Warning: count(): Parameter must be an array or an object that implements Countable in /home/customer/www/write2know.ca/public_html/wp-content/plugins/speakup-email-petitions/includes/class.petition.php on line 307
On May 20 2016 Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) announced its intention to implement a licensing and tagging system for the Newfoundland and Labrador Recreational Groundfish fishery beginning in the 2017 season. Under this new system fishermen and women will be required to attach plastic tags to their fish in an attempt to monitor the harvest. Since carcasses are generally returned to the water after filleting, this practice will open up an entirely new pathway for the introduction of plastics into our marine environment and into our food webs. Once introduced, plastics can be quickly dispersed; Newfoundland and Labrador lobster tags dating back as far as 1988 have been found as far away as the shores of Scotland and England (Hill, 2015), so a mistake now can have effects for generations. These particles are available to be ingested by marine species, introducing their potentially harmful effects into the human food web. Scientists have found that toxic chemicals such as pesticides, methyl mercury, benzene, and other pollutants, adhere to plastics and accumulate in an animals’ tissues when those plastics are ingested (Mato et al., 2001; Rochman et al., 2013; Teuten et al., 2009). Last summer, the Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research at MUN conducted a study on the plastic ingestion rate in cod caught on the island and found one of the lowest rates in the world – just 2.4% (Liboiron et al., 2016)- let’s keep it that way!
We ask that if this tagging system is really necessary, one possibility is that DFO use metal tags similar to the ones they use in their own research rather than plastic, a known marine pollutant.
The public consultation process on the new licensing and tagging system is currently underway. Comments and feedback can be submitted via email to from now until November 30 2016. Signing the petition below automatically sends a letter to this address. Please enter your information in the fields below to send your letter. Click on “Read the Petition” if you would like to edit the letter before you send it. Further information and a schedule of public consultation meetings can be found on the DFO website at http://www.inter.dfo-mpo.gc
This letter has been drafted by scientists at the Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research (CLEAR), a marine science laboratory at Memorial University of Newfoundland that has been conducting studies of plastic pollution in Newfoundland fish.
Your letter
Dear DFO,
I am writing in response to DFO’s intention to implement a licensing and tagging system for the Newfoundland and Labrador Recreational Groundfish fishery beginning in the 2017 season. I am deeply concerned about the plastic pollution this tagging regime will introduce to our waters and food web. Since carcasses are generally returned to the water after filleting, this practice will open up an entirely new pathway for the introduction of plastics into our marine environment and into our food webs. Once introduced, plastics can be quickly dispersed; Newfoundland and Labrador lobster tags dating back as far as 1988 have been found as far away as the shores of Scotland and England (World Animal Protection, 2015), so a mistake now can have effects for generations. These particles are available to be ingested by marine species, introducing their potentially harmful effects into the human food web. Scientists have found that toxic chemicals such as pesticides, methyl mercury, benzene, and other pollutants, adhere to plastics and accumulate in an animals’ tissues when those plastics are ingested (Mato et al., 2001; Rochman et al., 2013; Teuten et al., 2009). Last summer, the Civic Laboratory for Environmental Action Research at MUN conducted a study on the plastic ingestion rate in cod caught on the island and found one of the lowest rates in the world – just 2.4% (Liboiron et al., 2016 )- let’s keep it that way!
We ask that if this tagging system is really necessary, one possibility is that DFO use metal tags similar to the ones they use in their own research rather than plastic, a known marine pollutant.
Sincerely,
[Your name]cc
Hon. Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
Hon. Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Hon. Edward Fast, Conservative Critic of Environment and Climate Change
Hon. Nathan Cullen, NDP Critic of Environment and Climate Change
Sign the letter against plastic tags in our food web
This petition is now closed.
