank. Communities would be kept as small as possible to increase the degree of involvement and the sense of ownership of the individual fisher. The final decision on community boundaries would require much negotiation.

A Community Management Committee (CMC) would be responsible for developing a fishing plan for each community. Membership on the CMC would include fishers, and other stakeholders in the fishery, such as processors, seafood distributors, etc. Representatives of the CMC would also serve on a Regional Community Management Committee (RCMC). The RCMC would be responsible for forming regional policies and priorities, developing fishing plans involving trans- boundary stocks, and integrating the various fishing plans into a coastal zone management scheme.

The RCMC would work closely with the newly-formed Fisheries Resource Conservation Council (FRCC). In fact, the Council would be the appropriate body to review fishing plans and liaise with government agencies such as the DFO.

The role of DFO would be limited to providing technical advice to the FRCC and CMCs on conservation-related matters, such as monitoring the biological condition of stocks, determining long- term sustainable yields for various fisheries, and developing selective and environmentally friendly fishing gear.

The proposed effort control system is based on the method used to handicap ocean yachts for racing events. Like yachts, fishing vessels come in many shapes and sizes, and, depending on the species fished, use a variety of gear types. Each fishing vessel would be assigned a Fishing Effort Value (FEV).

The formula for determining the FEV would factor in all items affecting the fishing power of a vessel (i.e., length, width, horsepower, hold capacity, gear type and size, fish- finding and navigational aids, communications technology, crew size). Weightings would be determined by reviewing vessel/gear comparison studies, comparing catch/effort data from fisheries observer reports, etc. Factors that support conservation objectives, such as nondestructive fishing methods (e.g. hook and line, traps), vessel safety, and environmental practices, would be given a preferential weighting.

A vessel that received an unfavorable rating would be retired from the fishery or could be modified to improve its rating. A license buy-back system would encourage the removal of excess fishing capacity. Spot checks by DFO or other regulatory agencies would be required to ensure compliance. Every vessel would display a measurement certificate.

A Community Total FEV (CTFEV) would be derived from the long-term sustainable effort level corresponding to the optimal fishing mortality for the fisheries resources within each community. The community could choose any mix of vessels and gear types that does not exceed the CTFEV. For example, a CTFEV of 1,000 would allow 10 /100-unit vessels or 20 /50-unit vessels to fish yearly.

The remaining vessels in the fishery would have less incentive to cheat since catches would not be limited. Fishers themselves would ensure community boundaries were respected. Hence, monitoring, controlling and enforcing requirements would be much less under the proposed management system.

We echo the appeal of Troadec (1993), who recommended that fisheries management systems involving catch quotas "should be replaced by other more complete methods (limitation of total catch capacities through issue of fishing licenses and control over gains efficiency)..."

This proposed fisheries management system recognizes the inherent rights of coastal communities to adjacent stocks while offering fishers a sense of ownership of their fishery.

Kiwanis Club Filling Vast Community Needs -
At Home And Around The World

Communities in Nova Scotia are painfully aware of shortfalls left when government funds aren't available for projects and programs. More and more, governments are downloading responsibility onto communities for fundraising to take up the slack. Service clubs are one of our best resources for helping meet the needs of communities.

Service clubs have a long- standing tradition in Nova Scotia of raising money for projects and facilities beneficial to communities. But with changing times comes a change in the needs of the communities. Kiwanis clubs in Nova Scotia are now changing also, to continue to meet those needs.

Glen Bagnell is the incoming World President of Kiwanis International. The Dartmouth resident will spend about 275 days next year visiting countries around the world on behalf of Kiwanis. It's been about 40 years since a Canadian has been World President, and the first time in the 85- year history of the organization for a Nova Scotian to be given the honour.

Bagnell has seen a lot of changes in the way service clubs have been able to meet the needs of the communities in which they serve. Years ago, clubs sponsored projects that would benefit the entire community, such as building parks and playgrounds. Today, says Bagnell, when communities have homeless children, or children who don't get enough food to eat or have warm clothes to wear, Kiwanis is stepping in to meet those needs as well.

In Dartmouth, for example, hundreds of children are fed a hot breakfast every morning in a local school, thanks to Kiwanis. Bagnell says the government is now after service clubs and church groups to help fill in gaps where government programs fall short. Government social programs used to adequately meet community needs, but no more.

In response to this changing focus, Kiwanis clubs are now required to do an annual survey of community needs. Club members speak to church groups, municipal leaders, and welfare organizations to determine where the need is greatest, before they decide on projects for the year.

