Fisherman's Road

The Russian trawler Odoevsk has been cited for illegal fishing on the Grand Banks. (Correction, illegal fishing in the NAFO regulatory area.)  The vessel was fishing redfish in late July when it was boarded and inspected by Canadian inspectors, who issued the citation for not having a valid capacity plan. Under the NAFO convention (the Northwest Atlantic Fishery Organization oversees fishing outside Canada’s 200-mile limit), all fishing vessels must have capacity plans that have been certified within two years.  The Odoevsk’s capacity plan had last been certified in early 2005. Which just happens to be the last time the Odoevsk was issued a citation for illegal fishing.  In that case, the trawler used an illegal liner inside its net while fishing directly on the Grand Banks.  An illegal liner has extremely small mesh — fish about the size of pens and pencils are about all that can swim through. Read here for more.  The crew of the Odoevsk ...

“There are no straight lines.” — French artist Jean-Claude Roy on why he loves to paint Newfoundland. ••• The only thing lovelier than a stroll down old St. John’s is a stroll past an oil painting in progress of old St. John’s by Jean-Claude Roy. I happened upon Roy one recent Saturday morning as he worked on a canvas on the corner of Duckworth Street and Hill O’Chips looking west.  Roy, who splits his time between France and Newfoundland, broke from his painting each and every time he was approached by a curious tourist or local  — which happened quite often.  At one point, an American even offered Roy cash on the spot for the painting he was working on.  Roy sells his work exclusively through the Emma Butler Gallery , which has a showing of his new works until Sept. 1 st .  Roy says the skies in his paintings are all abstract to give more power to the landscape. ••• Roy has a new book set for launch by Breakwater Books on Se...

Everyday is an adventure in St. John's South-Mount Pearl — from fishing in Petty Harbour to harness racing in the Goulds. 



The Spanish fishing trawler Patricia Sotelo has been cited for illegal fishing on the Grand Banks.  The vessel — which had more redfish on board than was recorded in the skipper’s logbook — was ordered back to a Spanish port for inspection.  The fishing infraction was recorded on June 25, but only made public by the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans in early August.  DFO takes its sweet time.  But then it’s only fish.  Under rules of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (which monitors fishing on the high seas outside Canada's 200-mile limit), it’s up to the home country of a vessel charged with illegal fishing to follow through with prosecution.  DFO never releases information on the penalties (if any) imposed by a foreign country against one of its fishing trawlers for fear it may jeopardize international relations.  Which take precedence over NL relations. Of course, Spain in a member country of the Euro...

Cougar Helicopters recently opened a new $8-million search-and-rescue hanger at St. John's International Airport, with a wheels-up response time of 20 minutes during the day, and 45 minutes during evenings, weekends and holidays. Of course, Cougar services the offshore oil industry. Fishermen and other mariners have to wait a little bit longer for rescue from the frigid waters of the North Atlantic. They're forced to rely on the military's Gander-based Cormorant search-and-rescue helicopters, with a wheels-up response time of 30 minutes between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday to Friday, and up to 2 hours during evenings, weekends and holidays. Canada's SAR response is slow as molasses compared to other countries, and the federal Conservatives aren't prepared to speed it up. Someone should let Stephen Harper in on a little secret: hypothermia will kill a fisherman just as quickly as a rig worker. How can his government justify the two-tier response? Simpl...

More photographs of the the federal riding of St. John`s South-Mount Pearl - including the view from Cape Spear towards The Narrows and Cabot Tower. The musical groups pictured include The Idlers, who performed Saturday night at the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival in St. John`s (if Banneman Park had a roof it would have been blown off), and A Crowd of Bold Shareman, who also took to the stage. Photos by Jacob Fergus.

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The 194th Royal St. John's Regatta went off on Wednesday pretty much without a hitch. What seemed to be record crowds swarmed Quidi Vidi Lake in St. John's for a fabulous day at the races. Go here to see more photographs by Jacob Fergus. 

NL is known as The Rock for good reason — the music of course.  St. John’s was on musical fire Tuesday night, the eve of the Royal St. John’s Regatta, with two concerts — one on George Street, the heart of the bar district, and the other on the shores of Quidi Vidi Lake. The '90s rock band Thomas Trio and the Red Albino (see above) revved George Street to a fever pith (they were simply awesome), while Shanneyganook (see below), one of the best traditional NL bands around today, headlined Up the Pond .  Jodi Richardson, lead singer of Thomas Trio and the Red Albino, isn't just a singer — he's a true performer.  Andrew James O'Brien ("the next great songwriter to emerge from Newfoundland") also performed Up the Pond — an amazing NL talent.  Joel Plaskett and the Emergency were also on the shores of Quidi Vidi Tuesday night — what a pleasure.  Photos by Jacob Fergus.