End date: Dec 01, 2016
Signatures collected: 64
| 64 | Lisa Penney | Vancouver, BC | Nov 30, 2016 |
| 63 | Michael Lantos | St.Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador | Nov 23, 2016 |
| 62 | Pamela Metcalfe | St.John`s, Newfoundland | Nov 22, 2016 |
| 61 | Alicia Poole | Conception Harbour, NL | Nov 20, 2016 |
| 60 | Jessica Caporusso | Toronto, Ontario | Nov 16, 2016 |
| 59 | Kim Ploughman | Portugal Cove, NL | Nov 16, 2016 |
| 58 | Carissa Brown | St. John's, NL | Nov 15, 2016 |
| 57 | Jessica Melvin | Tors Cove, Newfoundland | Nov 11, 2016 |
| 56 | Lloyd Hulmes | Bridgend, Wales, UK | Nov 11, 2016 |
| 55 | Patricia Boushel | Montreal , QC | Nov 10, 2016 |
| 54 | Edward Allen | St.John's, Newfoundland and Labrador | Nov 09, 2016 |
| 53 | Hillary Wainwright | St. John's, NL | Nov 09, 2016 |
| 52 | JA Ledwell | St. Johns, NL | Nov 08, 2016 |
| 51 | Christine Cornelia | Sointula, b | Nov 08, 2016 |
| 50 | Harvey Bellows | Lark Harbour | Nov 08, 2016 |
| 49 | Anika Truter | Vancouver, British Columbia | Nov 08, 2016 |
| 48 | Jill Chidley | St.johns , NL | Nov 08, 2016 |
| 47 | Kathy Corbett | HOLYROOD, Newfoundland and Labrador | Nov 08, 2016 |
| 46 | Pam Hall | St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador | Nov 08, 2016 |
| 45 | Hilda Buckles | PortugalCkve, Nl | Nov 08, 2016 |
| 44 | Catherine Stroud | Nov 07, 2016 | |
| 43 | Kelly Jazvac | Nov 07, 2016 | |
| 42 | Heather Davis | Nov 07, 2016 | |
| 41 | Margie Mulcahy | St. John's, Newfoundland | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 40 | Megan Mews | Foxtrap, NL | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 39 | Amy Sheppard | St John's, NL | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 38 | Shawna Craig | St. John's , Nl | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 37 | elizabeth philpott | gander, Newfoundland | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 36 | Helen Murphy | St. John's , NL | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 35 | Theresa Ryan | St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 34 | Marie Webber | CBS, NL | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 33 | Arn Keeling | St. John's, NL | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 32 | Phoebe Metcalfe | St. John's, Newfoundland | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 31 | Fred Winsor | St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 30 | RaeAnne Tremblett-Osmond | Clarenville, NL | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 29 | Ann-Marie Wells | CBS, Newfoundland | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 28 | Tomas Sanguinetti | St. John's, Newfoundland | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 27 | Ann Marie Gush | Mahers, NL | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 26 | Leo Hearn | Petty Harbour, Newfoundland | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 25 | Kimberly Orren | Petty Harbour, Newfoundland | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 24 | Jan Negrijn | St John's, NF | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 23 | Janet Harron | St. John's, NL | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 22 | Oonagh Butterfield | Toronto, Ontario | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 21 | Gail Hickey | St. John's, NL | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 20 | Alex Beck | conception bay south, Newfoundland | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 19 | Jessica Gould | Halifax, Nova Scotia | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 18 | Timothy Andrews | Fort St. James, British Columbia | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 17 | Emily Wells | CBS, Newfoundland and Labrador | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 16 | Judy Power | St. John's , NL | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 15 | Madeline Bury | St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 14 | Karen Stanbridge | St. John's, NL | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 13 | Maria Mayr | St. John's, NL | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 12 | Jacquelyn Saturno | St. John's, Newfoundland | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 11 | Ariel Smith | Lunenburg, Nova Scotia | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 10 | Kate Winsor | St. John's, NL | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 9 | Katy Warren | St. John's, NL | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 8 | Charles Mather | St John's, NL | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 7 | France Liboiron | Paradise, Newfoundland | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 6 | Nicole Power | Outer Cove, Newfoundland | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 5 | Ky Rees | Kilbride, NL | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 4 | Natasha Myers | Toronto, On | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 3 | Carley Schacter | St. John's, Newfoundland & Labrador | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 2 | Sarah Martin | St. John's , Newfoundland | Nov 07, 2016 |
| 1 | Max Liboiron | St. John's, NL | Nov 07, 2016 |
References
- Hill, T. (2015, June 20). Abandoned fishing gear makes 3,000-mile journey to litter Scotland’s beaches. Retrieved from http://www.takepart.com/article/2015/06/20/maine-lobster-traps-show-scotland
- Liboiron, M., Liboiron, F., Wells, E., Richárd, N., Zahara, A., Mather, C., Bradshaw, H., Murichi, J. (2016). Low plastic ingestion rate in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) from Newfoundland destined for human consumption collected through citizen science methods. Marine Pollution Bulletin, MPB-08118, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.10.043
- Rochman, C.M., Hoh, E., Kurobe, T., Teh, S.J. (2013). Ingested plastic transfers hazardous chemicals to fish and induces hepatic stress. Scientific Reports, 3:3263. http://dx.doi.org/10. 1038/srep03263.
- Teuten, E. L., Saquing, J. M., Knappe, D. R. U., Barlaz, M. A., Jonsson, S., Björn, A., Rowland, S. J., Thompson, R. C., Galloway, T. S., Yamashita, R., Ochi, D., Watanuki. Y., Moore, C., Viet, P. H., Tana., T. S., Prudente, M., Boonyatumanond, R., Zakaria, M. P., Akkhavong, K., Ogata, Y., Hirai, H., Iwasa, S., Mizukawa, K., Hagino, Y., Imamura, A., Sahu, M., & Takada, H. (2009). Transport and release of chemicals from plastics to the environment and to wildlife. Philisophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 364(1526), 2027-2045. doi:10.1098/rstb.2008.0284