Kiwanis are very active in the Sydney area, with three clubs. Among the many projects there, they have established a cardiac clinic for children, which brings specialists from Halifax to see young patients, instead of the children having to travel to Halifax. As well, the civic pool in Sydney is a gift from Kiwanis.

In a number of communities, Kiwanis owns senior citizen apartment complexes, and subsidizes rent for low-income seniors. Many communities have Golden K clubs, which are retired Kiwanians. They donate their time, rather than raise money. In the Halifax area, these clubs perform services such as driving senior citizens to medical appointments, and working at the IWK children's hospital as guides, taking young patients around the hospital to their various appointments.

Kiwanis is also recognizing the changing face of volunteerism. Bagnell says back 30 years ago, any businessman starting out on his own would automatically join a service group, like Lions, Rotary Club, or Kiwanis.

Today, young men don't seem to have the time for weekly meetings, says Bagnell, and don't seem to be interested in the history- steeped traditions of singing the national anthem, saying a prayer, and sharing time enjoying the camaraderie of old friends. Bagnell says this next generation of volunteers is as keen as ever, and will respond to a call for help on community projects. But he says the routines and rituals of how the club is run may have to change to attract new members.

Kiwanis has joined other service groups in an all-out campaign to help the children of the world. Ten years ago, Kiwanis adopted the theme Young Children - Priority One. In conjunction with Rotary Clubs and the Lions organization, they are part of a United Nations attack on medical problems affecting the children of the world.

The Rotary Club is well along in its mandate to inoculate every child in the world against polio; Lions are preventing blindness by promoting vitamin A; and Kiwanis have taken on the task of ensuring children around the world get adequate amounts of iodine. Iodine deficiency is a leading cause of mental retardation in children.

The international Kiwanis organization pledged $200 million to be spent by the year 2000 to convert plants into producing iodized salt, and educating people in underdeveloped countries to accept having to pay a slightly higher price

Closing our highways to the sea:

The Crisis In Maritime Small Craft Harbours

Wharves, lighthouses, breakwaters, bellbuoys, foghorns. These comprise the quintessential sights and sounds of Maritime coastal communities. Look at almost any postcard or watch what captures the interest of the many visitors to our coastal communities to know that these structures are at the heart of our economic, social, and cultural life. These are the roads and road signs to the sea and without them, our coastal communities are dead-ends that will quickly disappear or, at best, become bedroom communities for urban centres.

Our harbours and related infrastructure are essential for participation in the global economy. They are a prerequisite for the marine fishing, aquaculture, ecotourism, hydrocarbon, and transportation industries. However, the basic infrastructure supporting our coastal communities is seriously threatened by the extreme reductions in federal government funding for the operation, maintenance, repair, and construction of these structures.

In some 200-plus harbours in the Maritimes, fishers and other users have already moved to save this infrastructure by taking on the cost of wharf operations through the formation of incorporated harbour authorities. This is a positive development to the extent that it ensures the short- term survival of the wharf and allows communities a degree of local autonomy and self-determination in their economic development.

It has potentially negative impacts to the extent that it adds further to the ever- increasing burden of user fees imposed on fishing and marine industries and discriminates against smaller wharves where the revenue base may be insufficient to cover the cost of wharf repair.

But paying the cost of wharf operations is just the tip of the iceberg. The amount of money available for wharf maintenance, repair, and construction is now so limited that, with time, communities could become engaged in a war among themselves to obtain the funds required to maintain their coastal infrastructure.

At the same time, industry observers have already noted that communities with some of their own or supplementary sources of financing have received more favourable responses from government officials in terms of receiving "cost-shared" arrangements for the funding of repairs and capital costs of wharves. Such an approach clearly leads down the road to where those who "have" get more and those who "have not" get even less.

Action is required immediately to avoid a disaster in our coastal communities in the near future. Let us not confuse this issue with toll roads or bridges. For the average Canadian, we are talking about the equivalent of permanently closing the roads and highways between our homes and the places where we work.

A resolution to this crisis requires a two-pronged approach that addresses both the macro and micro levels of the problem.

While harbour authorities may be able to handle the day-to-day operation and maintenance of wharves, there is no funding mechanism in place for replacing destroyed facilities. CCN is also concerned about the widely varying environmental factors affecting wharves throughout the province.

Wharves along the Bay of Fundy, for example, are subject to the destructive force of the highest tides in the world, and may require more funding than other regions for wharf maintenance. As well, since the Fundy tides go so far out, so quickly, at low tide, fishermen who have lost their own community wharf don't have time to race to a wharf several miles down the coast from their traditional fishing grounds. These factors are not considered in the federal government's broad-based "one-size-fits-all" program for Atlantic Canada.

To determine the full impact of selling off wharf facilities, the CCN would like to work with a coalition of interested organizations to survey the situation in Nova Scotia by gathering information from harbour managers, fishing organizations, recreational groups, tourism managers, and other affected groups. The CCN would look at the costs involved in maintaining and operating wharves, as well as the benefits wharves provide, such as with the tourism industry and local community recreation.

Although the plan is still in the development stage, it is clear CCN members feel the issue is of top priority to many of our coastal communities. Watch future issues of Coastal Communities News for updates on the Action Plan.

Clarification:
In the February issue of this paper, we reported fishers at Freeport pay $1000 per year in wharf fees. That amount is actually $100.

Nothing lost, nothing gained:

Industry Looks At Ratification Of National Fishing Code Of Conduct

Fishing organizations across Canada are currently studying a draft of the new Canadian Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing Operations. A workshop was held in Toronto in January to study and make recommendations on the document, which, if ratified, will be included in fishing management plans.

The code outlines general principles and guidelines for all commercial fishing operations in Canadian waters, including Atlantic, Pacific, Arctic, aboriginal, and inland fisheries. Its stated intention is to "contribute directly to the conservation of stocks and the protection of the aquatic environment for present and future generations of Canadians."

CCN's Norma Richardson, representing the Eastern Shore Fishermen's Protective Association, attended the Toronto meeting. Several organizations there pushed hard for particular protection for coastal communities. She feels the resulting code has nothing in it that could pose a threat to coastal communities or fishers. She added that the document can't be used as a tool by large corporate fishing interests to take over small inshore fishermen. Principle #2 of the document acknowledges the importance of the fishery to harvesters and their communities.

The Canadian code, if ratified by fisher organizations, will superscede the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Code of Conduct, of which Canada is a member. Many observers of the current process to develop a Canadian-only code wonder why another document is necessary.

Jeff Brownstein, president of Maritime Fishermen's Union Local 6, said the Canadian code is a "watered-down version of the FAO Code of Conduct," and includes "nothing more than our (fishing) management plans say now." Also in attendance at the Toronto workshop, Brownstein said it was very interesting to see such a diversity of fishing interests from across the country come together with a common purpose.

"It's a public relations tool, an attempt to improve the image of fishermen in the country. It looks good for the offshore to sell products stamped with Code of Conduct approval." Brownstein said the proposed code doesn't go as far as the FAO document in protecting the rights of inshore fishermen, but doesn't pose any threat to that sector either. "All I can say right now is we didn't win anything, and we didn't lose anything."

Richardson said that while, on occasion during the workshop, inshore interests had to struggle to make sure special interest groups didn't steer the focus of the code toward their own agendas, agreement by those in attendance was often easily reached.

Brownstein had praise for the facilitators of the workshop, considering the wide range of groups looking out for their own interests, and that the document had to be agreed upon by consensus.

The proposed code states that fish harvesters will be obligated to fish in ways that protect the sustainability of stocks and habitat. The document covers issues such as proper disposal of hazardous waste, the catching of non-target species, gear size and types, crew safety, and promotes research into and utilization of environment- and stock- friendly fishing practices.

The code urges cooperation and consultation among fishing interests and government regulating bodies. A 13-member board was set up following January's workshop, including members from both coasts, inland fisheries, Arctic, and aboriginal interests, to distribute the proposed code to stakeholder groups across the country for ratification.

But during February's Coastal Communities Network meeting, concern was raised that fishermen who are not members of an organization will have no way of being part of this process. John MacInnes, fisheries representative with the provincial fisheries department in Port Hood, commented that even though there are some 78 fisher's groups in this province, many fishers are not represented by an organization.

The ratification process is expected to be complete by July. If there is sufficient industry support, the Code Board will work with fisheries ministers to include the code in management plans. Organizations that ratify the code will be expected to promote adherence to the document and incorporate it into their conservation harvesting plans.

Coastal Communities News is published periodically by the Coastal Communities Network (CCN). This publication is made possible by the generous efforts of many volunteers and by financial contributions from a broad partnership that includes St. Francis Xavier University Extension Dept., Human Resources Development Canada, Nova Scotia Department of Education and Culture, Nova Scotia Department of Economic Development and Tourism and donations and in kind contributions of member groups and organizations.

We welcome all articles and submissions from individuals and groups with content in keeping with the role and nature of this magazine. We reserve the right to edit all submissions. Except where additional credit has been given, all articles are prepared by the Editor and Editorial Board.

Coastal Communities News is published bi-monthly by the Coastal Communities Network, a non-profit society registered in the province of Nova Scotia.

Coastal Communities News is made possible by the generous efforts of many volunteers, and by financial contributions from Human Resources Development Canada, and by donations and in-kind contributions from the Nova Scotia Department of Education and Culture, as well as from member groups and organizations.

We welcome all articles and submissions, from individuals and groups, with content in keeping with the role and nature of this magazine. We reserve the right to edit all submissions. Except where additional credit has been given, all articles are prepared by the Editor and Editorial Board.

Our Mission Statement

The Coastal Communities Network is a volunteer association of organizations whose mission is to provide a forum to encourage dialogue, share information, and create strategies and actions that promote the survival and development of Nova Scotia's coastal and rural communities.

"A Large Voice for Small Communities"

CCN is made up of organizations rooted in Nova Scotia's coastal and rural communities, and it is the diversity of its membership that gives it strength. Your organization, and your community, can help CCN determine its direction and strengthen its voice still further. Join the Coastal Communities Network today.

— by participating in regular monthly meetings of the CCN membership. These are held in Truro (usually on the first Tuesday of each month), and allow representatives from member organizations to review what is happening in coastal communities across the province, plan actions on issues of common concern, and review progress on CCN-sponsored projects;

— by getting on our mailing list to receive regular copies of Coastal Communities News. Send us your name and address by mail or fax, or call us directly;

— by contributing written articles to Coastal Communities News, and so letting everyone know what's happening in your community;

— by taking part in CCN workshops and information sessions. Special events like this are held on topics of importance to coastal communities (for example, community economic development, co- management in the fishery, etc);

— by inquiring about CCN's resource library, which includes information, reports, and studies on topics that affect the future and sustainability of coastal communities.

CCN Coordinator:
PO Box 1613
Pictou, N.S. B0K 1H0
Phone:(902)485-4754 Fax:(902)445-7134
e-mail:coastalnet@ns.sympatico.ca

CCN Communications Office:
Phone: (902) 445-7168
Fax: (902) 445-7134
e-mail:ccnews@ns.sympatico.ca

Where Have All The Young People Gone?

Small Communities Working Together
To Make Big Projects Happen

Unique Marine Centre To Be Springboard
Towards Coastal Zone Management

Communities In Action

Regions Learning to Work Together Through
CCN's Community Economic Development Project

Taking A Step Away From The Typical Fishery

HERRING

EELS

Eel Fishing Marks Passage Into Adulthood
For Mi'Maq Youth

Managing the Atlantic Groundfish Fishery

Kiwanis Club Filling Vast Community Needs -
At Home And Around The World

Closing our highways to the sea:

The Crisis In Maritime Small Craft Harbours

Nothing lost, nothing gained:

Industry Looks At Ratification Of National Fishing Code Of Conduct

Coastal Communities News

Join the Coastal Communities Network

Our Mission Statement

"A Large Voice for Small Communities"

How to Become Involved
in the Coastal Communities Network

Where Have All The Young People Gone?

Small Communities Working Together To Make Big Projects Happen

Unique Marine Centre To Be Springboard Towards Coastal Zone Management

Communities In Action

Regions Learning to Work Together Through CCN's Community Economic Development Project

Taking A Step Away From The Typical Fishery

HERRING

EELS

Eel Fishing Marks Passage Into Adulthood For Mi'Maq Youth

Managing the Atlantic Groundfish Fishery

Kiwanis Club Filling Vast Community Needs - At Home And Around The World

Closing our highways to the sea:

The Crisis In Maritime Small Craft Harbours

Nothing lost, nothing gained:

Industry Looks At Ratification Of National Fishing Code Of Conduct

Coastal Communities News

Join the Coastal Communities Network

Our Mission Statement

"A Large Voice for Small Communities"

How to Become Involved in the Coastal Communities Network

Small Communities Working Together
To Make Big Projects Happen

Unique Marine Centre To Be Springboard
Towards Coastal Zone Management

Regions Learning to Work Together Through
CCN's Community Economic Development Project

Eel Fishing Marks Passage Into Adulthood
For Mi'Maq Youth

Kiwanis Club Filling Vast Community Needs -
At Home And Around The World

How to Become Involved
in the Coastal Communities Network